Campaigners hand over thousands of submissions demanding restoration of universal payment and criticising after the fact DfC Equality Impact Assessment

Thousands of consultation responses demanding the restoration of the universal Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) were today (27 February) handed over to the department for communities (DfC) during a demonstration organised by Unite retired members. The consultations were received personally by communities’ minister Gordon Lyons who met with a delegation from the campaign.

The demonstration was joined by campaigners from across the anti-poverty movement as well as retired workers and pensioners who were demanding restoration of the winter fuel payment.

General secretary Sharon Graham said “Pensioners are being forced to choose between heating and eating. This cut is disgraceful, and the £100 offered as compensation is entirely inadequate. The department for communities must reverse this cruel policy immediately.”

A campaign to restore the winter fuel payment was launched after the UK government moved to restrict it to pensioners claiming means-tested benefits like pension credit. Within weeks the NI Assembly followed suit, excluding thousands of retired workers with modest, contribution-based pensions. In response to widespread opposition, the department for community has provided a £100 one-off payment per household but falls far short of the original £200 per person benefit and it has yet to materialise.

Unite has launched a legal action through a judicial review against the winter fuel payment cut, arguing the cut is unlawful and risks increasing cold-related deaths among older people.

Brian Heading, chair of Unite retired members said “The department rubber-stamped this cut without proper consultation. Thousands of submissions show the strength of public anger. Pensioners won’t be ignored.”

Unite and other campaigners are demanding the reinstatement of the universal Winter Fuel Payment to ensure no pensioner is left behind, automatic uptake of pension credit to prevent eligible pensioners from missing out, targeted energy efficiency grants to reduce long-term heating costs for older households and contributions from energy companies to support vulnerable consumers without passing on additional costs.