What will the chancellor's Winter Fuel Payment cuts mean for Argyll and Bute?

For the first time in decades, the payments will not go to all pensioners.

Now, the £100-£300 pay packet will only be made to those pensioners on pension credit or other means-tested benefits. 

A recently devolved issue, the Scottish Government was set to replace the Winter Fuel Payment with a new scheme, the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, which was supposed to be funded by the UK Government Block Grant.

However, with the funding cuts from the Labour government in Westminster, the Scottish Government is now unsure if it can deliver on that plan. 

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “That such a change can be made without any consultation or discussion with Scottish Government Ministers is deeply disappointing given both governments committed to resetting the relationship between them.

“The Scottish Government is committed to tackling fuel poverty and has consistently supported vulnerable households through a range of actions."

Many MSPs from across the political spectrum have been critical of Reeves’ decision. 

First Minister John Swinney called her statement "deeply concerning but not at all surprising", and Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston spoke of how the decision will have a greater affect on local communities. 

He said: “Labour’s cut to Winter Fuel Payments will disproportionately hit pensioners across the Highlands and Islands, and particularly in those communities where heating bills and cases of fuel poverty are already higher than in the rest of Scotland. 

Argyll and Bute currently has the oldest population in Scotland, with the 2022 Scottish census revealing 27.2 per cent of the population is over 65. The UK average in the 2021 census was under 19 per cent. 

For this reason local councillors are very concerned about how the area will be hit by the cuts. 

Argyll and Bute Council’s policy lead for care services, Dougie McFazdean said: "I was very disappointed and surprised at the decision made by the new government in Westminster to drastically cut the available funds for the winter fuel payments for 2024/25. 

"The housing stock in Argyll and Bute is, proportionately, some of the least efficient and most difficult to keep warm and dry in Scotland.

"A lot of our homes are remote and rural and still rely on old, inefficient methods of heating including coal, heating oil and storage heaters. We also have an ageing population who will suffer because of this decision. 

"It will no doubt have consequences on the funding available to the Scottish Government for our new Pensioner Age Winter Heating Payment system due to commence this year. I would hope that some form of workaround can be found to help support our older people for this winter by the Scottish Government, but at the same time they can only spend the money they have been given by Westminster.

"As council policy lead for care services I am fearful of the potential consequences of this decision for this winter."

Deputy policy lead Kieron Green agreed, saying: "There is no doubt that people in Argyll suffer from higher energy costs than most in Scotland, particularly for those reliant on electricity, oil, bottled gas and solid fuels for heating. Support such as the winter fuel payments will have been invaluable for many older people, with warmer homes being not a matter of comfort, but of public health.

There is help in Argyll and Bute to keep the heating on. Alienergy, an Oban-based charity operating across the whole council area, can be contacted on 01631 565183 or enquiries@alienergy.org.uk, who may be able to help and provide advice. People can also contact Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282 for help and advice.