Tom - Cruel fuel plans will hit pensioners hard

Labour's deputy leader has accused Theresa May of taking the support of pensioners for granted with new proposals to means-test the winter fuel allowance, which is currently provided on a universal basis.

Figures obtained by Labour show that almost 120,000 pensioners across the Black Country will lose their payments under the Tory plans.

The Prime Minister says help will be focused on those most in need and the savings directed at supporting social care.

Currently anyone receiving a state pension and other benefits gets winter fuel allowance - a one-off payment each December of between £200 to £300 - and automatically once they reach a certain age.

However, under plans in the Conservative manifesto, eligibility would be related to income.

Labour says three-quarters of pensioners eligible for payments in the Black Country would lose out.

The party's West Bromwich East parliamentary candidate Mr Watson told the Express & Star the figures showed that thousands of Black Country pensioners had been abandoned by the Conservative Party's manifesto.

"It seems to me that Theresa May is taking the support of pensioners for granted in this election," he said.

"The Tories are so confident of victory that they are prepared to pay for tax cuts to the richest by adding hundreds of pounds to the energy bills of pensioners.

"And by scrapping the commitment to increase pension payments by at least 2.5 per cent a year she risks pensioners being unable to cover the cost of soaring household bills.

"I hope these surprise cuts to pensioner incomes will encourage pensioners to re-examine Labour pledges to save the winter fuel allowance and the 'triple lock' on pensions that guarantees older people who have contributed throughout their lives can have fair annual pension increases."

Around 12.26 million people received the tax-free winter fuel payments in 2015-6, at a total cost of just over £2bn.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said the money raising plans by the Conservatives would 'hit millions of those on low and middle incomes'.

He branded the plans 'sick and sneaky' and said: "A third of people who qualify for pensioner credits don't claim.

"We also have 1.7 million pensioners in this country living in poverty, a million of them in fuel poverty...30,000 excess deaths every winter as a result of fuel poverty and basically people not being able to heat their homes."