Carmichael backs Lib Dem push to protect 8,840 pensioners in Northern Isles from Winter Fuel Payment cut

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has today backed the Liberal Democrat motion in Parliament to block government plans to scrap Winter Fuel Payments for most pensioners. It comes as new analysis shows an estimated 8,840 pensioners in the Northern Isles are at risk of losing the £300 payment, which helps with heating bills in the cold winter months.

This is the estimated number of pensioners in the constituency who do not currently receive pension credit, and so will lose the winter fuel allowance under the government’s plans unless they receive other benefits. The figures were compiled by the House of Commons Library based on data from the Department of Work and Pensions.

If passed, the Liberal Democrat motion would protect local pensioners by blocking the Labour government’s changes and restoring their Winter Fuel Payments, allowing the Barnett consequentials for the Scottish Government to do so in Scotland. It is set to be tabled as soon as Parliament returns next week and has been backed by all 72 Liberal Democrat MPs.

Across the country, 11 million pensioners are set to lose their Winter Fuel Payment under the government’s plans, including two million that the charity Age UK has said will struggle to afford their energy bills as a result. This is despite the average energy bill being set to rise by £149 a year from October.

The Liberal Democrats are urging the UK Government to think again to protect poorer and more vulnerable pensioners from being forced to choose between eating and heating this winter.

The Scottish Government has been preparing to replace the Winter Fuel Payment with Pension Age Winter Heating Payment and has announced that it will replicate the changes being made by the UK Government. The replacement has been deferred until winter 2025-26.

Mr Carmichael said:

“In the weeks since this measure was announced I have heard from many people across the Northern Isles worried about the impact of losing this vital support and how families will afford their energy bills this winter.

“Stripping support from pensioners in the isles just when energy bills are set to rise again is counterproductive, particularly given that many people who might be entitled to the payment could miss out under the new rules. As many as a third of pensioners who are entitled to benefits do not claim them as things stand. Fuel poverty does not work in the same way as other forms of poverty, particularly in places like the Highlands and Islands.

“I recognise that the new government faces difficult choices after inheriting the mess left by the Conservatives. Even so we need a rethink on this policy so that vulnerable pensioners in our community continue to get the support they need.”