The Department for Work and Pensions has been accused of spamming grieving relatives with letters
Letters from the Department for Work and Pensions have been mistakenly sent to deceased pensioners, informing them of the loss of their winter fuel allowance. The DWP has come under fire for causing distress to bereaved families with updates on the £300 Winter Fuel Allowance, reports Birmingham Live.
Frances Coppola, a writer and journalist, revealed she received a letter from the DWP about changes to the winter fuel payment intended for her partner, who passed away on September 18, despite having previously informed the department of his death. Upon raising the issue, she was informed by the DWP that it was "sending the letters to everyone who had ever made a claim, including people who had died".
Coppola expressed her frustration, stating: "So thousands of bereaved spouses, partners and relatives are receiving these letters... DWP is ignoring official notifications of death and literally spamming the relatives of deceased claimants."Tom Selby, director of public policy at AJ Bell, commented on the insensitivity of the approach, noting: "Taking a blanket approach risks creating extra admin stress for people at what will inevitably already be a really painful time.
He also pointed out that this isn't the first lapse in the DWP's administrative processes and urged for immediate improvements. A DWP spokesperson responded to the situation, saying: "We are looking into what happened in this case and apologise for any distress caused. Over one million pensioners will still receive the winter fuel payment, and our drive to boost pension credit take up has already seen a 152pc increase in claims.
"Many others will also benefit from the £150 warm home discount to help with energy bills over winter while our extension of the household support fund will help with the cost of food, heating and bills. We are committed to ensuring pensioners are aware of the changes to the winter fuel payment and are issuing letters to around 13.5 million pensioners. In this case, the letter was likely in post whilst the recipient passed away. We apologise for any distress caused.
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