State pensioners who ‘just missed out’ on £300 Winter Fuel Payment being given £200 instead

Kent Council is offering up to £200 to state pensioners in what it calls the Pensioners Just Missing Out scheme – after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Winter Fuel Allowance was cut. Pension-aged residents on lower incomes who are not eligible for Pension Credit or the government’s Winter Fuel Payment can apply.

If successful, a household will receive vouchers to the value of £200 which can be redeemed for food, energy, or both, depending on an individual’s most pressing need. In October, KCC’s Leader Roger Gough announced that £1m of the Household Support Fund will be used to support thousands of Kent pensioners this winter, after the government cut the Winter Fuel Payment to around 10 million older people in the UK, with only those eligible for Pension Credit continuing to get support with winter fuel costs.

Roger Gough wants to provide targeted support to older members of the community who are struggling financially, but who just miss out on qualifying to receive pension credit and the fuel allowance.

READ MORE Octopus issues £900 warning to anyone who is a customer with them

He said: “We think it is really important to ensure that there is support for those people who are going to be really affected by what’s happened with the Winter Fuel Allowance and who are not eligible for Pension Credit.

“There are an awful lot of older people in Kent who don’t qualify for pension credit, but are just at that level above it. People for whom this winter could mean real hardship. This support is aimed at those who will experience real pressure throughout the winter and may have to make difficult decisions about energy or food.

“So the focus will very much be ensuring those older people can be in a much better situation than would otherwise have been the case.” Mr Gough said: “The entire programme is delivering meaningful change during a time of immense challenge.”

Image Credits and Reference: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/state-pensioners-who-just-missed-30754884

Leave a Comment