Chichester elderly hit hard by winter fuel cut, MP tells Parliament

Chichester MP Jess Brown-Fuller has told Parliament that nearly one third of Chichester’s constituents will be impacted by the government’s decision to cut the winter fuel allowance.

Speaking in Parliament before the vote, Jess told her warned her fellow MPs that ‘cutting the winter fuel allowance in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis will leave thousands of residents across Chichester and millions across the UK without the financial support they need to stay warm and healthy this year.”

The MP described to the House of Commons some of the ‘heartfelt” letters she has received from constituents concerned about the cut, pointing out that there are more than 24,000 pensioners in her constituency not receiving pension credits “many of whom sit just above the threshold” which would now entitle them to an allowance. Chichester constituency, which now includes Bersted and Pagham, has 76, 765 constituents in total.

“Our elderly who have worked hard throughout their lives are now being abandoned by a government that should be supporting them when they need help the most,” she told the House, noting that “with the fuel cap due to rise in October it could be argued that the winter fuel allowance is needed this winter more than ever.”

She pointed out that the Liberal Democrats recognise “that tough decisions have to be made, however, those decisions shouldn’t be made at the expense of our elderly. The burden of this Conservative fiscal chaos needs to be spread to those with the broadest shoulders not punishing those who have been already the hardest hit by it.”