Southwark Liberal Democrats have written to the Peckham MP and energy minister responsible urging them to rethink the “grave mistake”
Miatta Fahnbulleh is the Labour MP for Peckham, but also the minister for fuel poverty at the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.
It comes as new analysis shows that across the 5 constituencies covering Southwark, 30,000 pensioners are at risk of losing the £300 payment.
This is the estimated number of pensioners in the constituency who don’t receive pension credit, and so will lose the winter fuel allowance under the Government’s plans unless
they receive other benefits. The figures were compiled by the House of Commons Library based on data from the Department of Work and Pensions.
Across the country, 11 million pensioners are set to lose their winter fuel payment under the Government’s plans, including two million that the charity Age UK has said will
struggle to afford their energy bills as a result. This is despite the average energy bill being set to rise by £149 a year from October.
The Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to think again to protect poorer and more vulnerable pensioners from being forced to choose between eating and heating this
winter. In Parliament, the Liberal Democrats are moving a motion to block the change.
In their letter, the Southwark Liberal Democrats pointed to the other measures available suggested by figures such as Martin Lewis, and even Miatta Fahnbulleh’s predecessor
Harriet Harman.
Commenting, Southwark Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr Victor Chamberlain said:
“Stripping support from many of the poorest pensioners just when energy bills are set to rise again is simply wrong. It could force vulnerable elderly people to choose between
eating and heating when temperatures drop.
Many pensioners in Southwark are already struggling with bills and they are now racked with worry about how they are going to cope this winter.
The Labour Party has got this wrong and Liberal Democrats will do everything possible to stand up for pensioners and block these plans.
I appreciate that the new government faces difficult choices due to the mess left by the Conservatives but this is not the answer.
Southwark’s Labour MPs, especially the energy minister and Labour Party Chairman, need to think again””
