Local MP joins calls to backdate Winter Fuel Payments
The South Cotswolds include Cirencester and Fairford
The MP for the South Cotswolds, Roz Savage, is calling on the Government to compensate pensioners who missed out on Winter Fuel Payments last winter.
While the payment will be reinstated for pensioners earning £35,000 a year or less this winter, everyone who lost out last year will not be reimbursed – even if they meet the new requirements.
It is estimated that nine million pensioners will be back on Winter Fuel Payments later this year.
Roz Savage MP said: “Backdating this support is the least the Government can do, after so many older people were left choosing between heating and eating last winter. It was a deeply unfair decision that caused real hardship, and it should never have happened.
“I’m relieved that ministers have finally listened to the Liberal Democrats, charities and campaigners who warned of the consequences—but recognising the mistake is only part of the solution. They now need to do right by those who missed out last year.”
'Cumulative anxiety'
In the South Cotswolds, around 20,000 pensioners will be receiving the payment this year but missed out last winter.
“That is a lot of cumulative anxiety”, Roz Savage MP told Greatest Hits Radio.
“Many pensioners have had a winter of worry where they’ve been wondering whether to prioritise heating or eating when, clearly, they need both. The Lib Dems are calling on the Government to, in a way, apologise to the pensioners for all that needless worry that they’ve been through.”
A Government spokesperson said: “We took immediate action last July to deal with immediate spending pressures and so there will be no changes to Winter Fuel Payment eligibility for last year.
“However, the changes we have made for this year mean support for fuel costs is targeted with nine million pensioners set to receive it this year.
“On top of this, thanks to our commitment to the Triple Lock, millions will see their State Pension rise by £1,900 and annual spending on the State Pension will rise by a record £31bn by the end of this Parliament.”
In 2022/23, between 11.9% (Gloucester) and 19.2% (Cheltenham) of households across Gloucestershire lived in fuel poverty.