Published On: Wed, Nov 27th, 2024
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DWP issues response to petition demanding Winter Fuel Payment reinstated | Personal Finance | Finance


The DWP this afternoon issued a response to a petition calling for the Winter Fuel Payment eligibility change to be reversed after the campaign reached over 41,000 signatures.

The Government department said it has “no plans” to amend the qualifying criteria for the payment, which is this year worth £200 or £300.

From this winter, it no longer goes out to all people of state pension age, but you also have to be on a means-tested benefit such as Pension Credit.

Replying to the petition on the Parliament website, the DWP said: “Given the substantial fiscal pressures this year and next, the Government has had to make difficult decisions to bring the public finances under control.

“This includes the decision to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment, so it is better targeted to low-income pensioners who need it.”

An important deadline to note if you are considering putting in a Pension Credit claim is that you need to apply by December 21 to qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment.

Pension Credit claims can be backdated by three months, so if you can backdate your claim over this period, you will have been entitled during the qualifying September week to get the Winter Fuel Payment.

The DWP also claimed that millions of pensioners are set for a pay increase thanks to the triple lock which guarantees the state pension increases each year.

Payments will go up 4.1 percent next April, with the full new state pension increasing by around £470 a year.

The response explained: “Over the course of this Parliament, the full yearly rate of the new state pension is forecast to increase by around £1,900 whilst the full yearly amount of the basic state pension is forecast to increase by around £1,500.”

The DWP also pointed to the campaign to urge people to apply for Pension Credit, with hundreds of thousands of people not claiming when they could be.

A typical claim is worth £3,900 a year, with the benefit providing an income top-up, as well as access to other help such as a free TV licence for over 75s, council tax discounts and money off energy bills.

Explaining the other support available to pensioners on benefits, the DWP stated that claimants can qualify for Cold Weather Payments, a £25 payment that goes out whenever temperatures are forecast to be below zero for seven consecutive days.

Low-income pensioners also get support through the Warm Home Discount, an £150 rebate on your electricity bills expected to go out to one million pensioners this winter.

The Government has also arranged a £500million support package with energy suppliers to help those struggling to pay their bills.

The DWP said: “This could include credit on bills, enhanced debt write-off schemes and hardship funds, reducing or waiving the standing charges over winter for certain customers, access to energy-saving devices, and enhanced funding to charity partners to target hard to reach customers.”

A further means of support is the Household Support Fund, where local authorities are give out support to hard-up families, including vouchers and direct payments.

This has been extended until the end of March 2026 with the funds targeted at “children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people, larger households, single-person households, and those struggling with one-off financial shocks or unforeseen events”.

You can read the response in full here.



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