Pensioners hit by winter fuel payment cuts could benefit from £200,000 council fund

A £200,000 fund could be set up to help Bolton pensioners who fall just above the threshold for winter fuel payments. Thousands of older people in Bolton will lose winter fuel payments under changes being brought in by the government.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that future payments would only be made to those getting pension credit or other means-tested help. This year, the winter fuel payment totals £200 for those on certain benefits and born between September 23, 1944, and September 22, 1958.

For those born before September 23, 1944, and on certain benefits, it is worth £300. The cutback plans have been heavily criticised by many politicians, unions and charities with the government saying the cuts were needed due to a £22bn black hole that the Labour government said it found in the public finances.

Next week, Bolton Council are set to debate a motion raised by Breightmet councillor Sean Fielding, which aims to divert £200,000 of funds from the 20 wards which make up Bolton Council. The money would then be used ‘mitigate the impact of the winter fuel cuts’ for ‘the most vulnerable of those affected who sit just above the payment threshold in Bolton’.

Coun Fielding said: “With regret, that the new government has been forced to take difficult decisions to correct this mismanagement including ending the universal payment of winter fuel allowance to pensioners.”

Join the Manchester Politics WhatsApp group here

The plan would involve cutting the area working budgets across the borough, which allocates £52,500 to each ward. Coun Fielding’s motion states: “This council supports our pensioners and to mitigate the impact of the winter fuel cuts, proposes creating a local fund to provide targeted support to the most vulnerable of those affected who sit just above the payment threshold in Bolton.

“Noting the significant underspend in area working budgets across the borough, and the allocation of a further £52,500 to each ward for the financial year 2024/25 which is mostly yet to be committed, this council agrees to reduce this allocation by £10,000 per ward. This will create a fund of £200,000 to support local pensioners this winter.”

The area working discretionary budget for each ward is used by councillors to give cash grants to support to community groups and events within their ward.

Should the motion be passed and its intentions adopted by the council, officers would be asked to work up a scheme to allocate the funds to pensioners in the borough. The motion is set to be debated by the full council on Wednesday, October 9 but sometimes motions listed for debate do not come forward due to time constraints of the meeting.