MILLIONS of pensioners could freeze this winter if they miss the deadline to receive vital help with winter bills.
Calls for the deadline to be extended beyond December 21 have come from across the political spectrum.
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Ministers have been branded “cruel” after they refused to extend the deadline for the pension credit application.
The crisis is a result of the Labour Government’s decision to means-test winter fuel payments, which were previously available to all pensioners.
I am deeply concerned about older people being cold this winter and as a result falling unwell or even dying.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell
The cash is now offered only to those receiving other benefits such as pension credit, but many fail to claim this despite being eligible.
If pensioners fail to fill out the daunting 24-page, 243 question form in time, they will be unable to claim either the pension credit or winter fuel allowance of up to £300 this year.
Speaking to the Sunday Express, former pensions minister Baroness Altmann said the cuts were “extremely cruel, poorly conceived and actually dangerous.”
She said: “The Department for Work and Pensions is struggling to deal with the new pension credit applications it has already received, let alone any more that will come along.
“Those eligible for help may still not receive anything this winter unless some changes are made, which so far there is no sign of.
“I truly fear for the lives of some of these frail, elderly people as the weather gets cold.”
Labour MP Rachael Maskell said: “I am deeply concerned about older people being cold this winter and as a result falling unwell or even dying.
“Now the nights are getting colder it is vital that fuel-poor pensioners have more time to claim their winter fuel payments and more support to stay warm and well.”
Liberal Democrats are also demanding an extension but Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has told MPs that pensioners who fail to meet the deadline will not receive the money.
A DWP spokesperson said: “We want to ensure all pensioners get the support they’re entitled to, which is why we are deploying over 500 extra staff to process the expected increase in claims.
“Our pension credit campaign has also been successful in boosting applications by 152%.
It comes as the Met Office has warned of disruptive snow and ice could hit this week.
The forecaster has issued weather warnings for parts of the country.
Met Office meteorologist Ellie Glaiyser, in an online forecast, said it may be “quite a chilly start to the day” for many on Sunday.
By Monday there is a risk of some sleet and snow that could be disruptive.
Ms Glaiyser said that with temperatures forecast to drop to zero “if not just below, particularly in some rural spots”, particularly in the north there could be “quite a hard frost likely on Monday morning, and this could lead to some icy stretches”.
She urged travellers to “take care during Monday morning’s rush hour”.
The sleet and snow is most likely to be falling over any high ground.
She added: “We could perhaps see up to 20 centimetres of snow across the Pennines and at lower levels it will mostly be falling as rain.
“There is still a very small chance that we could see some sleet and snow perhaps causing some disruption during Monday afternoon to lower levels, but for the most part that sleet and snow (is) remaining over the high ground for parts of Scotland.”
There is a yellow warning for snow and ice in northern Scotland from 4pm on Sunday until 11am on Monday.
The Met Office has also issued a yellow warning for parts of northern England and southern Scotland on Monday and Tuesday.
Up to 20cm (around 8 inches) of snow is possible on higher ground, forecasters said.
There is also a small chance of up to 10cm (4 inches) of snow settling at lower levels which could prove disruptive.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also issued a cold health alert covering the Midlands and North of England from Sunday morning through to Thursday.
What can you get on pension credit?
If you live with a partner and you are both State Pension age then your weekly income must fall below around £350.
However, if your income is slightly higher, you might still be eligible for Pension Credit if you have a disability, you care for someone, you have savings or you have housing costs.
You could get an extra £81.50 a week if you have a disability or claim any of the following:
- Attendance allowance
- The middle or highest rate from the care component of disability living allowance (DLA)
- The daily living component of personal independence payment (PIP)
- Armed forces independence payment
- The daily living component of adult disability payment (ADP) at the standard or enhanced rate.
You could get the “savings credit” part of pension credit if both of the following apply:
- You reached State Pension age before April 6, 2016
- You saved some money for retirement, for example, a personal or workplace pension
This part of Pension Credit is worth £17.01 for single people or £19.04 for couples.
Pension Credit opens the door to other support, including housing benefits, cost of living payments, council tax reductions and the Winter Fuel Payment.
Claims for Pension Credit also open doors to a number of freebies and discounts.
For example, Pension Credit claimants over 75 qualify for a free TV licence worth up to £169.50 a year.
Claims for the benefit also provide eligibility to £25 a week cold weather payments and the £150 warm home discount.
