Nearly 360,000 people in Greater Manchester to lose winter fuel payments

Nearly 360,000 people in Greater Manchester are set to lose their winter fuel payments under plans announced by Rachel Reeves.

The Chancellor announced the cuts among a number of 'urgent decisions' she said were necessary because of the previous Tory government’s 'undisclosed' overspending. Around 10m pensioners across England and Wales will miss out as a result of the move.

It means those not on pension credit or other means-tested benefits will no longer get the annual payments, worth between £100 and £300. In 2022-23, the latest figures available, just over 11.1m pensioners were eligible for winter fuel payment in England and Wales.

READ MORE: Winter fuel payment, pension credit and NHS: How the Rachel Reeves announcements affect you

But as of last November, only 1.2m were eligible for pension credits. That means around 9.9m will miss out in England and Wales.

In total, 424,435 people in Greater Manchester were eligible for winter fuel payments last year. But around 84 per cent of those pensioners are no longer expected to be eligible for winter fuel payments this year with 358,605 estimated to be missing out.

Stockport and Trafford are the most affected with nearly 90 per cent of those previously eligible expected to miss out. In Manchester, 28 per cent of those previously eligible are still set to receive the payments despite the changes, but 34,245 people are set to lose out.

The cuts are most likely to affect pensioners in affluent areas, with more than nine in 10 pensioners missing out on fuel payments this year in some parts of the country. Elderly people are least likely to lose the benefit in the more deprived London borough of Tower Hamlets, where just 54.9 per cent will lose the payments.

In local