'I have to keep moving': Woman, 80, heats one room at a time after losing winter fuel payment

Carrie Hedderwick lives in a 100-year-old, three-bedroom house in Sheffield with her adult son which she struggles to keep heated due to a lack of insulation. 

She was speaking as 780,000 pensioners in England and Wales are set to lose their £200 or £300 winter fuel allowance. Ofgem  also increased its price cap from £1,568 to £1,717 on October 1.

The winter fuel payment is a state benefit for pensioners designed to help with heating bills. It was introduced in 1997 and made available to everyone regardless of their income.

Following the general election, the Labour government announced the payment will become means tested so only people claiming pension credit qualify for it. 

Carrie said: “I’m very lucky because I am quite mobile which lots of people aren’t at my age. I walk around the house to keep warm. 

“When I sit down I have a rug over my knees and I heat one room at a time but my energy bills are still phenomenal. 

“I became a grandma recently and I’m worried about having my grandson at my house because it’s so cold. I will have to put the heating on when he is here.

“I get really jumpy because my boiler is coming to the end of its life and I can’t afford to get a new one if it breaks. I’m teetering on the edge and it only requires one appliance to break before I’m in a crisis and don’t know what to do.

“This winter I will definitely spend more time in warm spaces like the library and coffee shops.

“I was in Sheffield Central Library earlier today and there were two old people sitting in the foyer trying to keep warm. This isn’t unusual. If you walk into the reference room you see loads of people there because it’s a free, warm space.”

There are 74 registered warm spaces in Sheffield where people struggling with heating costs can go. Working together with Sheffield City Council these spaces include libraries, community centres and churches and are free to use.

Carrie said: “I missed out on the threshold for the winter fuel allowance because of my pension. I don’t have a partner so I live off my pension alone. 

“I've worked in hotels; I’ve picked spuds and I even worked in a slaughterhouse when we were really short of money. Because some of the jobs I had were cash in hand I had to work until I was 70 to get my pension. 

“It’s shocking that after working all those years the government has taken away a payment that I relied on.

“There are loads of people worse off than me who are really struggling. A lot of people are too proud to claim benefits or ask for help. The fact a lot of benefits have to be applied for online is also a huge barrier to people getting help.

“Instead of seeing queues outside of Citizens Advice, people are stuck trying to navigate websites which people don’t see. There are going to be a lot of excess deaths this winter simply because people cannot afford to put the heating on.” 

According to the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, there were 4,950 excess winter deaths caused by cold homes last winter. This number is expected to increase this year. 

Visit this website for a full list of warm spaces.