Around 780,000 pensioners in England and Wales are set to lose their winter fuel allowance. They are not expected to apply for the benefits they are entitled to, according to the government’s own analysis. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) estimates were released under freedom of information laws on Friday.
A Welsh Labour minister has defended UK Labour’s cuts to winter fuel payments for most pensioners – days after the new FM promised to put "country before party"
How's that working out? https://t.co/WxRjsLsnoI
— Liz Saville Roberts AS/MP (@LSRPlaid) September 18, 2024
The “equalities analyses” predicted that many people entitled to pension credit will not submit a claim. They will lose the subsidy altogether under the new rules.
Unite to push winter fuel vote at Labour conference
Unite, one of Labour's trade union backers, will try to force a vote on reversing the government's cuts to the winter fuel allowance at the party's conference in Liverpool.@Rajdeep1 https://t.co/83HVEhpkpT
— ECIU (@ECIU_UK) September 20, 2024
The disclosure comes after the government told opposition parties it had not carried out a full assessment of the policy’s impact.
There have been calls for analysis to be released.
NEW: Unite will attempt to force a vote at the Labour party conference to reverse winter fuel payment cuts, in what could be an embarrassing row for Keir Starmer’s first conference in government 👇🏼https://t.co/UaT8Lq76p2
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) September 18, 2024
No 10 has previously said it was not legally obliged to produce a full impact assessment on the decision to means test the benefit. Under the changes, the winter fuel allowance will still be available to those claiming pension credit and some other benefits.
However, around 10 million people are set to be stripped of the payment. A Treasury spokesman said that more than a million pensioners would still receive the winter fuel payment.
Pensioners to lose fuel subsidy
The government is encouraging people eligible for pension credit to apply. The DWP’s internal analysis confirms the government is expecting hundreds of thousands of eligible people to miss out. The government estimates around 100,000 more people could be persuaded to claim pension credit.
More than three-quarters of a million pensioners who are eligible are still not expected to submit a claim, the document confirmed. The analysis also suggested that nine in 10 pensioners aged between 66 and 79 would lose their allowance. Eight in 10 over-80s would do so.
Since those over 80 receive a higher payment of £300 as opposed to £200, they would take the greatest financial hit, it said. The analysis also found that while those with a disability would be most likely to retain the payment, around 71% will still lose their entitlement. Conservative Party chairman Richard Fuller called on Labour to “immediately” conduct and publish a full impact assessment of “this harmful policy.” He accused the government of having “sneaked out” the analysis.
Previously, the Liberal Democrats said not carrying out an impact assessment before cutting support was “absolutely unthinkable.”
Speaking on Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer said the decision to cut winter fuel payments was necessary to stabilize the economy. He said the government was putting “mitigations in place.” The DWP said the document, which is more limited than a full impact assessment, was not “routinely published alongside secondary legislation.” It was published in response to a Freedom of Information request.
- Express.”Question Time fury as MPs urged to give up heating payments to help struggling pensioners”.
- Jacobin.”Labour’s Adventures in Pointless Means-Testing”.
- BBC.”Winter fuel payment: 780,000 to miss out on allowance, says DWP”.