OLDER RESIDENTS in Tower Hamlets have welcomed Executive Mayor Lutfur Rahman’s decision to offer pensioners a Winter Fuel Payment if the Government has kicked them off the national scheme.

But he’s not the only one with winter fuel costs on his mind. James Longley, Managing Director of Utility Bidder, is reminding everyone that the Government has a Warm Home Discount. It’s a complicated, means-tested scheme (of course), but people on low incomes could get a payment of £150 sent to their energy provider.

If you qualify for the Discount, you should have received a letter from the Government about it. If you want to find out if you are eligible, go to a Tower Hamlets Residents Hub for advice in the first instance, or ring the Warm Home Discount helpline on 0800-030 9322.

Utility Bidder has done some research which shows that the region with the highest number of people receiving the Warm Homes Discount is Yorkshire and the Humber. London comes ninth out of ten regions. Urban areas are seeing the biggest increase in the numbers receiving the Discount, with Barking & Dagenham experiencing the biggest increase of all. It is not clear whether these figures represent a growth in poverty in those areas, or increased efficiency on the part of eligible households in chasing up their payments.

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