Despite the beautiful sunshine this week, the temperature sadly has begun to drop in the evenings and it is more important than ever that any pensioner eligible for Pension Credit signs up to receive support in time for winter, writes Rutland and Stamford MP Alicia Kearns (Con). The Government’s decision to cut Winter Fuel Payment for around 20,800 pensioners across Rutland and Stamford with so little notice is callous and economically illiterate. It will not save money, and Labour’s own assessment shows 71% of pensioners with a disability will suffer, and 3,800 pensioners could die as a result of taking away this support.
The principle of cutting support for pensioners, whilst giving inflation-busting pay rises to others, offers a chilling insight into Labour’s priorities. I have called on the Government to reverse the cut to Winter Fuel Payments for those living with life-limiting or chronic conditions, who often have higher energy bill costs, and to at least delay the decision by one year for all pensioners to give them a year to plan for these additional cost burdens. I’m asking you to please check your own eligibility, and to help your friends and family members check whether they are eligible to access this important lifeline of support during the colder months.
As part of Rutland’s Great Dementia Conversation, I am pleased to share that the Alzheimer’s Society will also be hosting three Dementia Friends information sessions in Rutland next month. In just one hour, anyone can become a dementia friend and learn how to better support those living with the condition, how to identify if a friend may have dementia and more. Please do sign up to our sessions as we aim to make Rutland the first dementia friendly county in the country.
Do spare a thought for our hard-working farmers across Rutland, Stamford and the Harborough and South Kesteven villages who’ve been coping with vast amounts of rain, and who work around the clock no matter the weather or season! It was lovely to celebrate their contribution to the UK’s economy, food production and our rural way of life last week on Back British Farming Day. Thank you to each and every one of you who work tirelessly to put food on our tables. I’m concerned by news South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) is proposing to use the developer behind Mallard Pass, Canadian Solar, as a supplier at the Meres Leisure Centre, despite their well-known links to Uyghur Forced Labour.
Councillor David Bellamy and I have written to the Leader of SKDC to urge the Council to reject the supplier under ethical grounds, and I look forward to receiving a response. Going green should not come off the back of the Uyghur genocide. On Sunday it was an honour to lay a wreath at the Battle of Britain Commemoration Service and parade in Stamford.
This incredibly moving service was a fitting way to remember the brave Royal Air Force pilots and aircrews who sacrificed their lives during the Battle of Britain and our town’s ongoing connection with the RAF. As Churchill said, “never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”. Down in Westminster, it was great to welcome New College Stamford and students from multiple primary schools in Rutland for a tour of Parliament and a Q&A session.
Do get in touch with Parliament’s Education Centre if your school is interested in coming for a tour, I’m always more than happy to answer any questions students have – they certainly keep me on my toes!.
