FERNDOWN Town Council has called on the government to reconsider changes to winter fuel payment, warning its households are ‘particularly vulnerable’.

The town council has voiced deep concern over the policy shift, which will see winter fuel payment changed from a universal benefit to a means-tested one, starting this winter.

With more than 40 per cent of households in the area exclusively occupied by pensioners, it expects the changes to ‘disproportionately impact pensioners in Ferndown’.

“Under the new policy, the winter fuel payment will be linked to pension credit eligibility, a move that could unjustly penalise those who narrowly miss out on this benefit due to small income differences.

"It is also concerning that as many as 850,000 pensioners who are eligible for pension credit do not currently claim it, undermining the government’s projected savings from the policy,” Ferndown Town Council said in a statement.

It warned that the shift introduces a "cliff edge" effect, leaving many elderly residents on modest or fixed incomes without crucial winter support.

“This comes at a time when energy prices continue to rise. Ofgem’s recent increase to the energy price cap is expected to add an average of £149 per year to household bills, further exacerbating fuel poverty risks among pensioners.”

Ferndown Town Council has called on the government to delay the implementation of the means-tested winter fuel payment “until a comprehensive and specific impact assessment has been conducted and made publicly available”.

It has also asked that alternative solutions are explored to avoid the “harmful cliff edge effect”, suggesting maintaining the payment as a universal benefit but making it taxable, allowing for any savings to be redirected towards extending support to other vulnerable groups, such as individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses.

The local authority said: “Ferndown Town Council strongly urges the government to reconsider this policy and act swiftly to protect our elderly residents from the looming threat of fuel poverty.

"With energy costs rising and winter approaching, this is a critical time to ensure no pensioner is left without the support they need to stay warm and safe.

“Ferndown Town Council stands united in its commitment to advocating for the welfare of its elderly population and calls for immediate action to prevent unnecessary hardship as the winter months draw near.”