Who is eligible for winter fuel payments in East Cambs?

It comes as local charities have reacted to Labour's controversial plans to scrap the payment, a move that will impact around 10 million pensioners in England and Wales. 

From this Autumn, those not on pension credit or other means-tested benefits will no longer receive the annual payments, which are worth between £100 and £300. 

The plans were described by shadow chancellor Jeremy Hunt as "spurious". 

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough branch of Age UK said the removal of the payment would cause "many to feel anxious about the winter ahead". 

Its chief executive Melanie Pittock described Labour's decision as "very poor timing" and told the Ely Standard: "As many as two million older people could suffer due to winter fuel payment cuts.

"Older people in our local communities have been feeling the negative impacts of the cost of living crisis for some time. 

"The removal of this payment is going to cause many to feel anxious about the winter ahead and could isolate those who feel they must stay at home now in order to save funds for later this year and early next. 

She added: "Whist there are some pensioners who do not require this money, they are far outweighed by those who do. There has to be a much fairer way to determine who really needs this money, rather than a blanket cut."

According to the Department for Work and Pensions, more than 17,000 pensioners in East Cambridgeshire were eligible for the payment in 2022-23. 

Moving forward, and under Labour's plans, that figure will drop to just 1,287 which means more than 16,000 pensioners are at risk of losing the winter fuel payment. 

Winter fuel payments were established in 1997 to help those above state pension age with their winter heating bills. 

Up until now, the winter fuel payment of up to £300 a year was paid automatically to anyone receiving a state pension.

Winter 2024 will be the first time since its creation that pensioners in England Wales will not be eligible for the payment. 

According to chief officer at Citizens Advice Rural Cambs, Nick Blencowe, millions of households will be forced to make "the impossible choice between heating or eating."

Nick Blencowe is chief officer at the Citizens Advice Rural Cambs. (Image: Nick Blencowe)

He said: "The current Winter Fuel Payment is not well targeted and is too low to make a real difference to pensioners who need help most.

"As we go into this winter, we need to see targeted support with energy bills for all those in desperate need, including low-income families and pensioners.

"Changes to eligibility to the payment will create some uncertainty. We will need to see better support for people to understand how this change impacts them, and how they can continue accessing the help they need."

The scrapping of universal winter fuel payments comes ahead of October's predicted energy fuel cap rise, which could add an additional £150 to a typical household's bill. 

MP for Ely and East Cambridgeshire Charlotte Cane said the decision will leave pensioners 'worried'. 

Charlotte Cane is the MP for South East Cambridgeshire. (Image: Charlotte Cane)

She added: "This decision has been made with little notice and wasn’t put forward in the Labour party’s manifesto – and no other measures have been put in place to help vulnerable pensioners.

"While fixing the economic mess should be the Government’s priority, this shouldn’t be done by pushing more people into poverty.

"While the Treasury will save £1.4bn, it will remove the winter fuel payment from 87% of those who previously received it – this is not a sensible proposal. The facts show that making benefits available to all is more efficient and stops people from falling through the cracks.

"Older people are less likely to take out debt and they’re more likely to spend less money than they might need to on energy in order to avoid being in debt.

She added: "There’s a high risk that a significant number of pensioners will become ill from living in cold homes and spending less on food."