People of State Pension age could get £300 cost of living payment again next winter
02.11.2022 - 14:11
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been reluctant to confirm whether State Pension and benefits will be uprated in line with the current inflation rate of 10.1% next April. New DWP boss, Mel Stride, told the House of Commons earlier this week that a decision will not be announced until the Autumn Statement on November 17 at the earliest.
However, when it comes to the £300 pensioner cost of living payment being extended to cover winter 2023/24, the DWP didn’t dismiss the notion outright when the SNP’s Amy Callaghan posed the question on Tuesday. The East Dunbartonshire MP asked if an assessment on the potential merits of extending the financial support for eight million pensioner households has been made.
In a written response, DWP Minister, Laura Trott MP, said that “no decisions have been taken regarding 2023/24”, which could indicate that it may be something the UK Government is considering.
Ms Trott said: “Pensioner households will receive a one-off pensioner cost of living payment in 2022/23, worth £300. This will be paid in November or December as a top up with the Winter Fuel Payment.
“Therefore, a household with someone of State Pension age will receive £500 and a household with someone aged 80 or over will receive £600.
“No decisions have been taken regarding 2023/24.”
New figures released by the DWP on Wednesday show that 11.3 million pensioner households received the Winter Fuel Payment last year - a rise of around 113,000 since winter 2020 to 2021.
Winter Fuel Payments were introduced in 1997 to help State Pension aged people pay their heating bills. It is an annual tax-free payment of between £100 and £300, to those eligible, to help meet the costs of heating their homes in winter.
This year’s payments