With the Prime Minister indicating that eligibility for the payments will be widened, our Chief Executive Stephen Hammersley shares his thoughts on the importance of clarity on big decisions that affect vulnerable people

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday 21st May, Sir Keir Starmer shared that more pensioners would qualify for Winter Fuel Payments. Previously, the pension top-up was universal but in July last year the Labour government limited the payment to those claiming Pension Credit, a benefit designed to support the poorest older people.

Responding to the news, Stephen Hammersley, Chief Executive of Pilgrims’ Friend Society, spoke to Premier Christian Radio. He welcomed the move while also calling for greater clarity around who will qualify for the payments, when and how, highlighting that the level of clarity around such announcements sends an important message about how we value older and vulnerable people in our society.

Stephen commented, “When we’re chopping and changing about important topics like this and announcements aren’t really well made you risk sending a message that... older people who are vulnerable aren’t valued as they should be.”

While it’s too early to know if there were excess deaths last winter following the withdrawal of the payments, Stephen shared how he knew of older people who weren’t putting on the heating due to worry. He said, “If you set a context that worries people they do things that maybe they don’t need to do. There’s no doubt that people will have suffered as a consequence of the payments being withdrawn.”

Critics of having a payment that is universal have commented that wealthier pensioners, including multi-millionaires like Elton John and Rod Stewart, don’t need it. During in the interview, Stephen acknowledged this but also pointed out that the best way to reach the most vulnerable is through a payment that is automatic for everyone. At the time that means-testing was introduced, many of those who were eligible for Pension Credit weren't claiming it, meaning many vulnerable older people were at risk of missing out. There were also others who just missed the threshold for eligibility.

From the details shared so far, it seems that the government is unlikely to perform a complete U-turn and that some level of means-testing will still apply.

Stephen said, “The key thing... is that the vulnerable are looked after well, and the way it was done before didn’t ensure that was the case... We need to keep up the pressure to make sure that, whatever the new system is, the most vulnerable people who do need this, get it.”