Winter fuel payment: Fears that cutting money will cost lives

More pensioners will die because of the decision to withdraw the winter fuel payment, Wales’ older people’s commissioner has said.

Rhian Bowen-Davies said UK ministers needed to reverse the decision that will see 90% of pensioners between 66 and 79 lose the payment.

The Labour-run UK government said cuts were necessary to address what it called the financial “black hole” it inherited from the Conservatives.

“People will feel the impact of this,” said Ms Bowen-Davies. “We know that this could impact on 4,000 additional deaths this winter.”

Shelia Burgess from Magor, Monmouthshire, who began working at 15, thought she would be able to claim her state pension at 60, but was then caught out by government changes to the rules.

She is one of the so-called Waspi women who were born in the 1950s and say they didn’t have enough time to prepare for the fact that they would have to work years longer before being able to claim their state pension.

Ms Burgess is now expecting to lose the winter fuel payment which had been “something that made us not have to worry if the weather got very cold”.

“I appreciate it’s not a huge amount of money but that £300 during the winter months is a big help,” she said.

The UK government’s own figures showed 83% of people over 80 would lose the payment, rising to 90% of those aged 66 to 79.

Other groups will lose out too, with 71% of pensioners with disabilities having the payment taken away.

Disability Wales chief executive Rhian Davies said some people needed every penny.

“They need to have warm homes [and] perhaps because of vision impairment they’ll need to have good lighting. They need to be running equipment.

“Many disabled people of whatever age often have higher fuel costs and need to have greater use of electricity, heating, directly related to their impairment.”

The plight of Welsh pensioners was raised by Plaid Cymru’s Caerfyrddin MP, Ann Davies, during Prime Minister’s Questions when she highlighted the case of constituent, Janette Crawford, whom she said suffered with ME and chronic pain.

“The cold, damp conditions of a Welsh winter are going to mean a lot more muscle soreness and fatigue for her,” she said.

“She has lost her winter fuel payments due to having a very small savings pot.

“With 86% of pensioners in poverty, or just above that line, to miss out in Wales, will the prime minister establish a social energy tariff to help people like Janette?”

Sir Keir Starmer said his government had “inherited a £22bn black hole” and Conservative MPs “should be apologising… for leaving the country in such a state”.

He said government was committed to the pension “triple lock” which would increase by £460 next year.

“That means pensioners under Labour will be better off because we are going to stabilise the economy after that lot lost control of it,” he said.

Pension expert Helen Morrissey, head of retirement analysis at investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown, said people who have lost the payment had options such as applying for pension credit.

“You can look to see if you can qualify for the warm home discount, which is a rebate of £150 off your fuel bills… if you are genuinely really struggling with these energy bills this winter, speak to your supplier and see if they can help you,” she said.

She does not think Chancellor Rachel Reeves will change course during this month’s Budget but “one thing that could perhaps happen is to maybe soften it around the edges a bit”.

She said that could include some kind of support for people who “don’t quite qualify for pension credit”.