Around 40,000 pensioners in Westmorland and Furness who badly need Winter Fuel Payments to stay warm will not receive the benefit, according to a councillor.
Conservative group leader Hilary Carrick will raise a motion urging the council to write to the Labour government and call for a review when it meets on September 26.
The motion requests that council leader Jonathan Brook writes to the Chancellor of the Exchequer urging a review of the decision to means-test winter fuel payments.
The motion set to be moved by Cllr Carrick reads: “The new Labour government’s recent decision to restrict the Winter Fuel Payment to only those pensioners in receipt of means-tested benefits like Pension Credit, will mean that in excess of 40,000 pensioners in Westmorland and Furness who badly need the money to stay warm this winter will not receive it.
“The Winter Fuel Payment has been a lifeline for many older people across the UK and restricting its availability solely to those on Pension Credit risks leaving many pensioners in financial hardship.
“While some pensioners currently in receipt of the Winter Fuel Payment may not require it, many thousands across Westmorland and Furness sit just above the cut-off for Pension Credit and will now lose their allowance.”
If the motion is approved, the council will encourage local efforts to promote Pension Credit uptake through council services and partnerships with local charities and community organisations to ensure that all eligible pensioners in Westmorland and Furness are supported in claiming their entitlement.
People in England and Wales not in receipt of Pension Credit or other means-tested benefits will no longer receive winter fuel payments after an opposition motion to block cuts to the allowance failed.
Pensions minister Emma Reynolds previously said the payment would be means-tested due to a £22 billion black hole in public finances left by the previous government.
She said: “There are plenty of very wealthy pensioners who are getting transfers of £200, or £300 if they’re over 80, into their bank account and who don’t need it, so it’s right that we target this support on the poorest pensioners.”
It is expected to reduce the number of pensioners in receipt of the up to £300 payment by 10 million, from 11.4 million to 1.5 million, saving around £1.4 billion this year.
