Thousands of pensioners to get one-off cost of living payment worth £120 after losing winter fuel payment
THOUSANDS of pensioners will be eligible for a payment worth £120 after losing the winter fuel allowance.
The move follows the government’s decision to make the winter fuel payment means tested from this winter.
Norfolk County Council revealed how it plans to spend the £6.7million it received from the government’s Household Support Fund.
It was feared that the fund would come to an end in September, but the Labour government has extended it.
Now the Conservative-run County Hall in Norfolk say 50,000 households will see the benefit of it.
The council plans to use £750,000 working with charities and organisations to identify elderly people who missed out on pension credit eligibility, Wymondham & Attenborough Mercury reports.
Winter fuel payments will still go to those eligible for pension credit, but people on the borderline, like those paying higher costs due to being disabled, could get a one-off payment of £120 because of the scheme.
Families eligible for means-tested free school means will also benefit from £3.6million going towards cost-of-living vouchers.
The Norfolk Assistance Scheme, which helps people with household goods and emergency financial support, will also get a £1million boost.
Proposals to support some of Norfolk’s most vulnerable people this winter have been set out on Tuesday.
Norfolk County Council revealed how it was looking to use £1.15million of the £6.7million allocated to the county through the Household Support Fund.
Councillor Andrew Jamieson, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance at Norfolk County Council said: “We are extremely concerned about the impact that the government’s decision will have on our communities.
“Winter can be an extremely challenging time for our older residents and the cost of heating your home can make it difficult to pay for other necessities.
“There will be thousands of people who will miss the new cut-off by a small margin, leaving them without the means to pay for the cost of fuel.
“The county council will make sure payments make their way quickly to those who most need them, working closely with Age UK, Citizen Advice Bureau and other local partners.
“However, the funding only lasts until March. I will continue to urge the government to find a solution that isn’t to the detriment of our older residents.”
How has the Household Support Fund evolved?
The Household Support Fund was first launched in October 2021 to help Brits pay their way through winter amid the cost of living crisis.
Councils up and down the country got a slice of the £421million funding available to dish out to Brits in need.
It was then extended for a second time in the 2022 Spring Budget and for a third time in October 2022 to help those on the lowest incomes with the rising cost of living.
The DWP then confirmed a fourth extension of the scheme through to March 31, 2024.
Former chancellor Jeremy Hunt extended the HSF for the fifth time while delivering his Spring Budget on March 6, 2024.