North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has this afternoon urged Senedd Members to back his Party’s motion calling for the UK Government to reverse its decision to end the Universal Winter Fuel Payment.
The Welsh Conservative motion proposed that the Senedd:
1. Expresses deep concern that around 400,000 households in Wales will lose up to £300 per person after the UK Government’s decision to end the universal winter fuel payment.
2. Notes the Welsh Government's Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip's response to WQ93698 where she stated that the UK Government's decision to end the winter fuel payment will risk pushing some pensioners into fuel poverty.
3. Calls on the UK Government to reverse its decision to end the universal winter fuel payment.
Closing the Debate, Mr Isherwood stressed that although the Labour Prime Minister and Chancellor have justified their decision to scrap Winter Fuel Payments for millions of pensioners on the grounds of a “£22 Billion Black Hole” left by the Conservatives, the UK Treasury has refused to provide key details of this fiscal “black hole” that Labour claims to have discovered.
He said:
“In reality, when Labour left Office in 2010, the UK deficit stood at 10.3% of GDP, but when Conservatives left Office in 2024, this stood at 4.4% of GDP, despite having had to borrow Billions to support people and the economy through the Pandemic and the global cost of living crisis.
“Further, a chunk of the claimed ‘black hole’ is down to political decisions taken by the UK Labour Government.
“Even worse, they now admit that no impact assessment was carried out on a policy that will affect an estimated 500,000 Pensioners in Wales alone - no impact assessment, that's not good Government under any Party.
“They are urging Pensioners to check if they could be eligible for Pension Credit to secure the Winter Fuel Payment.
“They therefore undermine their argument that this is somehow a Fiscal decision, with the Thinktank ‘Policy in Practice’ stating that if all 880,000 eligible pensioners applied for Pension Credit, the Treasury could face a bill of £3.8 Billion, dwarfing the £1.4 Billion saving from scrapping non means tested Winter Fuel Payment.
“Additionally, an estimated 130,000 older people in the UK will miss out because they are just £500 over the income threshold to claim Pension Credit, reinforcing the call by the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales for action to resolve the issue of the ‘cliff edge’, whereby older people who are ineligible for Pension Credit because of incomes just above the threshold miss out on support entirely.
“Age UK estimates 2.5 million pensioners on low incomes – but not low enough to get pension credit – will struggle to pay their bills this winter, and Age Cymru have stated ‘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’.
“The lack of foresight is also highlighted by the Motor Neurone Disease Association, who have said:
‘Means-testing the Winter Fuel Payment will take no account of the unavoidable costs of living with a highly disabling condition like MND. People coping with this devastating condition do not deserve to lose the support they rely on this winter.”
He added:
“As NEA Cymru have stated, ‘the decision to limit the Winter Fuel Payment to pensioners receiving Pension Credit has raised wide concerns about the impact on the ability of older people to keep warm and well at home, leaving many pensioners in need without support this winter”.
“I therefore urge all Members to send this message to the UK Government by supporting our motion today.”
Labour MSs defeated the motion calling on the UK Labour Government to save winter fuel payments by 1 vote.
