Pensioners urged to check pension credit eligibility
dailyrecord.co.ukPensioners in South Ayrshire are being urged to check if they are eligible for pension credits to ensure they can continue to receive the Winter Fuel Payment.
Last month, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the new Labour Government would be means testing the benefit to help plug the £22bn gap in public finances left by the outgoing Conservative Government.As a result, the Scottish Government have followed suit in Scotland as the Barnett consequentials needed to pay for it are no longer available.
More than 27,000 pensioners in South Ayrshire were among the nearly 1 million across Scotland that received the payment in 2022-23.
Almost £160 million will be cut from the Scottish Government’s budget as a result of the move by the UK Government. People receiving pension credits will still receive the payment but it will not longer be a universal payment to everyone old enough.The SNP have criticised the move and highlighted that Labour “strongly opposed” it only last year when Rishi Sunak’s government were considering it.At the time Labour said that “pensioners mustn’t be forced to bear the brunt of Tory economic failure”.
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