Pensioners need immediate help to survive the winter as they struggle with soaring energy bills and living costs, a former pensions minister has said.
The Government must launch a “national emergency plan” that ensures vulnerable older people receive the support they are entitled to and increases the rate of benefits to help them pay energy bills, according to Baroness Altmann.
Outlining her Pensioner Winter Manifesto, the Conservative peer said: “The elderly will struggle to survive through the winter as their heating bills rocket. It is time for a national emergency plan to help them survive the tough times ahead.”
Fuel prices and inflation are both set to soar even further, but pensioners’ incomes will take a hit after the Government watered down their yearly state pension increase by swapping the triple lock for a double lock.
There are fears that older people will have to prioritise either heating or food, risking their health in the cold weather.
“With… older people needing to keep warmer than the young, the costs of home heating and basic bills mean that the elderly tend to succumb to bad weather in large numbers, even in a normal year,” said Baroness Altmann.
“Pensioners are facing a perfect storm this winter. As so many remain isolated due to Covid fears and their living costs have soared due to rising energy and food prices, they are at increased risk of illness and death without emergency help.”
Every winter, about 24,000 older people in the UK die because of the cold weather, according to Age UK. The charity recently estimated that soaring energy prices would plunge 150,000 older households into fuel poverty this season.
Baroness Altmann said the Government needed to recognise that amending the state pension triple lock – resulting in pensioners getting a smaller increase – will “cause significant hardship” and therefore find a way to “make up” for the policy decision.
Her amendment to save the triple lock won support in the House of Lords but was rejected by MPs in November.
The recommendations for the emergency manifesto include launching automatic payments for pension credit rather than waiting for people to claim, and relaxing the eligibility criteria for pension credit.
Baroness Altmann also called on the Department for Work and Pensions to speed up their work in reimbursing older people whose state pension has been underpaid for years, as well as increasing the value of winter fuel payments, the warm home discount and cold weather payments.
She added: “I would urge all family, friends and neighbours of older people to check on them, ensure they are able to heat their homes and buy the food they need to keep safe through the winter.
“So many will be at risk and have been cut off from their loved ones or usual sources of support due to Covid.”
A Government spokesperson said: “We recognise people are facing pressures with the cost of living and we want to ensure pensioners receive all of the support they are entitled to.
“We are continuing to encourage those eligible for Pension Credit, and the wide range of other benefits it can provide, to make a claim.
“We remain committed to action that protects the most vulnerable in society. This includes the Energy Price Cap, which is saving 15 million households £100 a year on average, and winter fuel payments which are supporting over 11 million pensioners with their energy bills. Our £500m Household Support Fund is also providing low income households with essentials over winter.”
Baroness Altmann’s Pensioner Winter Manifesto
- Launch a national campaign to increase take-up of pension credit, which tops up the state pension for the poorest older people.
- Consider lowering the pension credit eligibility age to 60.
- Offer pension credit to all over-60s, especially those in poor health this winter.
- Increase benefits that help with the cost of heating. Winter fuel payments are lower than in 2009, the £25 cold weather payment has not risen since 2008, and the warm home discount of £140 a year has not increased for more than a decade.
- Accelerate the Department for Work and Pensions’ programme to identify pensioners and reimburse pensioners who have been underpaid their state pension.
- Encourage family, friends and neighbours to check on older people throughout the cold weather.
