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COLD CUT
I live in damp caravan in Tin Shed Alley – my windows freeze & I fear for my life this winter after fuel allowance cut
One pensioner told us his has been stockpiling food NOW to cut down costs for winter
STARING at the metal walls of his “tin can” caravan home, James Thompson knows he faces a daunting decision this coming winter.
In a cruelly ironic twist, the former miner, 67, from Askern, Doncaster, won’t be able to afford coal to keep himself warm due to losing out on the winter fuel payments.
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Last week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the benefit would only be paid to those receiving pension credit - meaning only 1.5million of the 12.5million people allocated the allowance will now be entitled to it.
Many have branded the policy “cruel” especially with energy bills predicted to rise by £155 but Labour says it could reduce £1.5bn in the £22bn black hole left by the Tory Government.
Debt reduction will come as little relief to those choosing between eating and heating including many poor pensioners of Askern, Doncaster, who tell The Sun they are filled with fear this winter.
Some retirees we spoke to say they are stockpiling food NOW knowing bills will rise come winter, others are growing their own food and most say they will struggle to tighten their belts any further.
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Among them are ex-miner James, who moved to Mill House Caravan Park 12 years ago in a bid to keep his costs as low as possible and now fumes at the Labour Party.
He tells us: “The Government are b*****ds. I have a state pension and a pit pension and this puts me £2 over the threshold to claim pension credit so I lose the winter fuel payment.
“I’m going to have to tighten my belt even further because that is a lot of money to lose over winter.
“It is really freezing in a caravan in winter, you’re basically living in a tin can - I call this place Tin Shed Alley. One particularly cold winter my windows were frozen on the inside.
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“It doesn’t help that this place is surrounded by trees which means we are constantly sheltered, which creates a lot of damp.
“I do qualify for a cut in my rent so I only pay £35.17 a week rent but it is getting more and more expensive to heat.
Winter Fuel Payment Changes
“I built my own wood burner and I can get wood okay but buying coal has gone up from £13.50 a bag to £20. I don’t use coal so much now because I can’t afford to.
“The gas bottles are now around £90 and last about six months, I use the gas for cooking and hot water but I’ve even managed to cut this down by cooking outside as often as I can.”
To be eligible for winter fuel payments pensioners need to be earning less than £218.15 per week as a single person or £332.95 collectively with their partner - which entitles them to pension credit.
This shift means more than 10 million pensioners will no longer receive the payout - and in Askern, Doncaster, this is coupled with cripplingly low pension payments for former miners.
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Many retirees there, who worked at one of the town’s eight coal pits, have substandard pension pots due to poor contributions prior to 1975 and a 1994 privatisation pension scheme which saw the Government take 50 per cent of the surplus in exchange for a guarantee they would make up any deficit.
As a result, some miners get as little as £10 a week, and former National Union of Mineworkers President Arthur Scargill says he earns a measly £3.12 a week. While others claim more, their pension payments remain low and they struggle to get by.
Ex-miner John Bailey says the cancellation of the fuel payment is “hitting the most vulnerable”.
He and his wife Diane, both 68, both receive full state pension - £221.20 per week each - meaning they miss out on their winter fuel allowance.
'Millions will be too scared to turn on heating,' says Age UK
MORE than 11 million pensioners will lose out of winter fuel payments under Labour's new plans, which have been branded 'cruel' by many who urge them to consider a U-turn.
Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK, told The Sun: "We're really worried about how pensioners on low incomes are going to manage their energy bills this winter, now the Government has said it will means-test Winter Fuel Payment.
"Means-testing may sound fair, because you'd think that if you really need the money you'll still get it, but that's not how the system works in practice. You have to fill in a long form to claim the help, and we know lots of older people don't and won't; and then there are others who have tiny private pensions which mean they can't apply for the help at all, even though it's a big struggle for them to make ends meet.
"Our biggest fear at Age UK is that when the weather gets cold later this year, millions of older people will be too frightened of going into debt to turn the heating up as high as they need to, to stay warm and well.
"No older person should be faced with choosing between eating and heating, but we know that many will if the Government's proposal goes ahead this year."
John says: “We only got married three years ago and if we’d married before we would have got a joint pension but now we have to have separate pensions this puts us around £2.50 above being able to claim pension credit and losing out on our winter fuel payment.
