Greater Manchester (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Mayor Andy Burnham has ‘concerns’ about the procedures to take the winter fuel payments away from many pensioners.
Mayor Andy Burnham has pledged to relay concerns about pitching winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners to the government. Rachel Reeves reported this summer that the payments that support older people with their heating bills will only be unrestricted to those receiving other benefits. The controversial move came as she disclosed a ‘£22m black hole’ in the country’s finances for this year alone.
Mr Burnham was questioned whether he agreed with the action which comes at the same as train drivers get an above-inflation pay rise. The Greater Manchester commended the government for agreeing on a pay deal with unions, stating that the strikes that have taken place over the last two years caused confusion that needed to come to an end.
He expresses worries about taking winter fuel payments away from millions of pensioners in the UK. He stated: “I’ve got concerns about it and what it will suggest for people in Greater Manchester. I want to be direct with you and express I will relay those concerns to the government. We’ve got a budget coming up on October 30 and we will be making representations.
What Impact Will Fuel Payment Cuts Have on Greater Manchester?
“I’ve always stated, I don’t come on this Hotseat just to repeat the party line. I come on this hot seat to stand up for the residents of Greater Manchester and I will accomplish that over this. But one thing I would state is that the government did keep the triple lock and it was reported yesterday that as a result of that, there is a significant upgrade coming in the state pension. That triple lock is connected to people’s earnings.
“So it’s not like there’s no relation between train drivers and pensioners. This is because the treble lock creates that connection and as a consequence now pensioners will be quite very rising as a result of the triple lock.”
The Labour mayor was questioned about reports that the discount on council tax currently delivered to people living alone could be scrapped. He stated the government has not notified him of the proposal and he has not heard any ‘whispers’ of it.
How Does Burnham Plan to Address Winter Fuel Payment Issues?
He said: “Everything I will state to the government going into this funding in October is, look at ways of taking pressure off people, not taking stuff away. “I’ll be communicating to the government, to keep the budget in place to allow us to keep our £2 cap on bus fares in place. These are the items that should be prioritised at the moment we’re in. If money’s required, well, there are some companies not paying their corporation tax, and there are some very rich people who don’t pay their proper share of tax. Other things should be done first.”