A PROTEST has taken place outside Parliament ahead of a vote to cut Winter Fuel Payments which could leave hundreds of thousands of pensioners in the cold in the coming months.
This comes as figures from Age UK estimate that tens of thousands of pensioners across East Sussex will lose their Winter Fuel Payments as a result of the decision made by the new Labour government.
Bexhill & Battle will be the worst affected constituency in East Sussex, according to figures.
Nusrat Ghani, MP for Sussex Weald said: “I know from my correspondence and constituency surgeries that this issue is hugely important and worrying to Sussex Weald residents. I recognise the concern and distress that the changes to Winter Fuel Payment entitlements have caused to those who were previously eligible to receive it. I will continue to do everything I can to support those pensioners who need my assistance and continue to raise individual cases to Ministers to ensure that the impact of these changes on Sussex Weald residents is fully recognised.”
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Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director at Age UK said: “We’re deeply disappointed, but not surprised, that the vote to brutally means-test Winter Fuel Payment was passed today. As soon as the Government announced it was instructing its MPs to support it this was the inevitable result, but we would like to thank all those in every party who voted against the policy or abstained.
There’s been a lot of discussion about the Government’s decision, but at heart Age UK’s critique of their policy is really simple: we just don’t think it’s fair to remove the payment from the 2.5 million pensioners on low incomes who badly need it, and to do it so quickly this winter, at the same time as energy bills are rising by 10%.
It is crystal clear that there is insufficient time to make any serious impact on the miserably low take-up of Pension Credit before the cold sets in this autumn, and the Government has brought forward no effective measures to support all those whose tiny occupational pensions take them just above the line to claim. It’s true they have agreed to extend the Household Support Fund until April and they deserve some credit for that, but the HSF is an all-age fund that you have to apply for, so we know it will only help a small proportion of all the pensioners who will be in need as a result of their policy change.
The Government has also tried to suggest that the increase in State Pension for older people next year as a result of the Triple Lock means there’s no need to worry about how they will cope now, but that won’t help anyone this winter and most pensioners will not benefit to the extent being suggested – either because they are on the old State Pension which attracts less of an increase, or because they don’t qualify for a full State Pension in the first place.
The reality is that driving through this policy as the Government is doing will make millions of poor pensioners poorer still and we are baffled as to why some Ministers are asserting that this is the right thing to do. We and many others are certain that it is not, and that’s why we will continue to stand with the pensioners who can’t afford to lose their payment and campaign for them to be given more Government support.
Meanwhile, winter is coming and we fear it will be a deeply challenging one for millions of older people who have previously relied on their Winter Fuel Payment to help pay their energy bills and who have no obvious alternative source of funds on which to draw. As a charity we will do everything we can to help them, but with so many in need and no extra support on offer from the Government at the moment it’s looking like an incredibly uphill task.”
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