Councils launch their own winter fuel schemes after pensioners stripped of payouts
Councils are launching their own alternative winter fuel schemes after Sir Keir Starmer axed annual payments for 10 million pensioners.
Local authority leaders said they were taking matters into their own hands to curb the impact of the Government’s “cruel” decision.
Labour-run Basildon Council has announced it is giving £100 grants to vulnerable pensioners stripped of their usual support.
It will initially target 1,000 struggling households which just missed out on receiving the previously universal winter fuel payments.
Elsewhere, Lib Dem-led Dorset Council said its £2m cost of living fund will be “put under increased pressure to provide additional support” to offset the impact of the policy change.
It comes after the Government’s own equality analysis found 1.6 million disabled pensioners will be affected by the allowance cut.
A freedom of information response quietly published by the Government after 7pm on Friday showed that 4.6 million people who live alone will lose their winter fuel payments this year.
Almost three million people aged 80 and above will lose it, as well as 7.3 million aged between 66 to 79.
Lib Dem MP Wendy Chamberlain said: “This lays bare what a catastrophic decision the Government has taken for millions of pensioners.
“It must reverse course immediately, ditch these cruel cuts, and get pensioners the support they need this winter.”
Rules enforced by Labour mean only people in England and Wales in receipt of pension credit or other means-tested benefits can now qualify for government support.
The changes are designed to raise around £1.5bn a year.
Leader of Basildon Council, Gavin Callaghan, said: “While we can’t change government policy, we can take local action to protect our most vulnerable residents.”
Leader of Dorset Council Nick Ireland said: “The Government’s changes will put significant pressure on the council’s budget at a time when resources are already overstretched.”
Council papers show the authority has already overspent by £10.1m this year.
Other councils are dipping into their Household Support Funds to help pensioners stripped of the allowance, worth up to £300.
The funds – which are shared among local authorities in England – are designed to help vulnerable households, such as those unable to put food on the table.
Councils such as Blackpool and the London Borough of Bexley are among those local authorities using the money to help pensioners with axed fuel payments.
Others have launched awareness campaigns to encourage eligible retirees to sign up for pension credit and qualify for winter payments.
As many as 880,000 pensioners who could be claiming the benefit are not, Department for Work and Pensions figures suggest.
Rachel Reeves, who has claimed £4,400 of taxpayer cash towards her energy bills, has defended the winter fuel policy, which will be used to help plug a £22bn fiscal “black hole” in public finances. But the decision has caused concern among a number of backbenchers.
More than 50 Labour MPs defied Sir Keir last week and refused to vote for the change. Sir Keir Starmer has also received dozens of letters from council leaders calling for an about-turn.
Last week, it emerged that Labour had previously warned up to 4,000 pensioners could die if the allowance was scrapped.
A government spokesman said: “Over a million pensioners will continue to receive the winter fuel payment and through our commitment to protect the triple lock, those on the full new state pension will receive an extra £400 – twice the average winter fuel payment.”