One in two pensioners hit by Winter Fuel Payment cuts will heat their homes less this winter

9 Dec 2024

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

  • Half (51%) of pensioners who expect to be impacted by the cuts to Winter Fuel Payments say they will heat their homes less this winter
  • One third (35%) of pensioners impacted say they will cut back on other essentials and one in three (32%) also said they would spend less on Christmas gifts and food
  • The Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to reinstate the Winter Fuel Payment cuts or risk “ruining” Christmas for many pensioners 

Half (51%) of pensioners who said that they will be hit by cuts to the Winter Fuel Payments say they will heat their home less this winter, new polling commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The polling also revealed that a third (32%) of pensioners who think they will be impacted by the changes were going to spend less on festive presents and food this winter with a further 16% saying that they will eat less as a result.

Across all those that said they will be hit, two-thirds (63%) said they would either heat their homes less, eat less, cut back on essentials or spend less on Christmas this winter because of the government’s decision to cut Winter Fuel Payments for 10 million pensioners.

It comes as the government has admitted that their changes to the Winter Fuel Payments will result in an additional 100,000 pensioners being pushed into relative poverty. The government’s drive for additional uptake of pension credit for those eligible also produced negligible results. 

Of the 880,000 people the government estimated who were eligible for pension credit but were not claiming it at the time of their announced cuts, just 42,500 people have had their pension credit applications accepted. It leaves 95% of those eligible without pension credit and many more without the ability to claim Winter Fuel Payments.

The Liberal Democrats have called on the government to reverse their “disastrous” cuts or risk “ruining” Christmas for many pensioners this year.

Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions spokesperson, Steve Darling MP said:

“The new government’s disastrous decision to cut Winter Fuel Payments for millions of vulnerable people risks ruining many pensioners' Christmas this year.

“Ministers have also abjectly failed to meaningfully boost pension credit uptake meaning hundreds of thousands of people who should be getting and desperately need support will have to go without this winter.

“The government needs to swallow its pride and reverse these reckless cuts that will leave millions of vulnerable people having to choose between heating and eating this winter. 

“We are reaching the point of no return where support will not get to pensioners in time and they will suffer as a result.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

The polling can be found here. Methodology: Savanta interviewed 552 UK adults aged 65+ as part of a wider sample UK adults online between 22nd and 25th November 2024. Data were weighted to be representative of the UK by age, sex, region, and social grade.

Reporting on the government statement that 100,000 pensioners will fall into relative poverty as a result of these cuts can be found here.

The government’s estimate that 880,000 pensioners were not claiming pension credit who were eligible can be found here.

The government’s latest figures for pension credit uptake can be found here.

The story was first reported on the Daily Mail.

 

 

 

 

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