Pensioners who lost DWP Winter Fuel Payment will get £175 through new scheme

The caller outgo comes arsenic portion of the Winter Emergency Fund which London's Tower Hamlets Council has introduced arsenic portion of their Household Support Fund scheme

Thousands of pensioners who mislaid their Winter Fuel Payment this twelvemonth volition beryllium getting a £175 outgo done a caller wintertime assistance scheme.

The caller outgo comes arsenic portion of the Winter Emergency Fund which London's Tower Hamlets Council has introduced arsenic portion of their Household Support Fund scheme. This strategy - which is funded by the authorities - gives pots of currency to section authorities which they past usage to provide outgo of living enactment to radical surviving successful those areas.

Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman called a assembly gathering earlier this period to code the imaginable enactment the assembly could connection pensioners who mislaid their eligibility for the Department for Work and Pension's (DWP)Winter Fuel Payment which is worthy betwixt £200 and £300.

Earlier this year, the authorities means-tested the support, which means lone 1.5 cardinal volition beryllium eligible for it this year, compared to 11.4 cardinal successful 2023 erstwhile it was disposable to anyone implicit the property of 66 careless of fiscal situation. Tower Hamlets volition place those who are eligible for the £175 outgo and volition wage them automatically implicit the coming fewer weeks.

Alongside this, Tower Hamlets assembly volition besides beryllium moving to summation the uptake of Pension Credit among the 4,500 estimated to beryllium eligible to assertion successful the London borough but are not. Brits person until December 21 to marque an exertion for Pension Credit. This is simply a DWP payment for low-income pensioners and if you are successful, past you volition beryllium eligible for this year's Winter Fuel Payment alongside different things specified arsenic assembly taxation reductions, a escaped TV licence and assistance with dental costs.

You whitethorn beryllium eligible for Pension Credit if you are implicit the authorities pension property of 66 and your income is little than £218.15 per week if you are azygous oregon £332.95 if you are a couple. You tin use for Pension Credit online connected the Government's website website, by calling 0800 99 1234, oregon by printing retired and filling successful a paper exertion form. You tin interaction Tower Hamlets assembly for assistance with your exertion for the benefit.

Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said: "Making the Winter Fuel outgo means-tested volition person a detrimental effect connected pensioners who are already facing the rising costs of energy bills. This creates a hazard that pensioners volition not crook their heating connected for fearfulness of not being capable to wage the bills, which is wrong. This is wherefore we are stepping successful and providing a £175 information nett for those who volition beryllium missing out.”

Cllr Saied Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Resources and the Cost of Living added: "I would firstly promote each those who are implicit the property of 66 to assertion Pension Credit arsenic it whitethorn springiness you other income to which you could beryllium entitled, and it tin unfastened doors to different benefits specified arsenic enactment with lodging costs, Council Tax and heating bills. Our fashionable Warm Hubs volition besides instrumentality this wintertime to supply a harmless abstraction for residents to person a blistery portion and entree support, oregon conscionable work a publication and socialise.”

You cannot get this enactment if you bash not unrecorded successful Tower Hamlets. However, your section assembly volition person its ain Household Support Scheme you tin access. You should support an oculus retired for immoderate updates connected the schemes connected your section authority's website.