Chris Elmore, MP for Ogmore, has called on the UK Government to offer more support for retired people as the cost of living crisis continues to spiral out control leaving many feeling the pinch.
In Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Questions on Monday, Chris Elmore pressed the Minister to do more to support older people with rising energy prices and the cost of living crisis as figures show 88% of people in Ogmore are seeing their energy bills going up from next week.
The Tory triple whammy of price rises, a tax hike for those still in work and a lower State Pension will have a devastating impact on older people and pensioners. Under the Tories, one in five pensioners now live in poverty, and many more will face hardship as a result of UK Government failure to act in the Spring Statement.
The Labour Party is calling on the UK Government to look again at Labour’s proposals for a one-off windfall tax on oil and gas producers to cut household energy bills by up to £600.
During the Spring Budget Statement not one word was made on uplifting pensions and those in receipt of social security benefits.
Figures out from the Resolution Foundation show that 7 in every 8 working people will pay more tax after this Spring Budget Statement and 1.3 million more people will be pushed into absolute poverty.
Chris Elmore, MP for Ogmore, said:
“Older people and pensioners are at the sharp end of the Tory cost of living crisis, and they urgently need the Government to act. Pensioners spend twice as much on their energy bills as those aged under 30 and face spiralling inflation as the price of petrol, food and energy soars.
Simply ignoring the long-term issue of rising energy bills and forcing people to take the £200 loan who then have to pay it back is penalising those who don’t have enough to survive and does nothing to solve the cost-of-living crisis.
The Spring Statement demonstrated how retirees in Ogmore are getting a terrible deal from this reckless Tory UK Government. It really has become a choice of choosing between heating and eating for too many people. A UK Labour Government will put in place a strategy to provide older and retired people with the security and prosperity they deserve.”