Blackpool Lib Dems urge local MPs to oppose cut to Winter Fuel Payment which could impact 35,000 local pensioners

- Blackpool Liberal Democrats urge local Labour MPs Lorraine Beavers and Chris Webb to vote against cut to Winter Fuel Payments for local pensioners 

- 35,000 pensioners in Blackpool & Fleetwood at risk of losing the £300 payment this winter

- Local Liberal Democrats call on the government to “rethink” the cut so that local vulnerable pensioners continue to get the support they need

Blackpool Liberal Democrats have urged their local MPs to back a motion in Parliament to block the government’s plans to scrap Winter Fuel Payments for most pensioners. 

If passed, the Liberal Democrat motion would protect local pensioners by blocking the government’s changes and restoring their winter fuel payments. It is set to be tabled as soon as Parliament returns next week and has been backed by all 72 Liberal Democrat MPs.

It comes as new analysis shows an estimated 35,000 pensioners in Blackpool & Fleetwood are at risk of losing the £300 payment, which helps with heating bills in the cold winter months.

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.

Blackpool’s Liberal Democrats are urging their local Labour MPs, Lorraine Beavers and Chris Webb, to back the motion to protect poorer and more vulnerable pensioners from being forced to choose between eating and heating this winter.

Bill Greene, Blackpool Liberal Democrat Chair, said:

“Countless pensioners across Blackpool & Fleetwood are worried about losing this vital support and how they will afford their energy bills this winter. 

“Stripping support from many of the poorest pensioners in Blackpool & Fleetwood just when energy bills are set to rise again is simply wrong. It could force vulnerable elderly people in our community to choose between eating and heating this winter.

“That is why we are urging our local Labour MPs, Lorraine Beavers an Chris Webb, to back the Lib Dem motion in Parliament next week and do everything they can to block these plans which could cause immense financial hardship in our area.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Under the government’s changes only those pensioners who receive pension credit or other means-tested benefits will still get the £300 winter fuel allowance towards the cost of their energy bills.

A breakdown of the number of pensioners not receiving pension credit by constituency, compiled by the House of Commons Library, is available here (source: DWP Stat-xplore)

The Liberal Democrats will table a parliamentary motion (known as a “prayer”) to block the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024, published by the Government last week, from becoming law. If passed by the House of Commons, the motion would keep the current system of universal Winter Fuel Payments for pensioner households in place.

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