Helen Morgan challenges Chancellor over Winter Fuel Payment cuts

Helen Morgan has challenged the new Government over Winter Fuel Payments and fair rural funding as she got straight back to action in Parliament this week.

Speaking in the Commons yesterday, Helen said that ‘drastic cuts’ in Shropshire were wrong, and that a fair funding review needed to recognise that the cost of providing services in rural areas was higher than in their urban counterparts.

And Tuesday, Helen challenged the Chancellor of the Exchequer over the impact of cuts to Winter Fuel Payments on pensioners in her constituency.

The MP has also backed a motion in Parliament tabled by Liberal Democrats, calling on the proposed cuts to be blocked.

Data shows that 22,000 pensioners in North Shropshire will lose out on the payment this winter, despite rising bills and costs continuing to hit many hard.

There is an added rural angle to this problem, with a disproportionate number of pensioners in areas like Shropshire living in less well-insulated homes which are more expensive to heat.

The MP raised this with the Chancellor in the Commons, where she pointed out that stripping support from pensioners is not the solution to the Government’s financial difficulties.

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, asked, “There are nearly 22,000 pensioners in North Shropshire who are forecast to lose their Winter Fuel Payment very soon, and this just as energy prices are about to go up by 10% for an average household.

“Many of my pensioners live in bungalows. They live in older housing stock, which is expensive to heat, and a lot of them have been in touch with me to say that they are worried sick about this winter.

“We know the chancellor has difficult choices to make and we accept that. But will she consider that the broadest shoulders are not those of these pensioners who are earning less than minimum wage and are about to lose this vital support?”

Rachel Reeves MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, replied, “I understand the concerns that the Honourable Lady sets out. The state pension is worth £900 more than it was a year ago, and energy bills are lower this winter than they were last winter.

“As the Honourable Lady points out, we inherited a £22 billion black hole from the previous government, who had made unfunded spending commitments with no idea of how to pay for them. When I became Chancellor, I undertook an immediate audit of the spending situation to understand the scale of that challenge, and I made difficult decisions, some very difficult decisions, to put the public finances on a sustainable footing.

“They were tough decisions, but they were the right decisions in the circumstances that we face. This includes the decision to make the Winter Fuel Payment better targeted so pensioners who need it most still get it. Alongside pension credit, targeting Winter Fuel Payments saves around one and a half billion pounds a year to support the public finances.”