MP pushes against fuel payment cut

MPs fear many pensioners could lose out.

Opposition MPs are taking a stand against plans to scrap winter fuel payments for the majority of pensioners, amid claims almost 9,000 people in the Northern Isles could be at risk.

The £300 payment is designed to help the elderly cover heating bills in the cold winter months.

But under government changes, only those pensioners who receive pension credit or other means-tested benefits will still get the cash.

Age UK research has estimated that two million pensioners will struggle to pay their energy bills due to this cut.

It comes as new analysis shows an estimated 8,840 pensioners in Orkney and Shetland could be affected.

Now, the Liberal Democrats have lodged a motion to block the plans.It is set to be tabled as soon as Parliament returns next week and has been backed by all of the party’s 72 MPs.

Isles MP Alistair Carmichael said: “In the weeks since this measure was announced I have heard from many people across the Northern Isles worried about the impact of losing this vital support and how families will afford their energy bills this winter.

“Stripping support from pensioners in the isles just when energy bills are set to rise again is counterproductive, particularly given that many people who might be entitled to the payment could miss out under the new rules. As many as a third of pensioners who are entitled to benefits do not claim them as things stand. Fuel poverty does not work in the same way as other forms of poverty, particularly in places like the Highlands and Islands.

“I recognise that the new government faces difficult choices after inheriting the mess left by the Conservatives. Even so we need a rethink on this policy so that vulnerable pensioners in our community continue to get the support they need.”