We Spoke To The People of Bridgnorth About the Winter Fuel Allowance

Shropshire Star

Transcript

00:00Hello, I'm James McMillivich and I'm here in Bridge North. I've been out speaking to people about the winter fuel allowance because of the

00:06changes that are going to come. It's going to be taken away from a lot of people, apart from people who are means-tested,

00:11are on benefits and that sort of area. I've been out chatting to people to see what they think about it.

00:15There's not a lot of good feeling here in Bridge North about it. So here's what they had to say.

00:18What was your first reaction when you found out about the changes to the winter fuel allowance?

00:22Anger. Let down. By the socialist government. The so-called socialist government.

00:28I don't think they're socialist at all. I never had much faith in Keir Starmer, to be honest.

00:34That's an act he's done in the first month of his premiership and I think it's disgraceful.

00:42Only three months before that, he went on TV talking about some of his constituents, his old age pensioners,

00:50and how he really felt for them and there was no way he was going to let them down.

00:55He wasn't going to alter the triple lock and he wasn't going to take away the winter fuel allowance.

01:01And within three months, he'd broken his promise. And that's not the first time that he's broken his promises.

01:08Well, I just think it's just a poor excuse. Why don't they tax the rich?

01:14You know, there's 200 billion a year that doesn't get collected in taxes from the rich.

01:19That's the obvious route to go, first of all. But, you know, that's socialism.

01:24That doesn't seem to be acceptable in our society anymore, which is ridiculous really.

01:28I was disappointed. You know, as far as I know, apparently, if you're on benefits, you still get the cold weather payment.

01:38Yeah, you'll still get it as far as I know if you are means tested or under some sort of benefits.

01:43It's people who don't get that who won't get the allowance.

01:46Yeah, people who've worked all their lives to pay the stamps to get the pension, not to be on all the benefits.

01:53They leave you £2 just above it if you're on the state pension. £2 above claiming any benefits.

01:59Which is a bit of a let down when you've worked all your life.

02:02And it's not that we begrudge anybody. You know, there are people that really need it.

02:08And, OK, we're fortunate. We can do without it. But it's a shame when they're, you know, they're giving money elsewhere.

02:19They should look after our people. They should look after us.

02:23Especially when they promised to.

02:24And they've been too hard for us to make the country what it is and, you know, it's letting them down.

02:35How so? What were the feelings when you found out about it?

02:37Well, it seems to be that they're hitting the people who can't do anything about it, the pensioners.

02:42And it seems that all of a sudden they can pay, pay our existence on the job.

02:50I think it's the pensioners all deciding the brunt of it.

02:53So you're very much upset about the, I suppose, what you call unfairness?

02:56The unfairness, yeah.

02:58And by saying, OK, if you're on pension credit you still get it, there are a lot of pensioners that are just on the borderline

03:06and that's going to take a while.

03:08Do you think it's all that can be done to help existence?

03:10Yes.

03:11Yes.

03:12Yes, really. They should.

03:15They can't replace their income.

03:18You know, that's it.

03:20Do you understand sort of the rationale behind it? I suppose you're trying to balance the books.

03:25I understand that, but the thing is I should have done it slightly more fairly.

03:31Through the tax system, if you've got a certain income coming in that you don't need it,

03:37if you're a non-taxpayer or minimum tax, then really you should still get it.

03:44Discussed more than anything because, I mean, it's a necessity for a lot of the elderly.

03:50People, I mean, it shouldn't be taken away from them.

03:55I think the money is there for it and there's a lot of other places that they're allocating money

04:03that they could abolish rather than the winter fuel loans.

04:08Is it something that affects yourself?

04:10No, it doesn't, but I'm fortunate to have both my parents still alive,

04:16so they're going to lose out on that as well as a vast amount of elderly people in the UK

04:24who are now obviously living to a riper old age and they need that money rather than them dithering at home.

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