The Government continues to insist that it will not bow to pressure to reinstate universal Winter Fuel Allowance payments despite ongoing campaigns by CSPA, the NPC, Independent Age, the unions, and – perhaps even more importantly – despite heavy losses in Local Council elections up and down the country last week.
Backbench Labour MPs, former Labour Councillors, and others have reportedly been surprised by the ongoing anger expressed by voters on doorsteps in the run up to the Local Council elections, by-election in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency, and the Mayoral elections in Greater Lincolnshire, the West of England, Doncaster and North Tyneside on Thursday 2nd May.
Reports of voters saying the Government aren’t offering enough cost-of-living support and “going in the wrong direction” on Winter Fuel Payments have been quoted in all the mainstream media.
It was hoped that, at the very least, the Government would review the income threshold for receiving these payments, currently linked to Pension Credit support and set at £11,500 per annum, but Sir Keir Starmer has since told BBC reporters that there “will not be a change to the Government’s policy”.
In Scotland, the Winter Fuel Payment was replaced by the Pension Age Heating Payment and in Northern Ireland, all pensioners received a “one-off” Pension Age Fuel Support payment in March. According to the BBC, reporting today (6th May), the Labour Welsh First Minister, Baroness Eluned Morgan has called on the UK Government to “re-think” the policy as it “comes up time and again” with voters.
CSPA General Secretary, Sally Tsoukaris, responded today by saying,
“CSPA members and others from across the age sector stand by pensioners’ demands to have universal Winter Fuel Allowance payments reinstated at a time when energy prices, and the cost-of-living generally, continue to rise. A lot of work has gone into trying to improve the uptake of Pension Credit, but even so, millions of pensioners below and just above the threshold for Pension Credit continue to suffer hardship in the absence of this much-needed support.”
Jan Shortt, General Secretary of the National Pensioners’ Convention (NPC) said,
“The Government should take the chance to right a wrong and prove they have the welfare of the oldest and most vulnerable at heart.”
Help keep up the pressure to review changes to Winter Fuel Payment!
We need you to let your MP know that you’re watching how they react to this hugely damaging policy, and that this issue really matters to you and millions of others across the country. Every email that is sent reinforces that this situation just cannot carry on, and the UK Government must look again.
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