New government plans will take away the winter fuel payment from thousands of pensioners living in Wiltshire.

The Winter Fuel Payment is a payment of up to £300 a year that is intended to help pensioners afford higher energy bills in the winter when it costs more to heat the home.

The payment has previously been paid automatically to anyone aged above 66, which is the state pension age in the UK.

In the 2022-2023 financial year, 105,823 people living in Wiltshire (excluding Swindon) were eligible for the payment, and 34,912 people living in Swindon, and this was not means-tested.

But new government plans to limit the number of older people who receive the payments could see 93 per cent of those eligible pensioners in Wiltshire and 89 per cent of those in Swindon lose out on the payment.

That’s because this autumn, winter fuel payments will no longer be available universally – they’ll only be for those on means-tested benefits.

These include income support, universal credit, income-based jobseeker’s allowance, income-related employment and support allowance, and pension credit (which is not the same as a regular pension.)

When plans go ahead this autumn, the number of people who can receive the payment in Wiltshire will drop from 105,823 to just 7,489, and in Swindon this will drop from 34,912 to just 3,893.

Athur Caddick, who is 76 years old and has spent 15 years working for Wiltshire Police and 25 years in the armed forces, is one of those who have taken to social media to share his outrage.

"I live on my pensions. I am annoyed and angry with Labour for stopping the Pensioners Winter fuel allowance," he said.

Age UK Wiltshire has also launched a petition in response to the government announcement, to try and stop the change from being introduced.

"Cutting the Winter Fuel Payment this winter, with virtually no notice and no compensatory measures to protect poor and vulnerable pensioners, is the wrong policy decision," said a spokesperson for the organisation.

"Millions of struggling pensioners won’t receive up to £300 they rely on to pay their bills. 

"We believe as many as 2 million pensioners who find paying their energy bills a real stretch will be seriously hit by this cut.

"The Government should halt their proposed change to the Winter Fuel Payment and think again."