Yahoo News The number of people in the north-east set to lose out on winter fuel payment
More than 100,000 pensioners in the north-east of Scotland will lose out on winter fuel payments this year according to census data.
Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves is ending the universal winter fuel allowances for pensioners this year as the government continues to make spending cuts.
It is expected that the total figure of Scots set to be impacted by the move is around 885,000, with vast numbers across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray and Angus set to be affected.
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Winter Fuel Payments will be targeted at pensioners receiving additional benefits. This cut applies in England and Wales but has been passed on by the Scottish Government.
There has also been a cap placed on another Scottish Government winter heating payment, which was open to every household affected by freezing temperatures. They will receive up to £120 less a year when it’s coldest.
Take a look below and see how many residents will be losing out on the payment in each Scottish parliamentary constituency this winter.
Scottish Parliamentary Constituency | People losing Winter Fuel Payment |
Aberdeen Central | 8,021 |
Aberdeen Donside | 13,264 |
Aberdeen South and North Kincardine | 13,369 |
Aberdeenshire East | 14,816 |
Aberdeenshire West | 14,928 |
Banffshire and Buchan Coast | 14,111 |
Angus North and Mearns | 13,789 |
Moray | 15,159 |
Total | 107,457 |
The latest findings come after it was revealed by the PA News Agency that winter fuel payments to pensioners rose to 11.6 million last year, with the government continuing to face a backlash over its plan to cut back the benefit.
The number of people who received the payment last winter was 214,000 more than the 11.4 million in 2022-23, and it has steadily risen from 11.1 million in 2020-21, statistics released by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show.
The annual tax-free payment of between £100 and £300 was introduced in 1997 to help eligible pensioners meet the costs of heating their homes in winter.
The Government is facing opposition to its decision to means-test the payment, stripping it from millions of pensioners.
Pensioners staged a protest outside Labour’s annual conference on Monday to criticise the plan.
