Rebecca Smith, Member of Parliament for South West Devon, remains deeply concerned about the Chancellors decision to press ahead with her planned cut of the Winter Fuel Payments, which will significantly impact the lives of pensioners in her constituency.
Nearly 22,000 pensioners in South West Devon stand to lose up to £300 in Winter Fuel Payments after Labour MPs voted to scrap the scheme in the House of Commons on September 10th 2024. A total of 347 Labour MPs, including neighbouring Plymouth MPs, voted in favour of cutting these vital payments, ignoring alarming warnings that pensioners would be forced to choose between heating and eating this winter.
Age UK has released their own Equality Impact Assessment (EIA), revealing the devasting consequences of the Government’s decision to means-test Winter Fuel Payments. According to their analysis, 82% of pensioners living below or just below the poverty line will be affected. They identified that females (1.4 million) and individuals with disabilities (1.1 million) will bear the brunt of this policy change.
Alarmingly, the EIA highlights that there is not a single region in the UK where fewer than 74% of pensioners in these circumstances will lose their fuel payments. In total, at least 2.5 million older people are set to lose this essential support, exacerbating their financial hardship as winter approaches.
The public response to these proposed cuts has been overwhelming, with Age UK's Winter Fuel Petition receiving over half a million signatures, reflecting widespread opposition from the pensioner community and the public’s interest in opposing the changes to this cruel policy.
During a recent session in Parliament, Rebecca Smith MP pressed the Government to explore a less punitive approach to these harsh cuts. She proposed the implementation of a council tax rebate scheme akin to the mechanism used by the former Conservative Government during the pandemic.
Rebecca Smith, Member of Parliament for South West Devon, stated:
I am calling for the Chancellor to use a similar model to the council tax rebate scheme to prevent a callous Autumn Budget which leaves our pensioners in peril this winter. This model was designed to help those in need during the cost of living challenges after the pandemic. The Government could use local councils to distribute Winter Fuel Payments to more people – all those who receive a council tax discount are already means tested. Adapting this model for Winter Fuel Payments could offer an alternative way to avoiding the financial cliff edge for many residents.
As winter draws near and the budget looms, it is crucial that the Chancellor considers other options with less detrimental effects for my pensioners.
