I recognise how important it is that we protect families from rises in energy prices. That is why I welcomed the previous Conservative Government's record £5 billion in support last winter. We supported households through the energy crisis with support such as the Energy Bill Support Scheme and Energy Price Guarantee. This brought total government support for energy bills to £1,500 for the typical household since October 2022 and means that the Government subsidised around half of household energy bills. This was one of the largest support packages in Europe – all in all, the total cost was£98 billion of support and I, as DWP Minister, oversaw the Cost of Living payments.
Winter can be an especially difficult time for pensioners. Under the previous Government, 11.8 million pensioners received up to £600 in Winter Fuel Payments and Pensioner Cost of Living Payments. On top of this, over 1.1 million Cold Weather Payments worth £29.6 million were paid out from November 2023 until the end of March 2024 with over £9 million of this going to low-income pensioners receiving Pension Credit.
During the election, those closest to Keir Starmer said winter fuel payments would continue if he became Prime Minister and that there were no plans to change eligibility for these benefits.
The Chancellor's statement in the House of Commons on 29 July 2024 revealed that this was not, in fact, the case. Instead of giving winter fuel payments to all pensioners, the Government has chosen to bend to pressure from unions, at a cost of £9 billion, to fund other things.
Cutting the winter fuel payment this winter, with virtually no notice and no compensatory measures to protect poor and vulnerable pensioners, is a cruel policy decision. Millions of struggling pensioners won't receive up to £300 they rely on to pay their bills. Age UK believes as many as 2 million pensioners will struggle to pay their energy bills as a result of these cuts.
I appreciate how strongly so many constituents feel on this subject and I would like to thank them all for taking the time to share their concerns with me. I firmly believe that pensioners must be afforded dignity and respect in retirement, and therefore have deep reservations about the Government's decision.
The Chancellor has made a choice to axe Winter Fuel Payments for vulnerable pensioners at the same time that their energy bills will rise by 10 per cent. The Government should halt its proposed change to the winter fuel payment and think again. I will continue to press the Government to ensure those who are most at risk from fuel poverty receive reasonable winter fuel payments, allowing families to keep costs down and more money in their pockets. Now, she must come clean and admit exactly how many pensioners will lose out and potentially find themselves in fuel poverty this winter because of her choices.
On behalf of my constituents and millions of others, I closed the debate on Winter Fuel Payments and you can see this here: Mims Davies MP closes Winter Fuel Allowance debate in Parliament | Mims Davies
Just recently, I also raised in the House the Social Security Advisory Committee concerns, not least around processing Pension Credit and the lack of an impact assessment.
Please be assured I will keep a very close eye on developments. I have also provided a link to my previous statement which also contains useful links to search for entitlements, grants, council tax reduction, discounts, concessions, allowances, free prescriptions and a link to the Age UK petition which I urge you to sign.
Mims Davies MP latest statement on Winter Fuel Allowance | Mims Davies
