Winter fuel payment cuts could cause '4,000 deaths' charities warn as they call for delay

The Winter Fuel Payment has been cut back in this year's Budget, with only state pensioners on means-tested benefits qualifying for the benefit

The commissioner for older people in Wales, Rhian Bowen-Davies, has warned that cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment could contribute to thousands more deaths this year and has called on UK ministers to reconsider the decision. The change, which is estimated to affect around 10 million pensioners, means that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefit will now only be available to state pensioners receiving means-tested benefits, a shift from previous years where all those above the state pension age were eligible.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has altered the rules for this year, restricting the payment that assists with heating bills during the colder months.

Rhian Bowen-Davies expressed her concerns, stating: "People will feel the impact of this. We know that this could impact on 4,000 additional deaths this winter."

The charity Independent Age has urged the Government to postpone the cuts until an impact assessment is conducted. Recent findings from a study by Independent Age and YouGov reveal that nearly half of the older population in England set to lose their Winter Fuel Payment are planning to heat and use just one room to save on costs, reports the Express.

Simon Francis, the coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, remarked on the issue, saying: "The new figures confirm that many older people will now start to develop unsafe behaviours as a result of the Winter Fuel Payment cuts, including limiting themselves to living in one room of their homes during the winter."

Mr Francis highlighted that until the Government fully implements its plans to improve insulation and ventilation of buildings and stabilise energy costs, "vulnerable households will continue to need financial support."

He continued: "That's why the Winter Fuel Payments were so important, the money provided helps older households stay warm each winter. Sadly, now more older people are expected to live in cold damp homes this winter and this puts them at greater risk of ill health, meaning the costs to the NHS will soar."

Caroline Simpson, a spokesperson for the campaign group Warm This Winter, commented: "Over half a million people from all walks of life have voiced their fears about the Winter Fuel Payments being axed through petitions. We urge the Government to listen to them with a delay this winter so the impact can be properly assessed and help given to those pensioners who will not cope without it."

"We know the majority of people in the UK support an affordable, social tariff which would help the most vulnerable such as families, the ill and the 6.5 million in fuel poverty, funded by the wider energy industry who are raking in billions in profits while we are all paying 60 percent more on our energy bills since the start of the crisis," she added.

Ms Simpson called on the Government to "get on with" the crucial task of insulating homes, which she believes is "the quickest way" to reduce bills.

Senior citizens are not the only ones who will be hit by rising bills, as nearly a quarter of Britons are expected to help their elderly parents with heating costs this winter, according to research from Intuit Credit Karma. On average, they're anticipated to spend around £315 to cover the difference between pension allowances and fuel bills.

A worrying 21 percent admitted they may have to choose between aiding their elderly relatives and heating their own homes this winter.

Independent Age has initiated an open letter to the Government, urging people to "take a stand" against these changes. The letter has already attracted over 23,000 signatures.

Helen Morrissey, a pension expert and head of retirement analysis at investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown, doesn't believe Chancellor Rachel Reeves will alter her stance in this month's Autumn Budget. However, she suggested that "one thing that could perhaps happen is to maybe soften it around the edges a bit".

This could potentially involve some form of support for those who "don't quite qualify for pension credit".

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to present the new Government's Autumn Budget on Wednesday, October 30.