Agenda item

Given the decision by the Government to stop the winter fuel payments to all but the poorest pensioners, this council urges the Government to:

·       Reinstate immediately the winter fuel payment for those pensioners who have lost the benefit through the ‘cliff edge’ nature of the change and yet are still on low incomes.

·       Investigate urgently alternative ways of supporting ALL vulnerable people with winter fuel payments, short term and long term, including the potential for creating a social tariff for gas and electricity funded through the profits currently being made by energy companies

Bearing in mind our duty of care to residents, this council must:

·       Ensure that all pensioners in the district have information about all other available funds to which they may be entitled, such as pension credits, warm home discounts, Eco Flex, Hug 2, council tax support and others.

·       Use all available data to identify those likely to be most disadvantaged and to contact them directly to offer help, including face to face, to complete application forms, particularly those that require online completion.

·       Continue its efforts to ensure that Beat the Cold and Staffordshire Warmer Homes work as effectively as possible.

·       Continue to use available council funding, such as the Cost of Living Fund, to give assistance to organisations working with vulnerable people needing support with fuel payments through the winter.

Cllr. L Malyon

“Given the decision by the Government to stop the winter fuel payments to all but the poorest pensioners, this council urges the Government to:

• Reinstate immediately the winter fuel payment for those pensioners who have lost the benefit through the ‘cliff edge’ nature of the change and yet are still on low incomes.

• Investigate urgently alternative ways of supporting ALL vulnerable people with winter fuel payments, short term and long term, including the potential for creating a social tariff for gas and electricity funded through the profits currently being made by energy companies

Bearing in mind our duty of care to residents, this council must:

• Ensure that all pensioners in the district have information about all other available funds to which they may be entitled, such as pension credits, warm home discounts, Eco Flex, Hug 2, council tax support and others.

• Use all available data to identify those likely to be most disadvantaged and to contact them directly to offer help, including face to face, to complete application forms, particularly those that require online completion.

• Continue its efforts to ensure that Beat the Cold and Staffordshire Warmer Homes work as effectively as possible.

• Continue to use available council funding, such as the Cost of Living Fund, to give assistance to organisations working with vulnerable people needing support with fuel payments through the winter.”

Cllr J. Porter

“Staffordshire Moorlands District Council believes that cutting the Winter Fuel Payment this winter, with virtually no notice and no compensatory measures to protect poor and vulnerable pensioners, is the wrong decision.

We want the Government to halt their proposed change to the Winter Fuel Payment and think again. Millions of struggling pensioners won’t receive up to £300 they rely on to pay their bills, including around 23,000 local residents across the Staffordshire Moorlands. As many as 2 million pensioners who find paying their energy bills a real stretch will be seriously hit by this cut.

As Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, recently said: "The targeting of Winter Fuel Payments is too narrow with the winter we have coming. Pensioners were already due to get less as this will be the first time since winter 2022 they haven’t got the up to £300 extra winter fuel cost of living top-up.”

There are 3 key groups who will be hit hardest:

• Those who just miss out on Pension Credit because their very modest incomes are slightly too high for them to be eligible, usually because they have a tiny occupational pension. Many of them are women.

• Those with high energy needs because of disability or illness, and/or who live in energy inefficient homes which cost a lot of money to heat, estimated at 200,000 people.

• A million pensioners who don’t receive the Pension Credit for which they are eligible because they do not claim it. The problem of low take up with Pension Credit is deeply entrenched, with about a third of all those entitled to it consistently failing to claim it over many years.

There’s only been three months warning for this change – and older people will have expected to have this money in their pockets this year. There simply isn’t long enough for many to work out another plan.

The Government has said more will be done to encourage those entitled to Pension Credit to claim it, but this will take time and won’t stop many missing out this year. To make matters worse, this isn’t the only support with energy costs pensioners are losing meaning that pensioners could have £600 or more less this winter even though energy bills stay high.

This is because they are also losing:

• Cost of living payment - to support with high energy costs over the last two years all pensioners received up to £300 on top of their Winter Fuel Payment in the last two winters. Those on low incomes or with a disability received more.

• The Household Support Fund delivered through councils which has provided help for some struggling older people is also ending in September.

This Council resolves to:

Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer calling for the policy on linking Winter Fuel Payments to Pension Credit receipt to be immediately paused and introduce a new threshold to determine eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments. Council further requests the Chief Executive write to our local MP Karen Bradley asking her to give their formal support to halting the changes to the Winter Fuel Payment eligibility.

Request all group leaders within the Staffordshire Moorlands sign a joint letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer calling for the new Winter Fuel Payment policy to be suspended and reviewed.

Urgently commence a significant awareness campaign to maximise uptake of pension credits. This will include use of council noticeboards, social media, promotion in local press, and also targeted letters to those who may be eligible.

Pensioners deserve to retire in dignity and it is completely immoral to force some to choose between heating and eating. The Government should halt their proposed change to the Winter Fuel Payment and think again.”

The Chairman of the Council permitted the above motions to be discussed together to help the proper conduct of the Council's business given that the motions referred to the same issue.

Members deliberated a range of issues with regards to this subject which would affect a significant number of pensioners in the District given that the Staffordshire Moorlands has a higher than average elderly population.  Councillors raised concerns with regards to those who just miss out on Pension Credit or do not claim it, those with high energy needs because of disability or illness or those who live in energy inefficient homes which cost more money to heat.

Members also referred to Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, who recently said: "The targeting of Winter Fuel Payments is too narrow with the winter we have coming. Pensioners were already due to get less as this will be the first time since winter 2022 they haven’t got the up to £300 extra winter fuel cost of living top-up.”

It was PROPOSED that the MOTION be AMENDED as follows:

·       That this Council urges the Government to immediately reinstate both the Winter Fuel Payment and the pensioners Cost of Living Payment for all pensioners.

·       That this Council calls upon Government to delay the implementation of any regulations to restrict the eligibility of these payments until the winter of 2025/26.

·       That the DWP be instructed to undertake a full impact assessment for those regulations including investigating alternative threshold for eligibility such as links to Council Tax bandings or higher income rate taxpayers.

·       That the Chief Executive writes to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to convey the Council’s concerns and incorporate the views expressed by Martin Lewis.

RESOLVED:

Having been PROPOSED and SECONDED, upon being put to the vote, the AMENDMENT was CARRIED unanimously in the terms set out above.