Social Security experience panels: cold spell and winter fuel payment – report

Next Steps

We plan to run a formal consultation on the policy intention behind the delivery of both Winter Heating Assistance and Cold Spell Heating Assistance. This will build on the broader consultation on the Social Security Bill in 2016 which asked respondents for their views on Winter Fuel Payment and Cold Weather Payment. In general respondents supported a broad continuation of the current eligibility criteria for both benefits. The consultation will therefore focus on our intention to mirror existing eligibility arrangements to ensure the benefits are transferred securely, while also exploring potential areas of policy development.

The findings outlined in this report will be used to supplement the feedback from the consultation and the views expressed as a result of other stakeholder engagement to inform the development and design of both Winter Heating Assistance and Cold Spell Heating Assistance.

The findings of this report will also will influence the design and delivery of Cold Spell Heating Assistance and Winter Heating Assistance. The current difficulties and frustrations will be taken into consideration and used to identify where improvements in the delivery and design can be made. The positive aspects highlighted of the current benefits will also be captured and used to support the development of the design and delivery of the new benefits.