Revealed: Which Black Country borough had the most people receive winter fuel payments in 2023/24?

The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) has detailed the number of people who received the payment in the winter of 2023/24, weeks after Kier Starmer's Labour Government announced plans to cut the payment from millions of pensioners from this winter.

The winter fuel payment is an annual, tax-free lump sum payment of £200 to the households of people of state pension age in England and Wales, or £300 for people aged over 80.

Labour's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced this month that, starting this year, households in England and Wales will no longer be entitled to the payment unless they receive Pension Credit or certain other means-tested benefits.

In total, 10.8 million pensioners in 7.6 million households across England and Wales received a winter fuel payment last year. The DWP figures are broken down by constituency.

The DWP estimates that just 1.5m people will receive a payment this year after the eligibility changes.

Winter fuel payments made in the Black Country, Staffordshire and Wyre Forest in 2023/24

• Wyre Forest: 24,294

• Kingswinford & South Staffordshire: 22,900

• Lichfield: 22,326

• Stone, Great Wyrley & Penkridge: 21,333

• Aldridge-Brownhills: 20,248

• Stafford: 19,945

• Tamworth: 19,580

• Wolverhampton West: 18,995

• Cannock Chase: 18,763

• Stourbridge: 18,409

• Halesowen: 17,542

• Dudley: 16,721

• Wolverhampton North East: 16,655

• Wolverhampton South East: 16,100

• West Bromwich: 16,030

• Tipton & Wednesbury: 15,510

• Walsall & Bloxwich: 15,326

• Smethwick: 14,160