Member

Limiting the winter fuel payment to higher rate taxpayers would not begin to deliver the savings needed—and, trust me, it would be an administrative nightmare. If anyone doubts that, ask the last Government, which tried to do that to child benefit and they are still trying to figure it out now. Using council tax bands as a proxy is not an option. We do not have the data on what pensioners’ homes are worth, where they are and what their council tax value is.