Winter fuel support right decision

The decision by the Labour government to reinstate winter fuel payments to the vast majority of pensioners is welcome news.

- BY PAISLEY AND RENFREWSHIRE NORTH MP ALISON TAYLOR

I know many constituents were concerned and having listened to pensioners and their families I was delighted that the government looked again at how delivery of the Winter Fuel Payment is managed.

As everyone knows, the previous Tory administration left the economy in an appalling state.

The action the Labour government took to stabilise the economy and put the public finances on a steady course has meant that the government have been able to revisit this policy.

While it remains the case that the Scottish Government is responsible for winter fuel payments here, the announcement this week means that resuming payments to local pensioners is fully funded within the block grant to Scotland.

Under revised plans, nine million pensioners in England and Wales with an annual income of £35,000 or less will now be eligible to a payment, worth up to £300, to help with energy bills during the coldest months. Last year, this was only paid to pensioners on pension credit and the government has rightly concluded that this threshold was too low.