Anna Dixon MP on support for pensioners over winter

With winter around the corner, it is important we do all we can to ensure our most vulnerable pensioners get the help they are entitled to. According to Age UK Bradford, over 1,100 pensioners in Shipley constituency are eligible for Pension Credit but have yet to apply.

Take-up for this crucial benefit, which supports the poorest pensioners, has long been low.

The Department for Work and Pensions estimated that in 2023, £1.7 billion of available Pension Credit went unclaimed—or around £1,900 per year for each family entitled to receive the benefit but who did not claim it.

Anna Dixon, Labour MP for Shipley (Image: Anna Dixon) It is a scandal that the last Government did nothing to tackle this. I am pleased that the new Labour government is working hard to close this gap. They have written to all pensioners on Housing Benefit not claiming Pension Credit, hired more advisers to help people apply, and are bringing forward plans to merge Housing Benefit and Pension Credit.

Recent changes mean that winter fuel payments will be means-tested, meaning support will be targeted at the poorest pensioners.

I know that the new Government did not take this decision lightly. The reason some pensioners in my constituency and across the Bradford district will no longer receive winter fuel payment is because of the previous Government’s economic mismanagement and reckless unfunded promises.

They spent the Government reserves three times over and left a £22 billion deficit in the current financial year. This means that extremely tough choices have to be made to put the country’s finances back in order.

Concerns have been raised over energy bills (Image: PA)

I have spent over 25 years of my career working in public health and with older people, and during that time, I came to understand the impacts of cold, damp homes and the challenges of addressing pensioner poverty. Pensioners are more likely to live in older, poorly insulated homes, spend more time at home, and have higher energy needs due to ill health or disability.

I am confident this Government is doing more than the last to address these issues.

The Government is lowering energy bills nationwide. Labour’s plans to improve home insulation and reduce the UK’s dependence on international fossil fuel markets by investing in renewable energy will slash bills and help tackle the cost-of-living crisis, which has been devastating for millions of pensioners across the country. I am co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Older People and Housing and will continue to campaign for more accessible, affordable and better-insulated homes in our communities.

The Government is also protecting the triple lock so that average pensioners will be better off next year and over the next five years. In fact, for most pensioners, the state pension increase next year will be greater than the value of the Winter Fuel Allowance.

Numerous constituents in Shipley have contacted me in recent weeks, sharing their concerns about the impact of these changes.

That’s why I have been speaking up for people like Barbara, a constituent in Shipley who is a full-time carer for her husband, Dennis, who suffers from frontal lobe dementia. She is deeply concerned about how they will manage this winter. It’s why I have been urging action to support elderly residents like those I met at a sheltered housing scheme in Cottingley a few weeks ago, who do not know whether they are eligible for Pension Credit.

As a result, I secured a commitment from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, that her department would work closely with housing associations and supported accommodation providers to ensure their residents know if they’re entitled to Pension Credit. Secondly, that she would write out to the NHS to ensure frontline NHS staff signpost older patients who may be housebound because of disabilities and chronic conditions to the relevant authorities.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall (Image: Jordan Pettitt)

So, what can we do here in Bradford to help those pensioners most in need in our local area?

I recently wrote a letter to Lorraine O’Donnell, the CEO of Bradford Council, about the council's role in supporting pensioners in Shipley constituency and across Bradford District this winter.

In her reply, she confirmed that the council will encourage its Household Support Fund partners and Warm Spaces providers to raise community awareness of Pension Credit. She also stated that their proposed use of the Household Support Fund would include a direct payment to pensioners on the lowest incomes, including those not receiving Pension Credit but entitled to Council Tax Reduction.

However, we can all play our part. I encourage everyone to check in with their elderly relatives, neighbours and friends and help them check their eligibility by visiting www.gov.uk/pension-credit or calling the DWP on 0800 731 0469. All of these efforts will, without doubt, help to increase Pension Credit take-up and give greater support to those pensioners who need it most.