Seven out of 10 people say the winter fuel allowance should be restored to pensioners with cancer.
Maggie’s, a leading charity, is fighting for the Treasury to restore the payments to cancer sufferers who have been denied pension credit and failed to qualify for the help with fuel costs.
Anna Thompson, 76, said she failed to qualify for the support because her “tiny private pension” meant she was “about £1.30 over the boundary for receiving it”.
Ms Thompson, who suffers from neuroendocrine cancer and has multiple tumours, said: “I’m going to have to cut back on my heating. Essentially, I will have to put it off.”
She warned that “heating is a necessity when people are ill” because they “feel the cold”.
“It’s unfair they should be penalised for this when they already have to deal with cancer, she said.
Margaret Manning, 78, is especially sensitive to the cold following treatment for her breast cancer. Her husband, Peter, has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and she says it is “disgusting” they have lost the help with heating bills.
She said: “This is a terrible worry and I know if we don’t have the heating on, Peter will end up in hospital.
“And without having the winter fuel allowance I won’t be able to put our heating on for longer than an hour at a time. I’m going to have to cut back and keep the heating off which makes me worried for us both.”
Polling for Maggie’s by Opinium found 71 per cent of respondents thought pensioners diagnosed with cancer should be exempt from winter fuel allowance cuts.
Dame Laura Lee, the chief executive of the charity, said: “Maggie’s benefits advisers have been busier than ever this year helping people with cancer and the cost-of-living crisis.”
She said the loss of the support was “particularly hard hitting for those who just miss out on pension credit”.
Maggie’s expects to deliver nearly 5,000 more benefits advice sessions this year than last – and it estimates it has helped people claim more than £55million in benefits.
In Manchester alone, its benefits workload has gone up by 36 per cent this year.
Zoe Winters, who works with the charity in London, said: “When you get a cancer diagnosis you may need to pay extra for things like travel and new clothes, you also can have increased utility bills so it can be a stressful time. We are here to help people access benefits and grants – anyone worried about how they will make ends meet should check what they are entitled to.”
A Government spokeswoman said: “We are committed to supporting pensioners – with millions set to see their state pension rise by up to £1,900 this parliament through our commitment to the triple lock. Over a million pensioners will still receive the winter fuel payment, and our drive to boost pension credit take up has already seen a 152 per cent increase in claims.
“Many others will also benefit from the £150 warm home discount to help with energy bills over winter while our extension of the household support fund will help with the cost of food, heating and bills.”
