Stockport MPs call for Winter Fuel Payments to be backdated for local pensioners

Stockport’s Liberal Democrat MPs, Tom Morrison and Lisa Smart, have called on the Government to backdate the Winter Fuel Payment for local pensioners who lost out last winter. 

Under the Government’s current plans, all pensioners earning £35,000 a year or less will have their Winter Fuel Payments reinstated this coming winter. However, those who are newly eligible but missed out last winter will not receive any reimbursement.

Tom Morrison, MP for Cheadle, and Lisa Smart, MP for Hazel Grove, are urging Ministers to go further and backdate the support to cover last winter’s bills, saying it’s the very least that local pensioners deserve after months of struggling to keep warm.

Tom Morrison MP said: “I’m glad the Government has finally listened to the Liberal Democrats and accepted that cutting this support was a disastrous decision. But saying sorry isn’t enough, this U-turn must go further. I’ve heard from too many people across Stockport who were forced to choose between heating and eating after losing this payment. If they’re now eligible again, they should be reimbursed for what they missed out on last winter.”

Lisa Smart MP added: “Pensioners in Stockport who were hit hard last winter are still being left in the cold. The Government must backdate these payments and put things right. My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I will keep pushing in Parliament to make sure older people aren’t ignored once again.”