New DWP shake-up for state pensioners means 'people will die'

A pensioner has warned a new Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) shake up for state pensioners means people will die. The Winter Fuel Payment and Winter Fuel Allowance eligibility shake up means elderly people will freeze to death this winter as they cannot pay their bills.

Susan Worsnop, 75, from Gipton in Leeds, told GB News she uses a community hub in East Leeds to keep warm. "The winter fuel payment meant I could put more gas and electric on, but now I just can't," she said. "To save gas and electric, I come in here.

"A lot of people come in here to keep warm. When I'm a home, I've got this [a fluffy jumper] on and I put a blanket on. The heating is on minute just to keep the cold off and the gas and electric on my meter soon goes down, it doesn't last long and I'm sick of putting money on it.

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"A lot of people will end up passing with the cold because they sit and they wrap up and don't move about and a lot of them will die." When asked if she fears dying due to cold, Susan Worsnop said "sometimes", but said that she moves about and drinks hot liquids to keep warm.

She added: "I think pensioners are penalised quite a lot. They shouldn't penalise pensioners. When the heating goes off, it goes really cold. They [the government] should give pensioners something, even if it's not whatever it was, the £300 [winter fuel allowance] just to give them half of that, so they can survive."

"People say pensioners are 'millionaires' because they have assets, but what do they want you to do? Sell your house so you can put your gas fire or heating on?" she added, going on to say: "They [the Government] need to have a re-think about it."