Local leading older person’s charity Agewell Partnership has welcomed the decision by Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons to issue £100 one off winter fuel payments to all Older People’s households.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has announced his plan for the allocation of £17million from the Executive to mitigate the impact of changes to the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP).
The funds, allocated following the October monitoring fund, will be used to provide a one-off fuel support payment of £100 to pensioners no longer eligible for WFP.
Minister Lyons said:
“Since the unwelcome and unexpected decision by the UK government to limit Winter Fuel Payments to those in receipt of Pension Credit and other means tested benefits, I have sought to secure fuel support for affected pensioners so I welcome the £17million allocation.
“My Department will use these funds to provide a one-off £100 payment to pensioners no longer eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment.
“Having previously tasked my officials with readying the relevant legislation in the event of a funding allocation, I expect the payment to be made automatically before the end of March 2025.”
An estimated 250,000 pensioners, in approximately 170,000 households, who were set to lose out after the UK government’s decision to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment, will receive the automatic payment. Eligibility criteria will be that previously used for WFPs and payments will be issued before the end of March 2025.
Mid and East Antrim based Agewell Partnership supports Older People across Ballymena, Larne and Carrickfergus in all areas of the health and wellbeing. In recent years the organisation has helped facilitate many various forms of fuel support when Older People are sometimes having to decide
between “heat and eat” in the harsh winter months.
The decision by the Labour government to restrict Winter Fuel Payments to households in only receipt of pension credit or other means-tested benefits came as a shock to many Older People who despite having very small private pensions would struggle annually to heat their homes.
Sarah McLaughlin, Director of Health at Agewell Partnership commented on today’s announcement saying:
“At this time of year we see a huge amount of anxiety in our Older People, they know the temperatures will be dropping but they don’t have enough cash to keep the heating going while paying for their other outgoings.
“Many of our Older People live with long term health conditions which are exacerbated by the colder weather, leading to symptoms worsening and in turn more people needing to turn to their GPs and using hospital services. The Minister’s decision shows that by taking a preventative approach and supporting Older People we can in turn help to ease winter pressures on the Health System here.”
This payment will be available to all Pensioners households who have had their winter fuel payments removed. There will be no application process as the Department will automatically identify those eligible individuals through existing records. The payment
will be made before the end of March 2025.
Minister Lyons concluded:
“Whilst I hope this payment will go some way to supporting those pensioners affected by the changes to WFPs, I recognise that it will not fully mitigate its impact so I am encouraging everyone to check their benefit entitlement.
“Just last week, I announced an uptake in additional benefits of £62million in 2023/24 through my Department’s Make the Call service, £21.3million of which went to pensioners.
“This free and confidential service puts people in touch with support to which they may be entitled but have not been claiming. Pension Credit in particular, can provide access to a range of other supports and benefits which can be a lifeline for our older generations.
“My Department will continue its Pension Credit promotional activities with applications having increased by 56 per cent during August to October from the corresponding period last year.
“A Pension Credit claim can be made online, by telephone or post, and people can use the Pension Credit calculator online to check their potential entitlement.
“I want to ensure that all available support and entitlements go directly to those who most need them so would encourage everyone to ‘make the call’.”
Agewell Partnership provides support and information to anyone over the age of 50 years of age in all areas of their health and wellbeing through various projects including IMPACT Agewell and Connect North.
If you or a family or friend may require advice, support or assistance over the winter months, please contact Agewell on 028 2585 8604 or email info@meaap.co.uk