With the summer now over and the days becoming cooler, whether for occasions such as Christmas or Halloween or the slight chance of snow, I know that many will be looking forward to the autumn and the winter with excitement.
However, for many throughout our area, the winter months can be challenging, with colder weather leading to higher energy consumption at a time when bills are going up. Our pensioners are so often at the forefront of this, which is exactly why, until now, each winter they are entitled to Winter Fuel Payments of around £300 to ease this pressure.
In recent weeks, many will have heard the Chancellor’s announcement that Winter Fuel Payments will be removed from around 10 million pensioners across our country, including over 20,000 in our area alone.
Since the announcement, I have been inundated with correspondence from concerned residents who have outlined their stress and fear about these plans and shared with me their personal experiences. I absolutely recognise and share their frustration and worry, with the decision to scrap this support being taken so close to the winter months.
Thankfully, those who are in receipt of Pension Credit are still entitled to their Winter Fuel Payments, and I would therefore encourage all those who believe that they might be eligible for Pension Credit to apply before the deadline this Sunday: https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit/eligibility
However, I know that there are many locally who do not qualify for Pension Credit, but still rely on their Winter Fuel Payment and I will continue to push for greater support for them.
Government is about choosing, and this new Government has sadly chosen to prioritise agreeing huge pay awards with Trade Unions, while taking support away from low-income pensioners.
I was at Prime Minister’s Questions last week, where the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, refused to publish the Government’s Impact Assessment on this decision. In fact, we now know that the Government did not carry out an Impact Assessment at all, despite his own party’s research suggesting that the limiting access to Winter Fuel Payments could be life threatening.
When the Government was forced to allow a vote on Winter Fuel Payments in the House of Commons last week, despite being outnumbered by Labour MPs, I voted to block these cruel plans.
I will continue to push for support for vulnerable pensioners through the winter months as best as I can.
