The new Labour government says it is right to target those most in need, given the “dire” public finances it has inherited.
Rob Trewhella, 67, says his weekly pension is £2 a week too high to be able to claim pension credit.
He did not expect to have to work in his late 60s, and health problems, including diabetes and high blood pressure, mean he fears he may fail a medical exam and lose his livelihood.
“Overtime hours knock me sideways and I’m exhausted. If I do weekend work I might not get home until 2:30 in the morning. It does the bank balance good, but I miss a lot of hours in the day as I’m just so tired,” he says.
Disabled people, carers and those with housing costs could be eligible despite these factors, and it is estimated that pension credit is not received by more than a third of those who should get it.
The governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland have not yet decided whether to make the benefit means-tested.
Some pensioners have told the BBC they think they should no longer receive the benefit as they do not need it.
“We said we would be honest with the public and, given the dire state of the public finances we have inherited, this government must take difficult decisions to fix the foundations of the economy,” a government spokesperson said.
“In these circumstances it is right that winter fuel payments are targeted at those in most need, and we will work with local authorities to boost the uptake of pension credit, reaching the many pensioners who could still benefit from this year’s winter fuel payments.”
