Christmas comes late for 2,000 elderly people in Wantage and Didcot (Wantage and Didcot Liberal Democrats)

Wantage and Didcot Liberal Democrats <info@wantagelibdems.org.uk>

Christmas comes late for 2,000 elderly people in Wantage and Didcot

February 26, 2009 10:31 PM

Christmas bonus payments for approximately 2,000 elderly people in Wantage constituency to help with winter fuel bills will not be paid until nearly Easter, warn local Liberal Democrats. According to research done by Liberal Democrats in Parliament, nearly one in eleven older people will be getting their Christmas bonus at a time when their grandchildren are getting their Easter eggs.

Lib Dem spokesman Alan Armitage is leading calls to speed up payments and make sure older residents of the area get their bonus as soon as possible. "This late payment is appalling," said Mr Armitage. "At a time of sky high heating and fuel bills, paying the bonus three months late is just not good enough. I am urging the Government to ensure that payments are made promptly next Christmas. Making the elderly wait until it's nearly Easter is just not acceptable."

Steve Webb MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said, "The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, stood up in the House of Commons in November and promised pensioners a Christmas bonus on their winter fuel payments, but clearly this was nothing of the sort. It is outrageous that this money will not be reaching pensioners until nearly Easter."

Parliamentary questions by Liberal Democrat MPs revealed that 8.69 percent of bonus payments - nearly one in eleven - will not be made until March.