Pensioners pushed into fuel poverty with price cap hike

Pensioners across the country are facing a bleak winter, as Ofgem increased its price cap meaning average household bills could rise by £149 from October. For the older generation, this financial blow follows Rachel Reeves' decision to means test the winter fuel payment for pensioners in order to tackle a £22bn “black hole” in this year’s budget.

- HOLLY EVANS

The loss of this payment, worth between £100 and £300, means that a number of society’s most vulnerable are facing the prospect of choosing between food and heating. Philip Mulholland, from Mansfield, is dependent on keeping his council bungalow well-heated due to his Raynaud’s and systemic scleroderma, which saw him rushed to A&E six times last winter.

As a result of his condition, which sees him suffer from stiffness and arthritic pain, as well as lung infections, the 73-year-old is required to keep his home at 21 to 22 degrees celsius. “It means I’m going to be paying a bit more in fuel but unfortunately I can’t do without that fuel. It’s one of those things that I have no choice but to keep warm,” he tells The Independent.

“With the winter fuel payments, I was able to keep the heating on constantly so I could control it at that temperature. I live in an old bungalow and some of the rooms are poorly insulated, so when the heating is off overnight, it can drop down to 14 degrees. The first instance is my hands and feet don’t work as they should do, so I’ve got to be very careful in picking up a boiling kettle, for instance. I then get arthritic pain in my chest that feels like a heart attack.”