Under fire MP says she is working to help those missing out on Winter Fuel Allowance

INDEPENDENT Councillor Neil Johnson says that Labour MP Charlotte Nichols should “hang her head in shame” over her Party’s decision to scrap Winter Fuel Allowance payments for millions of pensioners.

But the Warrington North MP has hit back saying she has been working to help ensure those most in need and missing out on Winter Fuel Allowance, are now getting Pension Credit.

It follows criticism from Cllr Johnson who said the “cruel and heartless” decision had affected dozens of pensioners throughout his ward of Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft, and the effects have been felt particularly acutely during the recent cold snap.

Cllr Johnson said:”The Labour Party picked the pockets of pensioners when they voted to scrap the Winter Fuel Allowance last year. This cruel and heartless decision is being felt by people all over the villages I represent. The recent spell of snow and ice has seen some of the coldest temperatures experienced in our country for over 15 years. This was not the time to take between £200 and £300 away from our senior citizens.
“I have been out throughout the cold spell, helping to support the most vulnerable, whether collecting their shopping or helping them to claim additional money for their heating bills through things like pension credit. Yet there are still some people worried about turning their heating on because of the cost.
“Labour said that only those with the broadest shoulders would bear the burden of economic recovery. So why have some pensioners whose income is only £13,000 been hit? Those are not the broadest shoulders!

“Disgracefully, our MP Charlotte Nichols told people on Facebook that she would vote to keep the Winter Fuel Allowance in place. Then she did the exact opposite and voted to scrap it. How can we ever trust a word she says again? Her behaviour has been beyond contempt and she should hang her head in shame.
“While some of us have been out helping the elderly get through this cold snap, Ms Nichols hasn’t been seen. I suspect she will have had her feet up with the heating on. It’s alright for some!
“I now challenge her to join me in writing to the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to call for the Winter Fuel Allowance to be reinstated for all pensioners. I say it was the wrong decision and it should be reversed. Will she join me in this call? It would be a very powerful statement if representatives of different political colours – one Labour, one Independent – made the same argument. What do you say, Charlotte?”

In response, Ms Nichols said: “The new Labour Government came to power with a dire economic inheritance and public services crumbling after 14 years of mismanagement by the Conservatives. Difficult decisions have had to be made in an effort to turn this around by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, including addressing a £22bn in-year black hole in the nation’s finances.
“Labour committed to the Triple Lock for pensioners in our manifesto, and this has rightly been prioritised in order to protect the incomes of all pensioners, leaving even those no longer eligible for the Winter Fuel Allowance better off overall. The changes to the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme have also further boosted the incomes of many pensioners living locally, by an average of 32%.
“I have made the case to the Government since the decision that the Pension Credit eligibility threshold should be lifted, and my office and I have been supporting affected residents in ensuring they are claiming what they are entitled to. We have had a number of constituents who had not previously claimed Pension Credit, wrongly believing they were not eligible, now in receipt of this support including back payments and I would encourage anyone struggling to reach out to me or to the Citizens Advice Bureau for a Benefits Check.
“For those confirmed as above the current Pension Credit threshold, energy providers, including Octopus Energy, have schemes which provide support including payment breaks, standing charge holidays and clearing energy bill debt, that we have referred people to, and the Household Support Fund is also available through the Council to anyone concerned about meeting the cost of their energy bills.
“While the Winter Fuel Allowance decision was not one which anyone wanted to take, I am doing all I can to ensure support is there for anyone who needs it”