𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Three-quarters of retirees are worried about the winter months ahead, new polling shows. The research found that 83% of older people are concerned about the cost of heating their homes and more than half about the price of essentials.

It comes as pensioners and working people saving for the future are widely expected to be hit in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Budget tomorrow. Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride said: “The country needs a Budget that protects pensioners, not one that puts their taxes up and makes their heating and every day essentials even harder to afford.”

Dennis Reed, director of the over-60s group Silver Voices, warned that many retired people “will not cope” if they face higher taxes.

He said: “The frozen and means-tested winter fuel payment does not compensate for the large hikes in energy prices over the last two years.

“Older people are much more vulnerable to cold-related illnesses than younger folk and are often at home all day.

“It is not right in the 21st century that hundreds of thousands of pensioners who are just above the benefits eligibility level have to keep their central heating switched off and huddle in outdoor clothing in their own homes.

“Many will not cope this winter if further tax burdens are placed on them in the Budget and depression and ill-health will skyrocket.”

The survey, carried out for Blue Light Card, a discount service for frontline sectors, found that retirees are bracing for a 20% jump in their outgoings this winter.

Those from frontline sectors including the armed forces, NHS and emergency services are the most concerned about the colder months at 83%, compared to 78% for all retirees.

It comes as the Chancellor is expected to announce major tax hikes in her Budget as she scrambles to fill a multibillion-pound gap in her spending plans.

Rumoured measures include an extension of the freeze on income tax thresholds despite Ms Reeves insisting at last year’s Budget that it would “hurt working people” and “take more money out of their payslips”.

The move risks accusations that Labour has broken its election manifesto pledge not to raise taxes on working people.

Extending the income tax thresholds freeze beyond 2028 when it is due to be lifted would see more pensioners dragged into the taxman’s net.

From 2027/28, anyone on the full rate of the new state pension will be above the £12,570 tax-free personal allowance.

Mr Reed added: “A rise in pensioner poverty and misery for those of us on low and modest incomes is the inevitable result, and the reputation of this Government as anti-pensioner to the core will be cemented.”

Independent Age said the polling “echoes what we consistently hear from older people on a low income”.

Chief executive Joanna Elson said: “Many tell us they are living in just one room because they cannot afford to heat their entire home, spending time in public spaces to stay warm and limiting themselves to a single small meal each day. This should not be happening in modern Britain.

“Almost two million older people are living in poverty, and the UK Government must tackle this urgent issue in this week’s Budget.

“Energy costs have been decimating household budgets for years, and it is time to increase the Warm Home Discount from £150 to £400 to better reflect today’s energy prices.

“Looking further ahead, there must be targeted energy support through a social tariff, shielding low-income households from future spikes in energy costs. No one should be forced to sit in a cold, dark home. The time for action is now.”

It comes as Ms Reeves has pledged to “take action to grip the cost of living” in her Budget.

She is grappling with weak economic growth, stubborn inflation and an expected downgrade to official productivity forecasts as she prepares her statement.

Keeping national insurance and income tax thresholds frozen for two further years until April 2030 would raise around £8.3 billion a year by 2029-30, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

By not increasing the thresholds she would benefit from a process called “fiscal drag”, where people are pulled into paying tax for the first time or shifted into a higher rate.

Ms Reeves had prepared the country for a manifesto-breaching increase in income tax with a pre-Budget press conference and behind-the-scenes briefings.

But she abandoned the idea after the Treasury apparently received forecasts from the budget watchdog which were not quite as grim as first feared.

The poll of 1,500 retirees in the UK was carried out by 3 Gem in October 2025.

A Government spokesperson said: “Supporting pensioners is a top priority and our commitment to the Triple Lock means millions of older people are set to see their state pension rise by £1,900.

“Nine million pensioners will be benefitting from the winter fuel payment this year helping them pay their energy bills.

“On top of this, we have expanded the £150 Warm Home Discount to six million households, seen water tariff support extended to 9% of all households and given an extra 57,000 pensioner households pension credit – worth on average £4,300 a year.”