DWP drive to sign up older Brits for £3,900 pension benefit leaves 760,000 in the cold this winter

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A quiet update to Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) guidance has revealed more than 760,000 households of older Brits are set to miss out on the Winter Fuel Payment this year, even though they qualify for the benefit which is worth up to £300.

This is in spite of a large campaign to increase the sign-up rate and help the lowest-income household keep their homes warm.

Low-income pensioners must now apply for Pension Credit, a benefit worth an average of £3900 to claimants, to receive help with their heating costs.

Labour made the decision in July to means-test the £300 cash boost shortly after taking office and discovering a "£22 billion black hole" in the public finances left by the previous government - despite 880,000 low-income Brits failing to claim the benefit at the time.