More elderly people in North Lincolnshire received help to pay their heating bills last winter

A general view of a domestic radiator room thermostat. Families across Great Britain will find out on Friday how tough energy bills will be this winter but they may have to wait to discover what the Government will do to help Picture date: Thursday August 25, 2022.

More elderly people in North Lincolnshire received Government support to help heat their homes last winter, new figures show.

As the cold months are approaching, charities said the aid promised by the Government is inadequate and called for "further targeted energy bill support to protect households this winter".

The Winter Fuel Payments scheme is a tax-free annual benefit paid to people over pension credit age to help them with their bills as temperatures drop.

Department for Work and Pensions figures show 34,797 pensioners in North Lincolnshire received help in 2022-23 – up from 34,371 the year before.

Across Great Britain, just over 119,000 more people got a payment between £250 and £600 than during winter 2021-22.

However, Peter Smith, director of policy at National Energy Action, said the increase does not come as a surprise, since there was a significant decline in the number of recipients in the years during and after the pandemic.