Tory Manifesto: May to cut fuel allowance, increase care payments and ditch triple lock

Theresa May will tomorrow announce plans to restrict pensioners' benefits and increase the number of people who pay for their own care as part of a raft of measures designed to put social care on a more sustainable footing.
Prime Minster Theresa MayPrime Minster Theresa May
Prime Minster Theresa May

Stating that she is not afraid to “be straight with people”, the Prime Minister will argue that the changes will help to create a “fairer” system.

The proposals signal a break from the policies of her predecessor at Number 10, whose promises to protect pensions and slash inheritance tax were carefully targeted to woo the “grey vote”.

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Setting out her own vision for the country at her party’s manifesto launch today, Mrs May will instead warn of the need to tackle the challenges facing the country head-on, as she vows to make the “difficult” decisions that are “right for Britain in the long term”.

People are rightly sceptical of politicians who claim to have easy answers to deeply complex problems,” she will say.

“It is the responsibility of leaders to be straight with people about the challenges ahead and the hard work required to overcome them.

“This manifesto sets out a vision for Britain’s future – not just for the next five years, but beyond.

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“It is a declaration of intent: a commitment to get to grips with the great challenges of our time and to take the big, difficult decisions that are right for Britain in the long term.”

A number of influential organisations have warned of a looming crisis in the country’s social care system, as local authorities struggle to cope with rising costs and soaring demand.

Councils in Yorkshire have set aside £1.4bn for social care for this year alone.

The Conservative plans include new restrictions on the winter fuel allowance, to target the least-well off pensioners.

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Currently the payments are available to anyone aged over 65 regardless of wealth, but under a Tory government it would become means tested to help those “most at risk of fuel poverty”.

There will also be changes to the way funding for at-home care is means-tested, so that the value of someone’s property is included in calculations to determine whether or not they qualify for free care.

At the moment. the value of homes are only factored in when setting costs for care in a residential setting. But by extending the measure it means more people will be required to pay for their own care, with the extra money raised being channelled back into the care system.

These potentially unpopular proposals will be sweetened by a pledge to increase the level at which assets are protected from the costs of care.

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The amount will be raised from just over £23,000 to £100,000, “ensur[ing] everyone can pass on their wealth to their families”.

Mrs May will also announce new protections to guarantee that “no one has to sell their home within their lifetime to pay for care”.

This would see the right to “defer” payments for care costs extended to those receiving care at home, rather than restricted to those in residential care.

ALSO REVEALED:

- Mrs May will uphold her commitment to keep immigration below 100,000. She will also introduce new rules to make businesses pay more to hire overseas workers.

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- The party will pledge to spend an additional £4bn on schools, helping to mitigate the impact of the transition to a new shool funding formula. This will be partly funded by scrapping universal access to free school lunches for infants.

- It will scrap the pensions “triple lock”, replacing it with a “double lock” that will see payments increase in line with average earnings or inflation dsepending which is higher.

- The party will set new fiscal rules, pushing the deadline to eliminate the deficit back to 2025.