Thousands of pensioners at risk of missing Winter Fuel Payment this Christmas
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Tens of thousands of pensioners will not receive the winter fuel payment this Christmas due to a massive backlog in claims, forcing them to fend for themselves as temperatures plummet. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is grappling with waves of new claims for pension credit after Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in July that those receiving the benefit will also be entitled to the winter fuel allowance.
![[Protesters hold placards and a banner reading ‘Defend the winter fuel payment’ while campaigning for the reversal of the winter fuel allowance cuts to pensioners at Old Palace Yard, London (Photo: EPA)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_224791863-ef22.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The DWP faced a backlog of more than 91,000 claims in mid-November, with around 9,400 being processed each week, Government figures show. As more pensioners hoping to avoid fuel poverty this Christmas scramble to apply for the benefit, the backlog of tens of thousands of claims is expected to drag into the New Year.
![[Frances Neil, 71, wearing a purple Waspi sash across her chest (Photo: supplied)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Frances-Neil-Waspi-campaigner-2-8fde.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=538)
The DWP said it has hired 500 additional staff to speed up the processing of the enormous pile of claims. This year, around 10 million pensioners will be stripped of the winter fuel allowance – a payment of up to £300 aimed at helping the elderly cover their heating costs – after Mrs Reeves announced that it will be means-tested.
![[Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall speaking into a microphone as she defends the winter fuel payment cuts before the Work and Pensions Select Committee (Photo: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_229425555-a96e.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The Government hopes that the policy, which is expected to save £2.8bn, will help it cope with the £22bn ‘black hole’ in public finances which Labour says was left behind by the Conservatives. After the cuts were revealed on 29 July, the Government launched a campaign urging those entitled to pension credit to apply for it so that they could also receive the winter fuel allowance.
