Scottish pensioners to get same winter fuel payments as those in England

John Swinney has guaranteed pensioners will receive the same winter fuel payments as those in the rest of the UK following a major policy U-turn by the UK Government.

The First Minister says around £119m is expected to come to Holyrood from Westminster to help deliver the support this year.

The Scottish Government had already pledged to provide £100 to all pensioners north of the border – with those on pension credit receiving up to £305 depending on their age, regardless of what the UK Government decided.

But following a U-turn by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Swinney says the Scottish Government will now match the new UK-wide payments.

Last week, the UK Labour Government announced it was reversing part of its controversial decision to scale back winter fuel payments for around nine million pensioners in England and Wales.

Under the revised scheme, pensioners earning £35,000 or less will be eligible for winter fuel payments of £200 if they’re under 80, or £300 if they’re over 80.

The move is part of a wider £1.25bn policy reversal by the UK Government.

While the changes announced by the Chancellor don’t automatically apply in Scotland, Swinney has now confirmed pensioners here will receive the same level of support.

“I’m very happy to confirm today that no pensioner in Scotland will receive less than they would under the new UK scheme,” he said.

“Details will be set out in due course by my Government, but the Scottish Government will always seek to do what is best for Scotland’s pensioners.”

The First Minister also took the opportunity to hit out at UK Labour Government’s initial decision to cut the benefit.

“To be quite blunt about it, I don’t believe cutting this winter lifeline was ever going to save a penny,” he said.

“Making millions of pensioners poorer makes them also colder and makes them also sicker, and that in turn puts up the bill for our social services and our NHS.”

He added: “It’s one of the reasons we were so quick to step in to protect pensioners in Scotland as best as we could from that wrong decision by the UK Government.

“But now that they’ve seen the error of their ways, my Government will once again to the right thing by Scotland’s pensioners.”

Age Scotland, the Scottish charity for older people, welcomed the First Minister’s announcement on Monday, but said the “devil is in the details”.

Adam Stachura, an associate director from Age Scotland, said the news will “reassure pensioners on low and modest incomes” that they will be able to better manage their heating bills this winter.

He said there has been “considerable concern” from many older people that they would receive less support than people in England and Wales.

“This sensible move from the Scottish Government certainly allays that anxiety,” Mr Stachura said.

However, the charity believes the opportunity is now there to “not only match” what pensioners in England and Wales are getting but to “offer even more to those on the lowest incomes.

“We look forward to understanding how the Scottish Government will manage this payment this winter and what, if any, financial thresholds they place on its eligibility,” Mr Stachura said.

Swinney’s political opponents have called the announcement a “bid to save his job”.

“Tinkering around the edges won’t cut it,” Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said.

“This is a transparent bid by John Swinney to try and steady the SNP ship and save his job.”

Scottish Tory MSP Liz Smith accused the SNP of following “Labour’s shameful lead” in axing universal winter fuel payments last year. She said Swinney has now been “forced into a humiliating U-turn because of the huge public backlash”.

“Labour and the SNP created huge anxiety, uncertainty and financial hardship for pensioners up and down the country and that betrayal will not be forgiven or forgotten,” Smith said.