Age Concern fears older people face choosing between eating or heating

With spiralling costs and inflation at its highest for three decades charities say more people are turning to food waste programmes and food banks.

The Chancellor is expected to announce details of the Government's Spring budget this month and staff at Age UK Shropshire are hoping these will contain a financial life-line for people feeling the pinch to their purse-strings.

As many as one million older households nationwide are said to live in fuel poverty.

Heather Osborne, chief executive of Age UK Shropshire Telford and Wrekin, said: "Soaring energy prices could leave millions of older people unable to make ends meet.

"With average bills set to rise by a whopping £693-a-year from April, and almost certain to increase further in a few months' time, the support the Chancellor has announced simply does not go far enough.

"Unless Rishi Sunak takes further action, many pensioners will face energy bills that are several hundred pounds more than they can afford.

"We cannot let this happen and are calling on the Chancellor to thing again and protect older people living on low incomes from the energy crisis.

"As part of a national campaign we are calling for two bullet points.

"So far we have succeeded in our call to get the Government to announce financial support for people this spring but the support measures announced sadly do not go far enough.

"Many older people still face the impossible choice between heating or eating.

"In the run-up to the Spring Statement, we want to make it clear to the Chancellor that he needs to announce more held for older people on the lowest incomes.

"Nationally we have asked campaigners and supporters to write handwritten letters to show the strength of feeling out there.

"We would like the Government to take two emergency measures to protect older people and these include cutting the five per cent rate of VAT from all households' energy bills from April until at least the end of the year.

"We also call for the Government to provide a one-off payment of £500 to those who qualify for the Cold Weather Payment and to ensure the energy price cap is enshrined in law.

"We would like to see a move to re-introduce a social tariff into the energy market to offer protection against high energy costs and ensure everyone who is eligible receives the benefits to which they are entitled.

"This will protect those on the lowest incomes from increases in living costs. More than 25,000 older people have told Age UK that they are worried about their energy bills.

"Many fear they will have to turn their heating off or otherwise cut-back on essentials like food to keep it on. Others are concerned about how they will manage their health conditions in cold houses, or how they are going to make ends meet as the cost of living continues to rise."