Pensioners deserve security in retirement. That’s what Labour told us before last year’s General Election. And I agree. But as soon as they got into power, they took that security away from pensioners in Mid Bedfordshire and across the country.
People who voted with hope for a Government that they believed would reduce their energy bills and look after vulnerable pensioners. But just months in, Labour let those people down.
And that’s why I worked hard to secure a debate in the House of Commons recently, to raise those issues on behalf of pensioners, not just in my constituency but in every constituency.
Last winter under a Conservative Government, pensioners in Mid Bedfordshire would have received a £600 boost from Winter Fuel Payments and Pensioner Cost of Living Payments, on top of the increase to the State Pension. This year, for too many pensioners, that £600 was gone.
The average pensioner earns just over £20k per year. That’s around the same level as a worker on the living wage. The level at which the threshold to keep Winter Fuel Payments was set for single pensioners means that you could be bringing in less than £1,000 per month and now be one of the “millionaire pensioners” on whose shoulders the Government have chosen to balance the books. And even if you are still eligible for Winter Fuel Payments, you will get them only if you have signed up for Pension Credit. We know that the arbitrary barrier of the Pension Credit threshold will mean that many of our poorest pensioners – AgeUK has estimated around a million people with weekly income of less than £50 above the poverty line – will not receive their Winter Fuel Payment this winter.
It’s affecting the lives of pensioners and the Government just doesn’t seem to care. One story from a constituent in Mid Bedfordshire was heartbreaking. They told me they can’t shower. They only cook a hot meal once per week. And now only turns on their heating when it is – and I quote – “unbearably freezing”. Is that the security this Government was promising?
But on top of that, investing into support for our pensioners could actually help save the Government money in the long-term. Independent Age found that spending an additional £2.1 billion on Pension Credit for all eligible pensioners would save the NHS and social care around £4 billion. That is extra money to support the Government’s priorities – growing the economy and delivering better public services; whilst protecting the most vulnerable pensioners.
It’s frustrating that the Government won’t be clear and frank with the country. It was elected on a promise to support our pensioners, but ripped that support away within months of taking power. Now the best it can do is come up with poor excuses for substitutes. As an example, they suggested the Household Support Fund as a mitigation for pensioners, but when I wrote to the Government about this support it was made very clear: the Fund is not intended to be targeted at pensioners. The Government has even admitted to me that it doesn’t know how much of the Household Support Fund went to pensioners this winter. So why did it claim otherwise? People deserve the truth, people deserve transparency. That’s what they thought they were voting for.
We need to stand up for our pensioners. Months may have passed since the cut to Winter Fuel Payments was all over the news, but it can’t be forgotten. We need to keep fighting, even when the news agenda has moved on. That’s what I’m hoping my debate in Parliament will achieve. Let’s get it back on the agenda, and put pressure on this Government to support some of the most vulnerable in society.
