The following item of Opposition Business has been received:
Changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance and Protecting Pensioners from Fuel Poverty
Proposed by: Cllr C Cushing Seconded by: Cllr N Dixon
This Council Notes:
• The Labour Government’s recent decision to restrict the Winter Fuel Payment to only pensioners in receipt of means-tested benefits like Pension Credit, as announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
• Age UK estimate that 2 million pensioners who badly need the money to stay warm this winter will not receive it. According to a recent EDP article, a total of 25,796 people in North Norfolk could potentially forfeit the payment, giving the district the fourth-highest number of people who could lose it in the UK.
• Energy bills are set to rise by 10 per cent after regulator Ofgem announced it was increasing the price cap for gas and electricity bills. The regulator announced it is hiking its price cap from the current £1,568 for a typical household in England, Scotland and Wales to £1,717, adding around £12 a month to an average bill.
• The significant role that Winter Fuel Payments play in helping older residents of North Norfolk and across the UK afford heating during the coldest months, thereby preventing 'heat or eat' dilemmas and safeguarding health.
• The criticism from Age UK, the Countryside Alliance and other charities, highlighting the social injustice and potential health risks posed by this sudden policy change.
• The additional strain this decision will place on vulnerable pensioners, many of whom do not claim Pension Credit despite being eligible, further exacerbating their financial hardship. This is particularly relevant in North Norfolk which has the oldest demographic of any local authority area in the UK.
This Council believes:
• That the Winter Fuel Payment has been a lifeline for many older people across the UK and that restricting its availability solely to those on Pension Credit risks leaving many pensioners in financial hardship.
• While some pensioners currently in receipt of the Winter Fuel Payment may not require it, many thousands across North Norfolk sit just above the cut-off for Pension Credit and will now lose their allowance. Despite publicity to do so, many pensioners who may be eligible for Pension Credit do not claim it and will be particularly badly hit, a real concern in districts such as North Norfolk with its high percentage of pensioners and this has to be addressed.
• The decision to means-test Winter Fuel Payments, especially with such short notice and without adequate compensatory measures, is deeply unfair and will disproportionately affect the health and well-being of our poorest older residents.
• The government’s approach fails to consider the administrative barriers and stigma that prevent eligible pensioners from claiming Pension Credit, leaving many without the support they desperately need.
This Council resolves to:
• To ensure a Council-led local awareness campaign is robust to alert those eligible of Pension Credit which in some respects will help access to the Winter Fuel Payment for those most in need. This should be done using the local press, town and parish magazines and in particular highlighting in the next edition of the NNDC Outlook magazine what help is available and encourages people to claim all benefits to which they are entitled.
• Request that the Leader of the Council, the Members of Parliament for North Norfolk and the Broadland and Fakenham constituencies write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, urging a review of the decision to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment and asking the government to ensure that vulnerable pensioners, particularly those who do not claim Pension Credit, are protected from fuel poverty.
• Commit the Council to signing the ‘Save the Winter Fuel Payment for Struggling Pensioners’ petition being run by Age UK and write to all members offering them the opportunity to sign the petition themselves. ‘Save the Winter Fuel Payment for Struggling Pensioners’ petition: https://chng.it/xwVN4SHdHj
• Encourage local efforts to promote Pension Credit uptake through council services and partnerships with local charities and community organisations to ensure that all eligible pensioners in North Norfolk are supported in claiming their entitlement.