“There’s got to be a U-turn to make the threshold less harsh… People like us are being hit really hard and for £2.50 we miss out on rent and council tax allowance and now our winter fuel payment.
“In the UK we are the poorest pensioners in Europe. We get by on around £800 a month each.
“We do our best to keep the cost low now by keeping an eye on the smart meter, it helps you to turn things off or down if you see it going up too much.”
He says their costs are being cut due to having solar panels but adds there are other increasing costs including having to drive due to bus services having “been cut so much”.
‘Stockpiling food’
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Grandad-of-six Pete Foster, 67, gets state pension and “a little bit” from his private one - he will also lose winter fuel allowance.
The former warehouse operative tells us: “It’s a payment I can’t afford to lose because it means I will have to tighten my belt even further.
“I am on my own so I have to make the one payment go further, paying full rent and council tax with the one pension.
“I stock up on food in the summer so I have enough for winter and I grow my own fruit and vegetables in the greenhouse in the garden, then when they are ready I prepare them and freeze them.
“I like a good stew so I will cook it up and have it last me a good couple of days. I am a good cook and learnt my skills from my mother so I can look after myself. I also make fruit pies.”
I find I can manage putting it on for just a couple of hours during the day and a couple of hours at night
Councillor George Gracey
Pete keeps his heating on for just one hour in the morning and another at night to cut costs - and has marked his thermostat with a black pen to make sure he never goes about 18.
To keep warm, he dons multiple layers and takes his dog Luna, a Lhasa Apso, for a walk.
He says: “I have extra blankets and quilts for bedtime to make sure I’m warm enough. If you’re savvy you can keep it warm enough.
“I also go out each day with Luna and I go out with my kids so I am out and about and not stuck in 24/7 so that makes it easier.”
Councillor George Gracey, 83, worked down the pit for 30 years, puts away money each month and deliberately spends time away from his home to ensure he doesn’t need the heating on for too long.
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He says: “I also put £10 a week away for my gas and electric to make sure I can afford it when the bills come up but I’m now thinking that won’t be enough anymore. I also imagine our water bills will go up to pay for their sewerage bill.
“I make sure to go out for a walk every morning around the lake and have a chat with people in the cafe so I’m not in the house so long with the heating on. I find I can manage putting it on for just a couple of hours during the day and a couple of hours at night."
George’s pit pension pays just £87 per month but when coupled with his state pension his earnings amasses it comes to around £11,500 per year or £958 per month.
That means he’s living off £239.50 per week - around £17.80 higher than the threshold to earn pension credit - which he has to pay full rent, full council tax and bills with.
'Rotten thing to do'
Frank and Maureen Whiteside, 81 and 80, no longer will receive the benefit either but say they “are far from rolling in it” and regularly cut back to make ends meet.
In the UK we are the poorest pensioners in Europe.
John Bailey
Frank, a former miners, tells us: “It’s a rotten thing to do. What they’re doing is showing their true colours very early in the game. They’re not helping themselves.
“It goes to show that you work and save hard and then you are left with nothing to show for it. Instead you retire and you’re left watching the pennies.”
They consider themselves “lucky” that they do not need to put their heating on very often due to having good insulation in the walls of the newbuild bungalow they rent.
Frank says: “Although the bills might not be so bad we still cut back in other ways. We don’t go away like we used to and we did want to get a caravan at the coast but we simply can’t afford it long term so we’ve called a halt to that.”
The Mayor of Askern, Cllr Jake Keeble said: “As a parish council we will continue to be the voice of our parishioners and fight for what is right.
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“Where we haven't got the power to make change, we will stand by our people and make our voices heard.”
The Government tell us pensioners can apply for a £150 through their suppliers on the Warm Home Discount scheme and they are launching the Warm Home Plan to fund insulation and low-carbon heating, which they expect to support more than three million households.
They added: “This government is committed to pensioners: protecting the triple lock, keeping energy bills low through our Warm Homes Plan, and cutting NHS waiting lists – bringing real stability to people’s lives.
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“We said we would be honest with the public and, given the dire state of the public finances we have inherited, this Government must take difficult decisions to fix the foundations of the economy.
“In these circumstances it is right that Winter Fuel Payment are targeted at those in most need, and we will work with Local Authorities to boost the uptake of Pension Credit, reaching the many pensioners who could still benefit from this year’s Winter Fuel Payments.”
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