Martin Lewis update over £300 Winter Fuel Payment cut being 'reversed' for 'all' state pensioners

Martin Lewis update over £300 Winter Fuel Payment cut being 'reversed' for 'all' state pensioners
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Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert has issued clarity over hopes the £300 Winter Fuel Payment could be saved. There is hopes a legal challenge north of the border, in Scotland, could leave state pensioners better off by protecting the £300 allowance.

A judicial review has been mounted at the Court of Session in Scotland by Govan Law Centre (GLC) on behalf of a pensioner couple living in Scotland. The couple will not be getting the £300 energy bill support this winter after the changes from the new Labour Party government and Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) announced in July.

GLC's central argument in the case is that the government "failed" to comply with its legal duty when making changes to the criteria. Mr Lewis' MSE team, founded by the BBC and ITV star, say if court finds that the government didn't fulfil its duties under the Equality Act, then this could see the move as unlawful.

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It could reverse the move with the court potentially ordering the government to do a full impact assessment on the move. MSE said: "Crucially, the Government could take the judgment away and make the same decision again having done the correct impact assessment. However, it's thought it would not have enough time to do this before the payments are due to be made in November and December. This would effectively mean reinstating the payments for all pensioners this winter."

Mr Fanning, who suffers from anaemia and asthma, said he was worried about his finances after having to dip into his savings to cover his heating bills last winter. He said: “Florence doesn't have a pension, just the state pension. I had to spend my savings on keeping the heating on.

“My anaemia means my blood doesn’t circulate properly, so if I am cold and I try to stand up, the blood doesn’t reach my head right. There’s a knock on effect to this. The best thing for me if I can’t keep my house warm is to get my bed socks on, get a hot water bottle, and go to bed. If the governments think that is the ideal situation for a pensioner, then I’m sorry - I disbelieve you.”