‘We have to look after our own’: Council steps in to help pensioners hit by Winter Fuel Payment cuts

By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor

Pensioners in Hull who have been affected by the Government’s cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment may be in line for extra help from the city council.

Senior councillors have endorsed proposals to allocate £307,000 to support those pensioners with the most limited incomes who will no longer receive the winter fuel allowance.

Those in receipt of council tax support at the higher levels of between 80 per cent and 99 per cent will receive a £200 payment.

It will come from the authority’s latest six-month allocation from the Government’s Household Support Fund (HSF), which will also see cash go to things such as free school meals for eligible families during holiday periods, school uniform grants, and support for warm spaces.

City council leader, Councillor Mike Ross, said: “As a council, we have called on the Government to scrap their plans to cut the Winter Fuel Payment. Regardless of whether that happens, we have to look after our own here in the city.

“These payments should benefit over 1,500 pensioners across Hull. Whilst we welcome the extension of the Household Support Fund, we are still seeking urgent clarity from the Government about what it will do to help the most vulnerable people in the long-term.”

There is no need to apply for the money as the £200 payments will be allocated automatically via the council tax accounts of eligible pensioners.

Pensioners who receive 100 per cent council tax support will already be in receipt of Pension Credit or an equivalent, and so will continue to receive the Government’s Winter Fuel Payment.

The council will also use the HSF to continue to support the work of foodbanks, as well as providing help for low-income households to improve energy efficiency, including insulation improvements and boiler replacements.

For more information on the Household Support Fund in Hull, visit Household Support Fund | Hull.