New 50 per cent energy bill social tariff could replace £300 Winter Fuel Payments

State pensioners who've had the £300 Winter Fuel Allowance cut by the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) can use another, separate fund to help themselves get by. A 50 per cent social tariff could lift as many as 54,000 (45%) dying people out of fuel poverty, a report has found.

Marie Curie is calling for the UK Government to guarantee any person with a terminal illness, whether they are of pension age or working age, receives the Winter Fuel Payment, and to implement a social tariff to ease fuel poverty. Calculations show that a social tariff that halves energy bills could lift as many as 54,000 (45%) dying people out of fuel poverty.

Helen van Bueren, 77, from Derbyshire, diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, is one of those who has lost her Winter Fuel Payment. She said: "When the cold starts to creep in, my feet turn white, go numb and stop working completely. I can't feel anything. I fumble, I drop things and there are walking sticks scattered all over the house in case I fall.

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"The cold is crippling. It seeps into your bones and sits there. It consumes you. With each year that passes, I feel myself fading a little more. I'm just over the limit for Pension Credit so I won't get my winter fuel allowance anymore and I do wonder if I will see the other side of this winter."

Dr Sam Royston, Executive Director for Policy and Research at Marie Curie, said: "For people who claim benefits under the Special Rules for Terminal Illness, this may very well be their last winter and Christmas. We know that energy costs can increase dramatically after a terminal diagnosis, yet the decision to restrict the Winter Fuel Payment only to people receiving means-tested benefits takes no account of this.

"The festive season is meant to be one of warmth, joy, and celebration. No one should have to face their final days worrying about money or whether they can afford to heat their home or even switch on Christmas lights. The government should urgently rethink this decision, and take further steps to support people at the end of life with energy costs, including by introducing a social tariff."