Many readers back the government’s decision to cut payment, saying they didn’t need the money, but others say it has made life harder

When Colin Anderson moved home to Devon after 30 years in London, he was looking forward to a quiet retirement close to where he had grown up. A council tenant all his life, he privately rented a small bungalow near Newton Abbot, where he could just about afford to live comfortably alone after the death of his partner.

When his rent was raised sharply twice, however, it reached £1,100 a month – more than his entire state pension. He was left with £200 a month from his private pension to cover food, clothing and everything else. The removal this year of his winter fuel payment has tipped a challenging existence into a thoroughly dispiriting one.