Pensioners to protest at Senedd over winter fuel allowance cuts
Pensioners from across Wales will gather outside the Senedd on Tuesday, 4 February to protest against cuts to the winter fuel allowance and demand financial support from the Welsh Government.
The demonstration, organised by Unite the Union, coincides with a Senedd debate on the draft Welsh budget for 2025/26.
Campaigners argue that Wales is the only devolved nation not to provide additional help for pensioners who have lost out on the payment.
The UK government’s decision to restrict the winter fuel allowance to only the poorest pensioners has left thousands struggling with heating costs.
A survey of over 500 retired Unite members in Wales found that:
- 71% have reduced their heating usage
- 41% have cut back on baths and showers
- 21% are eating fewer hot meals
- 20% say their health has deteriorated as a result
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:
“Pensioners in Wales are suffering massively from the brutal cut to winter fuel allowance. They are shivering indoors, going without baths or cutting out meals. Pensioners should be able to live with dignity after a lifetime of work.
“Instead of picking the pocket of pensioners, the UK and Welsh government should be giving them the support they need and deserve.”*
Unite estimates that fully restoring the winter fuel allowance for all affected pensioners in Wales would cost £140 million. Alternatively, adopting a scheme similar to Northern Ireland and Scotland—where pensioners who have lost out receive a £100 payment—would cost £56 million.
Peter Hughes, Unite’s Welsh secretary, urged ministers in Cardiff to act.
“Pensioners in Wales are needlessly suffering. The Welsh Government has got to step up to the plate and provide vitally needed help to the elderly in this country.
“A failure to act will be long remembered and unlikely to be forgiven.”
The Welsh Government has so far not announced any additional financial support for pensioners affected by the changes.
Legal challenge in progress
Unite has also launched a legal challenge against the UK government’s decision to cut the winter fuel payments.
The union is awaiting a court ruling on whether the judicial review can proceed.
Dereck Roberts, a Unite retired members representative in Wales, said pensioners are determined to make their voices heard.
“Pensioners from Conwy to Caerphilly are travelling to the Senedd to demand support from their government. These are ordinary people who have worked all their lives, only to find that they have had vital support taken away in their moment of need.
“We all want to see the Labour government in Wales step up and support us through winter. That means money, not empty rhetoric.”*
With temperatures remaining low, pensioners say they cannot afford to wait.
Protesters will call on Welsh ministers to match support already available in Scotland and Northern Ireland before next winter.
