by A pensioner is set to miss out on winter fuel allowance this year as she is just £3.32 over the weekly threshold for support.
Lynne Perry, 69, who lives in Cornwall, says she only gets enough income from her state pension to push her over the £218.15 limit for Pension Credit, the government payment for older people who need extra help on them with their living expenses.
Those on Pension Credit qualify for the annual winter fuel payment, which is means-tested this year.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves decided to cut the winter allowance for most recipients after inheriting a £22bn black hole in the public finances. It is estimated that 10.7 million pensioners will lose their fuel payment, worth up to £300, this winter.
Ms Perry, who is a retired teacher, said she receives £885.88 every four weeks from her state pension. This puts her at £3.32 above the weekly income that qualifies her for Pension Credit, and on top of the winter fuel payment.
said Miss Perry The Independent: “I’m one of those WASPI women who couldn’t retire at 60. What is really unfair, I think, is that if I had worked less and done little, I would be better off now. I am not entitled to Pension Credit because I have contributed for all those years of work.
“I recently had to move to a new place in Cornwall, as I am a renter. I moved to a converted barn which I now found was not well maintained.
“I could spend £250 a month on electricity and it’s still in the Baltic here. It’s like an icebox, so I’m not looking forward to winter at all.”
Speaking about the cuts to the winter fuel payment, Miss Perry said: “I think this is completely wrong. They could use council tax bands to assess who needs it most. I get a bit of housing benefit to help with my rent – why can’t pensioners on housing benefit get heating allowance? We are obviously not rich people.
“I understand why millionaires shouldn’t get the payments. But in my opinion the cut could not have come at a worse time.”
Miss Perry receives £395 a month in housing benefit to help with her rent, which is £625. Housing benefit does not count as income when calculating whether a person should receive Pension Credit.
She had some savings but says she recently ate through them due to the cost of her dental work and the cost of moving into a new home.
Ms Perry, who considered voting Labor at the last election but backed the LibDems at the last minute, said the cuts to fuel payments have made her happy with her choice.
She said: “I’m very disappointed with Labor and I think a lot of people are. I still have a bit of savings but we are talking single figures now. I think I will definitely have to use them this winter.
“I recently read that Rachel Reeves has claimed £4,400 in heating costs for her second home and I think that is absolutely rubbing salt into the wound.
“It’s just insulting our intelligence.”
A recent report by the Public Health Trust, which surveyed more than 30 charities, said older people are “worrying how to survive the winter without the financial help they previously received”.
One charity which supports pensioners said: “The main concern is that they are not able to heat their homes enough to stay warm”, another charity said: “from 1 October 2024 energy bills are going more height. Electricity is going up, gas is going up, council rates are going up, what are we going to do for heat?”
Another charity worker said: “Many pensioners who miss out on winter fuel payments will have to choose between having clean clothes and bedding, turning on the heating or cooking a good meal.”
The decision to cut the winter fuel payment for most pensioners has been criticized within the Labor party, with the Unite trade union using the party’s conference in September to call on the government to reverse the decision.
When Sir Keir Starmer put the decision to a vote, one Labor MP, Jon Trickett, voted against it with 53 abstentions. MPs are reported to have been privately lobbying Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir, making the case for more help for pensioners who are just above the Pension Credit level.
A government spokesman said: “We are committed to supporting pensioners – with millions set to see their state pension rise by up to £1,700 this parliament through our commitment to the Triple Lock.
“Over a million pensioners will still receive the winter fuel payment, and claims have already increased by 152 per cent as a result of our drive to increase Pension Credit take-up. Many more people will also benefit from the £150 Warm Home Discount to help with energy bills over the winter and our expansion of the Family Support Fund will help with the cost of food, heating and bills.”
