Help for the elderly this winter

Age UK recently launched its ‘Cost of Cold’ campaign and issued a stark warning that the number of fuel poor older households could reach over 1.1m by the spring unless the government takes urgent action.

According to analysis by Age UK, an estimated 150,000 extra older households will plunge into fuel poverty this winter and they may have to choose between eating less or not heating their homes adequately.

Millions of elderly people are already living on a low income and the charity is extremely concerned that rising energy prices and living costs will lead to some of the poorest pensioners rationing their heating this winter in order to pay higher energy bills.

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As part of its ‘The Cost of Cold’ campaign, Age UK is urging anyone who needs help to get in touch for a full benefits check in case they are one of the many who are missing out on vital benefits such as Pension Credit, which opens the door to a wide range of other help.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “There’s no doubt that media reports about rising energy bills are filling pensioners on low fixed incomes with absolute dread. More than twenty-five thousand people have told us how worried they are, and some [will] have to choose between cutting down on food or turning down their heating, once the cold weather sets in.

“Our greatest concern is that some older people will not even try to keep their homes adequately warm this winter, for fear of incurring big bills they cannot afford to pay.

“I am calling on the government to intervene. It has to do something.”

Our campaign

Age UK believes rising inflation and escalating prices are now threatening the standard of living of many older people on low incomes, creating uncertainty and anxiety as winter begins to bite.

It is campaigning for the government to:

• Provide a one-off £50 payment to all those eligible for Cold Weather Payments and expedite existing payments so they arrive no later than seven days after a period of cold weather.
• Double the Household Support Fund to £1billion to help safeguard all those on low incomes this winter.
• Take urgent action to get Pension Credit – a vital benefit and passport to a package of extra financial help – into the pockets of all those who are eligible.
• Ensure the energy price cap is enshrined in law in the shorter term, and then move to re-introduce a social tariff into the energy market to offer protection against high energy costs in the medium term.

The energy crisis began in August due to the lack of natural gas being produced, as well as an increase in demand from larger countries including China, and the war in Ukraine.

A total of 25 suppliers have collapsed since August, half of those in the market, meaning customers have been left with fewer options when switching providers.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves says she wants to see an end to VAT on household heating bills over the winter months.

Ms Reeves said: “Right now, people are being hit by a cost of living crisis which has seen energy bills soar, food costs increase and the weekly budget stretched.

"We must ensure that turmoil in the wholesale energy market does not translate into tragedy.”

Age UK is urging older people to call its free national advice line to check they are getting all the financial help they are entitled to before failing to heat their homes properly.

And they are urging people to contact their supplier to enquire about the help available to them, including an affordable repayment plan. Energy suppliers have a duty to offer help if people are finding it difficult to pay bills or getting into debt.

Caroline Abrahams continues: “The current energy price crisis is a nightmare for all of us, but particularly for older people on low and modest incomes. Many struggle at the best of times to manage on their State Pension but the energy bill hikes we are now seeing pose a real threat to their standard of living. However frugal they are, as things stand they simply do not have enough money coming in to cope with such steep rises.

“Unfortunately, the support package offered by the Chancellor last month was nowhere near enough, falling several hundred pounds a year short of the average energy price rises that are coming down the track. How is an older person or couple on a low fixed income supposed to make up the difference? The Government has no answer and meanwhile, older people up and down the country are telling us that they are horrified by the letters they’re receiving from their energy companies, making it clear that their bills are set to rise beyond anything they’ve seen before.

“Without a more generous package of support, targeted at those on low and modest incomes, there can be no doubt that hundreds of thousands more older people will be forced to cut back on heating, food, or other essentials, in the process putting their own health at risk. Some are saying that their anxiety about what is to come is already wearing them down.

“These are hugely worrying times, but there is more the Government could – and should – be doing to mitigate the risks for our older population who, for the sake of their health, need to keep adequately warm. The Government must intervene to protect them from an unprecedented situation that has come about through no fault of their own.”

People can call Age UK’s Advice Line on freephone 0800 169 65 65, contact their local Age UK office or visit www.ageuk.org.uk

To make a claim for Pension Credit, people should call the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234 or visit www.gov.uk/pension-credit/how-to-claim.

To contact Age UK's free national advice line, call 0800 678 1602. Lines are open 8 am-7 pm, 365 days a year.