Four-fifths of London pensioners are set to lose their winter fuel payment this year according to new analysis from the Londoners.
The research shows that 880,394 pensioners will lose the payment this winter across the capital following the Labour Party’s decision to restrict the payment, with all UK pensioners receiving the payment in 2023.
The figures concluded just 19%, or 190,496 London pensioners were set to keep the payment.
The analysis took the number of pensioners who received the winter fuel payment last year, such as Jennifer, and subtracted the amount who also receive pension credit – the key metric for whether pensioners will continue to receive the payment.
The decision, a cost-cutting measure implemented by Rachel Reeves, has been met with horror in communities across the capital, with pensioners and MPs appealing to the government to reverse the decision.
Jennifer Thompson*, 75, a pensioner in Wandsworth who did not wish to use her real name, is set to lose her winter fuel allowance despite living alone and suffering from respiratory diseases.
She said: “I shouldn’t have to worry about whether to eat or heat.”
Jennifer, who is not eligible for pension credit as she receives a small private pension, expressed her fear that the costs of living in her uninsulated home during the winter were simply going to get worse.
The pensioner, who suffers from Corneal Dystrophy and Raynaud’s disease, the latter of which is exacerbated by cold temperatures, attends Age UK’s regular coffee mornings to help save costs and socialise.
She said: “I am not looking forward to winter this year. I will just have to prioritise, to try and do what I can.”
Jennifer has called on the government to re-think their decision.
North London boroughs Hornchurch & Upminster and Ruislip, Northwood & Pinner are set to be the worst affected constituencies, with an estimated 17,500 pensioners losing the payment in each borough.
The data further revealed that constituencies held by the opposition parties were set to be worse affected than those held by Labour counterparts, including Bethnal Green and Stepney, where almost half of pensioners will keep their payments.
This was because constituencies held by Labour had higher percentages of pensioners receiving pension credit, the key metric now determining who will now receive the winter fuel payment.
The decision has been strongly criticised by opposition MPs across London whose constituencies are set to be badly hit, with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats both opposing the cut.
Gareth Bacon, MP for Orpington said: “Labour’s choice to take away the Winter Fuel Payment from around ten million pensioners [in the UK] is shameful.
“Many have told me they will have to make difficult choices between heating their homes or feeding themselves during the coldest months of the year.”
Bacon, whose constituency is projected to be the third-worst affected in London, also said the government was making the wrong choices.
“They should be looking after pensioners who have worked hard all their lives, not their union donors,” he added.
His calls for Labour to reconsider their proposals were joined by Conservative colleagues Louis French and Peter Fortune, whose constituencies of Old Bexley & Sidcup and Bromley & Biggin Hill are both projected to be in the top ten worst affected.
French said: “The Government’s decision to cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners is heartless. Whatever Labour says this isn’t about removing support from people who don’t need it.
“I’ve spoken to countless pensioners locally who will be left unable to heat their homes this winter because of Labour’s welfare cut. It’s frankly disgraceful.”
Fortune added: “Millions of pensioners rely on winter fuel payments to stay warm. Removing this support with little notice or care for those who cannot afford to heat their home this winter is cruel.
“The Government is making a political choice to prioritise train drivers’ pay demands over pensioners in need. They don’t have to do this.”
The Liberal Democrats have also opposed the changes, with their six London MPs calling on the government to change course.
Lib Dem MP for Twickenham, Munira Wilson said: “I have spoken to many elderly residents across Twickenham who are seriously worried about whether they will be able to heat their homes or put food on the table without their winter fuel allowance.
“It is clear that this policy is harming lots of vulnerable people across the country. I would urge Labour to change course to ensure that pensioners get the vital support they need.”
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said in September that the cut was “not something that he or the chancellor wanted to do, but was a necessary as part of our efforts to balance the books and address the £22bn black hole”.
Image credit: Photo by Dominik Lange on Unsplash
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