THOUSANDS of people across Halton will lose out on their winter fuel payment as new rules are put in place.

The winter fuel payment is a state benefit that is paid once a year to help cover heating costs through the colder months.

This payment was previously given to people over pension credit age and was between £100 to £300.

For the 2022-2023 payment, around people 22,468 in Halton were eligible for this benefit.

However, last month it was announced that this payment would be scrapped for around 10 million people across the UK in order to help fill a £22 billion ‘black hole’ in public finances.

This means that the winter fuel payment will now be limited to people born before September 23 1958 and receiving one of the following benefits:

  • Pension Credit

  • Universal Credit

  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

  • Income Support

A staggering 19,050 people across Halton will now not be eligible to receive winter fuel payments this year.

This is a huge 85 per cent decrease from last year, as only 3,418 people will be able to receive the benefit.

Those still eligible should receive a letter in the Autumn informing them how much they will get, and most payments are made automatically in November or December.