Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is calling for pensioners who were impacted by the winter fuel payment cut to be exempt from an upcoming energy bill rise.
Mr Davey will be visiting Durham, after his party’s research found that 102,000 pensioners in the area lost out due to the scrapping of the winter fuel allowance. He will be meeting Councillor Amanda Hopgood, the Lib Dem leader of Durham County Council, who will join him in a call to urge the Government to cancel the energy price rise for pensioners affected ‘at the very least’.
Energy regulator Ofgem confirmed in April that the price cap for energy bills will rise by a further 6.4%, which follows the recent price rises. According to a recent Lib Dem poll, nine in ten UK adults who are worried about the cost of heating have had to change how they heat their homes this winter, in order to help cut bills.
Sir Ed Davey said: “Scrapping the winter fuel payment was a callous and heartless move by the Labour government. I am deeply disappointed they ignored our calls to stop and re-think the policy and I’m disheartened they simply went ahead anyway.
“We have some of the lowest pensions in Europe and it’s so sad to think of pensioners needing to choose between eating or heating their homes. The least we can do for the most vulnerable in our society is to scrap the energy price rise for those pensioners who have had their winter fuel payment taken away. Inaction is not an option.”
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Councillor Amanda Hopgood added: “I’m dismayed that Labour betrayed our pensioners in this way. I’m proud that at Durham County Council we passed a motion calling on this cut to be reversed.
“I’m joining Ed in calling for the energy price rise to be scrapped for all those pensioners hit by the cut in County Durham and across the country.”
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/liberal-democrat-leader-ed-davey-31196281
