Week 5 - Winter Fuel Allowance
I was shocked to hear that Rachel Reeves decided to cut Winter Fuel Payments.
Over 90% of pensioners in Teignbridge will miss out on the Winter Fuel Payments, previously worth up to £300, after the new Labour Government cut the benefit.
This change means only 3,193 pensioners will now qualify for assistance with their winter fuel bills, a sharp decrease from the 34,666 residents who were eligible under the previous scheme.
The Winter Fuel Payments, which ranged from £100 to £300, were previously available to everyone of state pension age. "It's hard to believe that Labour didn't foresee the severe impact such a significant reduction in Winter Fuel Payments would have, leaving nine out of ten pensioners without support."
The Government says restricting extra support to those on means-tested benefits – leaving almost 10m pensioners worse off – will retain £1.4bn.
All of this comes off the back of the news that BP’s shareholders can expect a multibillion-dollar payout this year after the oil giant reported better than expected quarterly profits of almost $2.8bn (£2,195,303,600).
I will be writing to Rachel Reeves to reconsider the decision the Government has made on cutting Winter Fuel Payments and for action on the energy companies.
We need the Labour government to go further in taxing the energy giants. While they make huge profits, we have people in our community worrying about putting their heating on.
As a Liberal Democrat I am proud that we are the ones who brought in the triple lock, lifting thousands of vulnerable pensioners out of poverty. 300,000 pensioners have been lifted out of absolute poverty since the Liberal Democrats in government introduced the triple lock in 2010. We cannot allow this progress to go into reverse.
Sources
ALDC: https://www.aldc.org/2024/08/council-motion-winter-fuel-payment-cuts-england-and-wales/
Telegraph:
Lib Dems:
www.libdems.org.uk/news/article/giving-people-security-in-later-life