Pensioners have voiced their anger at plans to scrap the winter fuel allowance for all but some – just hours before a vote on the controversial plans is set to take place.
Members of Bolton and District Pensioners Association were out in the town centre today urging people to back their campaign to stop the policy from being implemented - saying the elderly have had no time to plan and fuel bills are set to rise.
The Chairman of the Pensioners Association, Alan Johnson, said: “The Government said they discovered a £22bn black hole when they took over.
“Why take it out on the most vulnerable people in society when we have a load of wealthy people in this country?
“There’s pensioners who could die this winter and they’ll be faced with the choice to heat or eat.
“Some won’t put their heating on and finish up in hospital. And the hospitals will be clogged.”
Campaigners were out in full force on the day and many were signing the petition.
Association member John Reehill, 63, of Astley Bridge said: “We’ve got so many campaigners out today we’ve run out of clipboards.
“It’s obviously a very popular cause not just for pensioners, for people in general.
“We voted for change but we’re just getting more of the same austerity that we’ve had for the last 13, 14 years with the hardest hit in our community taking the brunt of it.
“I’ve been a Labour supporter all my life and this year when they had the general election suddenly they weren’t saying anything at all.”
Association member Terry Clarke, 69, of Astley Bridge said: “The Government did this two weeks into Parliament and couldn’t even wait for a budget.
“It’s annoying the way they’ve done it through the back door.
“We have the lowest state pension in Europe. There are a lot of pensioners just above that threshold who are going to lose out.
“We’re the sixth richest country in the world, what kind of world are we living in.”
A 77-year-old pensioner who declined to be named signed the petition.
She said: “I’m only a couple of years off being 80 and I’ve never seen the country this bad.
“The prices are really high now, my medicine is almost double what it was. If I don’t get the winter fuel payment I won’t be able to have the heat on.
“My son got me an electric heater, but even that’s expensive. With your central heating, you can’t turn it off. And that’s why my bills are so high.
“I try to keep it off to see if I can keep the bills down.
“In winter it’s either sit with your coat on to keep warm and then you can buy some better food or buy the cheapest of everything because you can’t afford it.”
The winter fuel payments have been a one-off payment of £200 or £300 each year to all pensioners in England and Wales.
They are meant to help them pay energy bills and heat their homes during the colder months.
Today (September 10), the government is voting to restrict winter fuel payments to those with Pension Credit.
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