PENSIONERS CONDEMNED TO A COLD WINTER

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 24th Oct 2007

Local MP Sandra Gidley is today responding to figures released by the Liberal Democrats which show that the Winter Fuel Allowance now only covers just over a third of the average winter fuel bill, compared with almost two thirds in 2003.

The Winter Fuel Allowance is designed to cover the cost of pensioners' winter heating costs, but because rises in energy prices have not been matched by an increase in the Winter Fuel Allowance many pensioners have been left struggling to pay their bills.

Commenting, Sandra Gidley said:

"This is just another example of the Labour Government hoping that no one will notice that pensioner benefits have been significantly devalued.

"In my constituency over twenty thousand people receive these payments and of these four thousand people are over 80. It is disgraceful that so many people are being forced to struggle to make ends meet

"Whether by delaying restoring the link between pensions and earnings, massively increasing means-testing or capping the state second pension, ministers have shown a callous disregard for the needs of some of the most vulnerable members of society

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