MORE than 200,000 Brits will be barred from government payments to help heat homes in the winter, according to reports.
The Warm House Discount scheme will no longer apply to people claiming Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payments (PIP) or Attendance Allowance (AA).
1
The scheme is a one-off payment of £150 that goes towards your heating costs.
Up until now there have been two ways you could have been eligible for the payment:
- If you get the guarantee credit element of pension credit you’ll be in what’s called the “core group”
- If you’re on a low income and meet your supplier’s criteria you’ll be in what’s referred to as the “broader group”.
But now many will have to go without the extra help this winter – as the government is set to announce that it will exclude 210,000 people, reports The Mirror.
Scope consumer affairs policy manager Tom Marsland told the paper: “It’s shocking that a huge number of disabled people are about to be cut loose from the Warm Home Discount.
Most read in Money
“This comes at a time when energy prices and the cost of living are skyrocketing, and many disabled people will already be facing some extremely difficult choices.”
The discount is applied between October and March and can also be used towards a gas bill if you have the same supplier for both gas and electricity.
A government spokesperson said: “The Warm Home Discount continues to support vulnerable households to heat their homes and, from October this year, this will rise to £150 and expand to help an extra 780,000 households across Great Britain.
“The discount is just one measure we are taking to help tackle rising energy costs. Our energy price cap continues to insulate households from volatile gas markets, and we are also providing a £200 reduction on bills this autumn and a £150 non-repayable reduction in council tax bills.”
