TURN UP THE HEAT: LLA CALLS FOR £31,000 WINTER FUEL PAYMENT THRESHOLD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   TURN UP THE HEAT: LLA CALLS FOR £31,000 WINTER FUEL PAYMENT THRESHOLD 

Later Life Ambitions (LLA), the organisation that represents 250,000 older people in the UK, has called on the government to raise the threshold for the Winter Fuel Payment to £31,000 per year. 

That’s the level for a moderate rather than basic requirement according to independent research by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA). 

The government has signalled that it may revisit the decision to axe winter fuel payments from all but the poorest pensioners. It’s thought most likely that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will alter the threshold at which older people become eligible for the vital support at her Spending Review next month. 

LLA welcomes the news today that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed his government will loosen the eligibility rules for the Winter Fuel Payment following backlash against the decision to means test the benefit. 

LLA has called on the Treasury to reinstate the benefit for all pensioners. However, if that is off the table they’ve suggested that the new threshold should be £31,000 per pensioner. That’s the level the PLSA says is a moderate retirement that means pensioners can run a car – vital to independence and visiting family for example – and provide occasional treats for grandchildren. 

Sally Tsoukaris, Civil Service Pensioners’ Alliance General Secretary and a spokesperson for LLA said,

“We don’t support means-testing, but it appears the Government is unwilling to carry out a full U-turn.  

“As a result we are urging the Chancellor to increase the threshold to a reasonable level. We are not asking for anything lavish, all older people should be entitled to independence and the occasional treat for their grandchildren. We just want to ensure that people most in need of urgent help are able to pay their bills once winter comes again.” 

ENDS 

NOTES TO EDITOR 

• Later Life Ambitions (LLA) brings together the collective voices of over 250,000 pensioners nationwide from the Civil Service Pensioners’ Alliance National Federation of Occupational Pensioners (CSPA), the National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPO) and the National Federation of Occupation Pensioners (NFOP).   

• LLA seeks to change the terms of the debate around ageing to focus on the ambitions of pensioners rather than the perceived “costs” to the rest of society.  

• In November 2023, LLA launched a Pensioners’ Manifesto. The manifesto outlines policy that LLA believes that improve the lives of the UK’s 11 million older people – as well as the lives of the older people of tomorrow. LLA does not endorse candidates or parties and seeks balanced engagement with all mainstream parties. 

For further information or comment, please contact Matthew Boyd at m.boyd@connectpa.co.uk or on 07721 687 102.  

To find out more about the LLA manifesto, please visit: www.laterlifeambitions.co.uk/manifesto.