Stuart Anderson MP has welcomed a government climbdown in its policy on winter fuel payments, after they were abruptly withdrawn last year from eleven million pensioners who were not in receipt of means-tested benefits like Pension Credit.
Almost a third of residents in South Shropshire were eligible for the payments, which helped with the cost of energy bills during the colder months - with around 24,824 benefitting in 2022-23.
The tax-free payments of up to £300 had helped millions of vulnerable and elderly people with the costs of heating their homes during the winter months. This included around 25,000 residents from South Shropshire.
The changes reduced this to just 2,229 pensioners in the constituency, who had an active claim for Pension Credit. At the time, Stuart slammed the restriction in eligibility to only those entitled to means-tested benefits.
Stuart was very disappointed to learn that the government does not plan to redirect the money withdrawn from the scheme to helping those most in need of support. This is especially the case given that research from the Local Government Association has estimated the NHS spends £2.5 billion per year, as a minimum, on treating illnesses directly linked to cold, damp, and unsafe homes.
As such, Stuart has requested, as the Fuel Poverty Committee has done, that fuel poverty features in NHS England winter planning guidance. Additionally, he has called for the equivalent funding saved from the scheme to be ring-fenced as support for those who are vulnerable to rising energy costs.
Now the impact of this choice has been revealed: two thirds of pensioners have been forced into turning their heating down - leaving a quarter feeling more depressed and one in five saying their symptoms have worsened.
"It is deeply regrettable that one of this new government’s first acts has been to scrap winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners at a time when energy bills are set to increase. It represents losses of up to £300 for almost a third of my constituents in South Shropshire. Pensioners deserve respect and dignity in retirement. That's why I joined fellow Conservative MPs in forcing a debate on this cruel and shameful policy."
