Winter Fuel Payments

An update from Callum Anderson MP

Several constituents have contacted me about the difficult decision that the Government has had to take to target Winter Fuel Payments to the poorest pensioners who are on Pension Credit.

Our Government inherited a unprecedented gap between annual expenditure and spending. The previous Conservative Government made a series of unfunded spending commitments and left a £22bn black hole in the country’s finances this year which required immediate action - hence this decision being made.

Means-testing the Winter Fuel Payment means the most vulnerable pensioners get the support they need while helping to restore economic stability to the country.

If you are concerned about paying your energy bills this winter, I urge you to check your eligibility for Pension Credit at www.gov.uk/ pension-credit/eligbility or by calling the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234. We believe there are over 800,000 pensioners in the UK not claiming the benefits they were entitled to.

I assure you I am committed to ensuring that everyone in my constituency receives the support they need this winter, and am working alongside Councillors from across every party in both Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes to spread the word about Pension Credit and other means of help.