Council urged to fund lost winter fuel payments

Campaigners have urged Sheffield City Council to use its savings to fund winter fuel payments for people who have lost their allowance under national changes to the scheme.

The government scrapped the benefit, worth between £100 and £300, for anyone who does not receive pension credit or other means-tested help from this autumn.

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) party said it would present a petition to councillors on Wednesday, asking them to reinstate a payment for 75,000 pensioners in the city.

A Sheffield City Council spokesperson said the authority did not have enough money to adopt the policy.

Alistair Tice, of the TUSC, said both Barnsley Council and Rotherham Council had launched winter hardship funds.

Barnsley councillor Wendy Cain said the authority was "working to ensure that all our residents can access a range of support this winter”.

Rotherham Council had committed more than £1m to its household support fund to make more crisis payments of up to £250 available to residents.

But a spokesperson for Sheffield City Council said its savings needed to be kept at a certain level in case the money was needed for unforeseen emergency costs.

The authority had forecast an overspend of £34m with a funding gap of £68.9m over the next four years.

Sheffield Liberal Democrats had previously urged the council to create a fund for people who had lost the benefit.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously defended the "tough" decision to cut the winter fuel payment.

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