Update on Pensioner Benefit Changes
Since Rachel Reeves axed the winter fuel payment in July, there has been much angst amongst pensioners not entitled to Pension Credit over her plans to remove other essential benefits, such as free prescriptions and the concessionary bus pass. This would apply to the same cohort (i.e ca 10 million of the 11 million over the current state pension age of 66), and would include up to 2 million of the poorest in our society, many of whom live alone and have no relatives to provide assistance. The government failed to carry out a full review of the potential consequences of withdrawing universal winter fuel payments before announcing the change in July, and have still not done so. A legal challenge has been instituted in the courts. In the meantime, Age Concern have carried out their own review and confirmed that at least 2.5 million pensioners at or below the officially recognised poverty line and a further 0.4 million just above it, will be adversely affected. If the same criteria