I get £2.60 'too much' and fear Keir Starmer's winter fuel cut will kill me

A pensioner has said he's been left £500 a month worse off because he gets just £2.60 more than the pension credit cap.

Arthur Bowling, 66, from Waterloo, Merseyside, said the loss of his winter fuel payment has left him fearing for his life.

Mr Bowling explained the small amount above the £218 per week limit meant he has to make a larger payment to cover his rent.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I'm not one of these supposedly 'rich pensioners'. I live off my pension but my income exceeds the threshold for pension credit by £2.60 per week so now I'm £500 worse off in rent payments every month and now I'll miss out on the fuel payment.

"For the sake of a few quid I'm facing the prospect of dying this winter and I'm not the only one. This will put thousands of pensioners at risk.

"I'm afraid for others and I'm afraid for myself. After spending so long in hospital I need the warmth and now I don't know whether I'll be able to get through the next few months. It's a massive slap in the face."

The pensioner said he spent a month in intensive care with Covid during the pandemic in 2021 and suffers from long Covid, according to the Liverpool Echo.

From this winter, only people on pension credit or other specific benefits will be eligible to receive the discount, while about 10 million others are set to be stripped of the allowance.

Around 71 percent of those with a disability and 83 percent of those aged 80 or over will now miss out on the payment.

People will only receive the money if they meet certain eligibility criteria.

Pensioners will receive a letter in October or November informing them if they will receive the benefit, with the payment made in November or December.

The Prime Minister and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have insisted the decision was necessary to help address a disputed £22billion "black hole" in the public finances this year that they claim to have inherited from the Conservatives.

Sir Keir Starmer's government last week faced accusations of trying to hide from the "horrific" impact of the decision to strip winter fuel payments.

Figures were quietly slipped out on Friday night after Downing Street said a full impact assessment of the change had not been carried out.

Conservative Party leadership candidate James Cleverly said the winter fuel payment cut was an "unbelievably foolish choice" while Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokeswoman Wendy Chamberlain said means-testing the payment worth up to £300 was a "historic mistake".

An earlier version of this story said Mr Bowling was 65. This has now been corrected to show his correct age.