Reader’s letter: ‘The damaging and toxic policy that knocked the spring out of my step from July 4’
Those of us who would consider ourselves to be on the centre left of politics were walking around with a slight spring in our step three months ago, staying up very late on that Thursday night or waking on the Friday morning, trying to remember the verses to the D:Ream classic Things Can Only Get Better, writes Brian Percival.
Our springy shoes were not to last for long, however. Pretty much as soon as the tape was pulled from the Pickfords boxes arriving at 10 Downing Street, a policy was announced that is so damaging and so toxic that members of the outgoing party probably wondered, “How do they think they’ll get away with this one?”
The policy I am referring to is the removal of the winter fuel payment for 9.9 million of the UK’s 11.4 million pensioners.
Even if you have been living under a rock and are so politically disengaged that you were under the impression Britain was still governed from a round table, you will definitely have an opinion on this policy – and, further, I’ll bet it’s a negative one.
From posts online to reporting on broadcast media, coverage has been universally in agreement: this is a bad policy. GeeBeeBees’ coverage of the announcement was so gleefully bombastic that I’m surprised they didn’t play Handel’s Sarabande to go with it. In fairness, they would have probably preferred a piece by Elgar.
I have no problem with rich or even well off people losing this money. I doubt anyone does, and I think the argument has been made for a very long time now that all of these allowances should be means-tested.
But there may well be thousands of people that rely on that money to pay their bills going short this year because they are going to fall through the cracks of a policy rushed in without a framework in place to implement it properly so that any money actually goes to those that need it.
I would love to be able to make the argument that the two main reasons for this particular policy are, firstly, that the winter fuel payment is a discretionary allowance and nobody is “entitled” to it in the first place, and secondly, the reasoning behind such payments is that energy bills are too high and the tax system shouldn’t be there to funnel public money into private hands by the medium of poor people paying it forward to energy companies.
I would love to make the argument, but I really can’t because it’s those poorer people that will get caught in the middle.
If there truly is a budget deficit then don’t take money out of the pockets of poor people – that just makes people poorer.
Tax energy windfalls and get them to remove the standing charge, tax non doms and close the loopholes that let companies making money from the UK creatively avoid tax – make sure they pay the tax on profits morally and not just legally.
Chase those fake companies that have ripped us all off so badly over the last few years: PPE companies that delivered masks as transparent as their lies, shipping companies with no boats etc.
Doesn’t sound like it should be too hard to make £22 billion – and the only people who will suffer are those that deserve it.
I long for the days when a Labour Government will be a socialist Government, with actual policies aimed at directly helping those who need it.
I suppose for now food banks, warm banks, homeless shelters and the rest of the charity sector will, yet again, this winter be picking up the pieces of a gutless and toothless UK plc that seems interested only in going after the low-hanging fruit and bullying the people that cannot or will not defend themselves.
I will finish with a piece of advice. If you think you are eligible for Pension Credit, then claim it now. If you are unsure, then ask. Get somebody to help if you need it – grandchild, neighbour, vicar, Citizens Advice, anyone who can take a glance at your finances and help you apply.
If you think that you will genuinely struggle this winter then find out now what your options are. I doubt they will come looking for you to offer you the money – if you are eligible, you will have to ask for it.
Brian W Percival, Bartholomew Road, Bishop’s Stortford
This was first published as a reader’s letter in the October 2 print edition of the Bishop’s Stortford Independent, on sale every Wednesday for £2.10. Alternatively, take out an annual digital subscription and read the same paper on your phone, tablet, laptop or desktop for less than 48p a week. Please click here. We value your support.
Brian stood as an Independent candidate for the Hertford and Stortford seat in the December 2019 General Election.