‘Welcome Christmas gift’ as 3,300 pensioners stripped of winter fuel payment handed £200 each by council

Around 3,300 pensioners in Bolton stripped of their winter fuel payment are to be handed £200 each from the council before Christmas . Councillors heard that the intervention by the council would be ‘a welcome Christmas gift for some fo the most vulnerable in our borough’ as the £200 vouchers would be sent in December. Only pensioners with pension credit entitlement will receive the winter fuel payment this year.

In October, a motion was passed by Bolton Council to allocate £200,000 from members area working budgets to support those pensioners who are above the threshold for claiming pension credit but may be struggling financially to meet their heating costs in the absence of the winter fuel payment. Council officers were asked to create a scheme to support these pensioners. Next week the council is set to agree to provide a voucher to the 3,299 pensioners who are in receipt of housing benefit or council tax support but not in receipt of pension credit.



Options before council leader Nick Peel are either a £150 voucher per qualifying pensioner which will cost £494,850 or a £200 voucher costing £659,800. Coun Peel confirmed at full council that the latter option will be chosen. A council report on the matter, said: “There will be many pensioners who are just above the income limit to be eligible for pension credit.

“It is likely that some of these pensioners will be facing financial challenges, and they will not receive the winter fuel payment this year to help them with heating costs.” Join the Manchester Politics WhatsApp group here To pay the £660,000 the scheme will cost, the council will use the £200,000 allocated from ward budgets with the remainder funded from the household support fund from central government. Speaking at full council, leader Nick Peel, said: “The council is going to step in and offer £200 to 3,300 pensioners.

“We are also working with this group of people to see if they are eligible for pension credit. “The plan is to send out the vouchers before Christmas. “This will be a welcome Christmas gift for some fo the most vulnerable in our borough from a compassionate council who want to step in.

“We’re making a difference. “We’re not standing on the sidelines and moaning, we’re taking decisive action.”.