The change will mean more than 10 million pensioners will no longer receive the payments of between £200 and £300 a year, which will now only be made to those on low incomes who receive certain benefits. Charities and many MPs are concerned about those still on a relatively small income who will miss out.
The vast majority of those eligible will only receive the payments if they have first claimed pension credit, a state pension top-up. It is estimated that 880,000 eligible pensioners have not claimed it.
Ms Graham told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the government needed to be ”big enough and brave enough to do a U-turn” on plans to cut the allowance, calling for the introduction of a wealth tax to boost government finances instead.
“Leadership is about making choices and knowing when you’ve done something wrong,” she said.
“The point that we’re making here is that there are other taxes that we should be doing [instead].”
Ms Heathcote, the general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, raised the prospect of industrial action if there were government cuts.
She told the BBC: “I can see a situation where, if they continue along the line that they’re heading, not just winter fuel payments but with social security and benefits more generally, there will be a real backlash and that could take the form of industrial action… because lots of unions represent low paid workers.”
Mr Nowak, TUC general secretary, told BBC Breakfast he was ”really concerned” by the impact of means testing winter fuel payments, adding that he expected the union to ask the government to “rethink” the decision.
“I think it’s right the chancellor should rethink those plans and think about support put in place for pensioners,” he said.
“I hope in the Budget the chancellor will set out support available for pensioners who aren’t on pension or tax credit, but who are not well off by any means, to make sure that they are not frightened to turn on the heating this winter.”
