The DWP civil servants have been awarded of bonuses upto £14,000 (Image: Getty)
The (DWP)’s civil servants have been awarded of bonuses upto £14,000 while pensioners were reportedly stripped of the , the latest data from the Government has suggested.
In 2023-24, the paid out £645,685 in end of year bonuses to senior civil servants, figures obtained by the as part of a Freedom of Information (FoI) request have revealed.
This sum of money would be enough to cover the Winter Fuel Payments of more than 3,000 .
The bonus amount was shared by 91 of the highest ranking officials with the median payment coming to £7,250. The largest bonus awarded was £14,000, the .
has previously stated that Labour would means-test the up to £300 in energy bill support which was previously universal for Britons of age.
While pensioners were reportedly stripped of the Winter Fuel Payments (Image: Getty)
Older people will now need to be in receipt of means-tested support from the , such as .
The revelation has caused a stir among campaigners, who have criticised Labour’s decision to means-test the Winter Fuel Allowance during the ongoing crisis.
Nevertheless, the has faced criticism from think tanks for overseeing a benefits system that reportedly lost approximately £13.9 billion in taxpayer funds to fraud and errors over the past year.
Elliot Keck, head of campaigns at the TaxPayer’ Alliance, said: “These bonuses for bumbling bureaucrats are wildly unjustified given the catastrophic levels of fraud and error on ’s watch.
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Rachel Reeves last year stated that Labour would means-test the up to £300 in energy bill support (Image: Getty)
“While taxpayers face a budget of horrors, civil servants can sit comfortable knowing they have the pay, pensions and perks that the rest of the country can only dream of.”
The total £11.9m given out in bonuses last year, which covered performance in the previous financial year, would have paid for 59,623 pensioners’ Winter Fuel Payments.
A Government spokesperson said: “It is important the Civil Service is able to remunerate its staff in line with the private sector, to attract and retain the best talent, as it delivers on the government’s commitments to working people.
“We have had to make tough choices, but are committed to supporting pensioners – with millions set to see their rise by up to £1,700 this parliament through our commitment to the and over a million pensioners will still receive the .”