Pensioners will ‘struggle to survive’ winter without energy payments

Pensioners in Greater Manchester could be left “struggling to survive” this winter following cuts to winter fuel payments, councils have warned.

Fears are growing in town halls across the region that elderly residents could find themselves unable to keep their homes warm enough when temperatures drop.

Thousands of pensioners in Greater Manchester are set to lose out on the £200 to £300 yearly sum, after a majority of MPs backed proposals to limit the payment to those who get Pension Credit, or pensioners claiming other means-tested benefits.

Bernie Gallagher, a 69-year-old pensioner said elderly people in Greater Manchester are “frightened” about what the cut means for them.

She said: “We get on on the streets and talk to people, hundreds of them, it’s heartrending the stories that some are saying about it. It’s really quite sad and emotional to hear how frightened people are.

“They’re scared about not being able to keep their homes warm. Older people generally are good at planning because their income is fixed, they plan ahead and know what bills are coming in. But it’s the speed that this is being brought in.

“One woman in her 80s didn’t know anything about it, there are still people who are eligible for pension credit who don’t get it, it’s really scary.

“Energy bills are going to go up, we don’t know what kind of winter we’re going to have. Some are carers too and they can’t suddenly decide they’re going to cut back on energy because they’re caring for other people too.”

In Oldham, council leader Arooj Shah said just 5,500 of Oldham’s 37,000 pensioners receive pension credit and will continue to receive the Winter Fuel Allowance payments.

She added: “We are determined to ensure that no pensioner in Oldham goes cold this winter. We know the changes to the winter fuel payments will worry older people in the town which is why we’ve been working with AgeUK Oldham to minimise the impact.

“Over the past six months we have identified hundreds of older people in Oldham who are entitled to pension credit, but aren’t claiming it.

"Along with AgeUK Oldham we have already contacted – by phone, letter and in person – those households to encourage them to apply and we will continue to do so as winter approaches. We are also supporting the government’s campaign to get people to sign up.

“We also welcome the government’s announcement that the Household Support Fund is to be extended and we will be using those funds to make sure that older people affected by the change to allowance have access to support if they need it.”

Age UK estimates that a total of 2.5 million older people on low incomes are set to lose their Winter Fuel Payment.

Caroline Abrahams CBE, charity director at Age UK said: “As the weather chills – as it is forecast to do as early as this week – older people on low incomes will be trying to decide whether they can afford to turn their heating on or not.

“Our biggest fear at Age UK is that many in the two and half million group will choose not to even try to stay adequately warm, for fear of a fuel bill they won’t be able to pay.”

• Rochdale Online has reached out to Rochdale MP Paul Waugh and Heywood and Middleton MP Elsie Blundell for comment.

 

Declan Carey, Local Democracy Reporter