The Government's plans to radically shake-up the welfare system could see benefits for the elderly, including winter fuel allowances, cut drastically as Britain claws back from the recession.
Chancellor George Osborne defended the Budget as "tough but fair" today as he accused the previous Labour government of leaving the economy in a "massive mess".
Families who earn £25,000 a year could see a fall in the benefits they receive from April 2012, according to figures buried deep in yesterday's 112-page official Budget document.
Council tax rates in England could be frozen for one year for those whose local authorities can keep costs low, the Chancellor revealed in his Emergency Budget today.