THE new Labour government has recently announced plans to restrict winter fuel payments to only be accessible to those receiving pension credit.

The payments were originally set to offer all those born before September 23, 1958, between £100 and £300 this winter to help the elderly pay for heating bills.

This reduction in eligibility comes after the new government’s discovery of a £22 billion hole in public finances, which Chancellor Rachel Reeves blames on the previous Conservative leadership.

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Brenda Wilson (Image: Tom Jackson)

A reduction of this level is set to have a substantial impact on the elderly population, affecting an estimated ten million people. This was met with major concern from pensioners around the country, of which due to this reduction, many will struggle to pay for basic commodities this winter.

It will have a particularly significant effect on Winchester’s pensioners with the number eligible to receive the winter fuel payment dropping from 25,264 in 2022-23 to 1,647 in the future, a 93 per cent decrease.

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Winchester people reflected the disbelief and disappointment from pensioners around the country. Patrisha Galbraith, 78, described it as a “big shock and a disappointment”, explaining that “there will be people that it affects greatly”. She also added that the government “targets older people.”

Similarly, Brenda Wilson, 80, criticised towards the government’s decision, suggesting that “Perhaps they’d like to live the way we are doing”.

The coming months will reveal the level of impact that this decision will have on the elderly population, something that could consequently be damaging to Labour’s record in its initial stages in government.