A VOW to support thousands of pensioners who will miss out on a ‘vital’ winter fuel payment has been declared by Barnsley Council - with cash set to make its way to worst-off residents after a deal was struck.
Ruling cabinet members will be asked to approve the Household Support Fund (HSF) for Barnsley, ensuring help is available for those who require it throughout the colder months.
The Chronicle can reveal £2.35m has been secured which will provide heating vouchers and support to pay household bills up to March 2025.
New initiatives will be aimed at pensioners, encouraging those eligible to claim pension credit so they will receive the newly means-tested winter fuel allowance.
As well as this, an advisor - through Citizens’ Advice Barnsley - will be commissioned to offer advice on debt, budgeting and money management.
The move comes after its chief executive, Sarah Norman, wrote to the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to set out the council’s concerns on the matter following a motion put forward at last month’s full council meeting.
Barnsley’s three Labour MPs - Dan Jarvis, Stephanie Peacock and Marie Tidball - came under fire after they sided with their political party in scrapping the allowance.
It will mean 86.7 per cent of local pensioners who received the payment last year will miss out under the new means-tested guidance but it’s hoped the council’s decision will ease the strain.
Following cabinet members’ sign-off - which is expected to be given on Wednesday - local authority finance bosses will have to submit how it intends to spend the £2.35m to the Department for Work and Pensions by November 1.
Council leader Sir Steve Houghton said: “We are stepping in to/ support our pensioners.
“Through the government’s extension of the fund, we’ve developed proposals that/ offer a comprehensive package of support focusing on low-income pensioner households, particularly those no longer eligible for the winter fuel allowance.
“A total of 2,400 people who are entitled to pension credit have been identified but we know that there might be more across the borough.
“We’re writing to the people we know are eligible and we’ll run drop-in sessions across the borough to help people complete their applications and get the payment that they’re entitled to.
“There are many pensioner households that live under the £21,498 national poverty threshold/ who are not eligible for pension credit but are claiming council tax support.
“We’re proposing to give these households £200 - this will be an automatic payment and there’s no need to apply for it.
“We’re also proposing to offer an additional scheme for pensioner households under the threshold who are not eligible for pension credit and are not claiming council tax support.
“These households will be able to apply for a discretionary £200 payment, which will be available for a limited time and subject to a capped fund.”
A cabinet report, compiled by head of financial services Cat Pantry, warned time was of the essence due to the colder months already setting in.
It added: “Alternative spending plans could be explored however these would take time to develop and implement and we are bound by time restrictions to support the borough through October to March 2025.
“Should any of the proposals not be delivered or we realise any underspend on the grant funding, alternative options will be explored.
“This will be through the provision of direct payments or additional cash vouchers, targeted at those in most need to ensure funding is maximised to support the borough and not returned to central government.”
