November 20th 2024.
As the cold weather approaches, I find myself in a difficult situation. My husband, Rajinder, and I are both 76 years old and we voted for the Labour party in the last election. However, we now regret that decision due to their handling of the winter fuel payment for pensioners. It has been nothing short of atrocious.
You see, we rely on that money to get by during the colder months. But with the recent changes announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, we are now too afraid to turn on our heating. The £300 payment will now only be given to those who are eligible for pension credit, which unfortunately, we are not. When Rajinder and I heard this news, our hearts sank. I remember saying to him, "We have worked hard our entire lives and we are working class. Why are we always the ones being treated as if we should just die?"
To make matters worse, I have been diagnosed with incurable myeloma, a rare blood cancer. This means that I feel the cold more intensely, especially since I am undergoing treatment for the rest of my life. I need the heating on, a hot water bottle, and an electric blanket just to stay warm.
My husband is more active and doesn't feel the cold as much as I do, but even he has been sitting under a blanket for the past few days. However, we are too scared to turn on the heating because it could ruin us financially. We are already struggling to make ends meet and we live in a small, old house.
We have been receiving the winter fuel payment for the past eight years and it has been a huge help in paying our energy bills. This allowed us to not cut back too much on other important things, such as using water or buying food. But this year, when the winter fuel payment letter arrived in September, it mentioned that we could only apply if we fit into a certain category.
Unfortunately, my state pension is only £8 over the pension credit threshold, which means I am not eligible to claim it or the winter fuel payment. My husband is in a similar situation. We also do not receive Universal Credit or Jobseeker's Allowance and, even though I am given attendance allowance due to my health, it was not considered in the eligibility criteria set by the Prime Minister. It is disheartening that he does not understand that people like me, who have cancer, feel the cold even more than others.
My daughter is still going to apply for pension credit on our behalf, but we are not feeling very hopeful. We have lost all trust in the Government and we feel like they do not support people like us. Despite the recommendations from doctors and the World Health Organization to keep our house at least 18 degrees to protect ourselves, we simply cannot afford to do so. If we were to use our under-floor heating constantly, it could cost us up to £300 a month. We even had to switch to a different energy supplier in an attempt to lower our monthly bill, which is now at £100.
Instead of regularly turning on our heating, I rely on my hot water bottle and electric blanket to keep me warm. It is not fair that we have to pinch pennies when it comes to something as essential as heating. According to the Government's own estimates, an additional 50,000 pensioners will be living in relative poverty next year due to these cuts. This is on top of the 1.9 million pensioners who are already struggling to make ends meet.
It is utterly shameful and the Government should be doing more to address this growing issue. It is safe to say that we will never vote for the Labour party again. As we approach the colder months, we are filled with fear, sadness, and anxiety - and that is not okay. We have both given so much to this country, including paying taxes, and now we feel like the Government simply doesn't care about us. It is disgusting and it is wrong.
As told to my daughter, Minreet Kaur. If you have a similar story to share, please get in touch by emailing jess.email. Share your views in the comments below.
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