Union starts legal battle against government to fight winter fuel cuts

Unite, one of the UK’s largest trade unions, has begun legal action against the government to challenge recent cuts to the winter fuel payment.

Around 10m pensioners have lost the crucial support due to the changes.

What’s the winter fuel payment?

Winter fuel payments help pensioners pay for higher heating bills during the winter months. Around 11.5 million pensioners received between £250 and £600 last year depending on their circumstances.

To qualify for a winter fuel payment, you need to be born before 25 September 1957. This winter, you’ll also need to receive either pension credit or another means tested benefit.

Unite takes a stand

Around 200,000 Unite members who relied on the winter fuel payment to help with their heating costs during the colder months have been affected by the cuts.

Many of them have small private pensions which put them just above the threshold for pension credit, even though they’re struggling financially.

The union argues that the government didn’t consider the effect this would have on vulnerable people, like the risks to older people’s health and wellbeing.

Unite's general secretary, Sharon Graham, has said that “picking the pockets of pensioners is wrong at every level”.

They’re taking legal action to try to get a judicial review from the High Court, which would pressure the government to reconsider its policy.

A harsh threshold

Juliet Jeater, a retired teacher and Unite member living in a Northamptonshire village, spoke out about how she’s been affected by the changes.

“To qualify for pension credit, you truly have to be on the breadline,” she said.

Juliet has had to rely on scrap wood from a neighbour to keep her home warm during the recent cold snap.

Many others like her feel that the cuts aren’t fair and could worsen their financial situation.

Can I still get the winter fuel payment?

If you were claiming a means-tested benefit during the qualifying week (16-22 September), you can still backdate your claim for the winter fuel payment.

For this, make sure you start a claim before the deadline of 21 December 2024.

If you’re not sure whether you qualify, give us a ring and we’ll check for you. We can also check whether you’re getting all the benefits you’re entitled to, or you can use our free benefits calculator to see whether you might qualify for extra support.