Like many pensioners across Herefordshire Richard Smith will not be receiving his winter fuel allowance this year, he now has to face the potential choice of choosing heating or eating this winter.
Richard who lives in the Whitecross area of Hereford told Your Herefordshire “I was really upset and angry when the government said they were stopping the payment. I thought Labour would look after pensioners but I was wrong, of course they didn’t mention it in their manifesto. It really winds me up when other people get things and people that have lived here and paid tax all their life seem to be cast aside”
The weather is mild at present and this has been a big plus to the thousands of pensioners across the county who have not been subjected to potential freezing temperatures “The government seems to like to waste money on silly projects but forgets about the people in their own country, don’t get me wrong I like to go out and socialise and enjoy life’s simple pleasures, but I’ve worked hard and like to enjoy things and losing this payment is a big financial hit to me”
Richard continued “If we get a winter like we had in 2017/2018 with the beast from the east and all that snow and ice we are going to see a lot of older pensioners freeze to death, its shortsighted in my opinion as you then end up with potentially more people in hospital with pneumonia and cold related illnesses, which then puts more strain on the NHS staff and it’s resources”
The state pension will be going up in 2025 and Richard appreciates that “It’s a decent rise, but its still 5 months away and its the here and now which is important, hopefully we have a mild winter and I’m not worried and anxious about spiralling fuel costs to heat my home”
