Thousands of British pensioners in the Balearics and across Spain have been frozen out of the British government’s extra winter fuel payments to help combat rising energy costs - despite the cost of living and fuels costs having risen sharply in the Balearics as well.
The Government has introduced a range of support measures to combat the UK’s cost of living crisis, from a £150 disability payment to a one-off council tax rebate earlier this year.
Among the payments still to be issued in autumn and winter are the second part of the £650 cost of living payment, a staggered £400 energy bills rebate and a boosted winter fuel payment.
The winter fuel payment, also referred to as a “heating allowance”, is an annual tax-free payment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for older people. Anyone who is eligible can receive £100-300 each year. This year, the Government will give about eight million pensioners an extra £300 to help with the cost-of-living crisis.
But Britons cannot get the payment if they live in Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal or Spain because the average winter temperature is higher than the warmest region of the UK.