Martin Lewis will propose widening Winter Fuel Eligibility at an upcoming meeting with the Chancellor. Martin Lewis will urge Chancellor Rachel Reeves to look at ways to widen eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments at a meeting due to take place after the parliamentary summer recess. The consumer champion made the announcement on Friday, shortly after Ofgem announced that millions of households on a standard tariff will see annual bills rise by £149 from October 1.
The new price cap will be in place until the end of the year and is set to increase from £1,568 to £1,717 for households with typical, average use. While the new cap is lower than last October’s (£1m834), Martin warns that “many will still be paying nearly double what they were pre-crisis”. The founder of MoneySavingExpert.
com (MSE.com) continued: “From 1 October, the vast majority of homes in England, Scotland and Wales will see costs jump 10 per cent - so for every £100 you pay today, you’ll typically pay £110. To be more accurate, as most of the rise is on the unit rate not the standing charge, higher users, especially those with gas, will overall see their costs rise by more than 10 per cent, lower users less.
” Martin also warned that pensioners missing out on Winter Fuel Payments because they are not in receipt of an income-related benefit such as Pension Credit, will need to find “hundreds of pounds more than last winter”. Last year more than 11 million Winter Fuel Payments of up to £600 .