A new scheme has launched to help approximately 34,000 older residents in Bexley who are set to lose their annual winter fuel payment.
‘Bexley boxes’ are a scheme ran by Bexley council to help elderly residents who are struggling after the government announced cuts to winter fuel payments.
The boxes have been voluntarily put together by charities or businesses and contain hats, scarves, socks, tinned goods and winter wellbeing advice.
Former Bexley mayor James Hunt said: “What do we do? It is a case of either they eat, or they heat.
“We have to do something, we can’t just leave them.
“There will be residents who are suffering badly. Our oldest resident is Francis, she is 104, she’s great, she’s spritely.
“But we’ve got a lot of older residents who live on their own or in social housing.”
A winter fuel payment is £200 a year for pensioners under 80, or £300 a year for over 80s, paid in November or December.
From this winter onwards the number of pensioners eligible to receive the payment will change to only those who qualify for pension credit and other means-tested help.
This means an estimated 10 million UK pensioners will no longer receive a winter fuel payment.
Bexley has a very high proportion of older residents, and the area is cautious of the thousands of local pensioners that will be negatively affected by the change.
Councillor Baroness O’Neill of Bexley OBE announced the new scheme during a council meeting on November 9 and ex-mayor James Hunt believes they are the only council doing this in the country.
Residents recently voiced their split opinions on the boxes on Facebook, with some users worrying that the boxes were a scam.
Multiple online users have commented that it is an “insult” or a “plaster” to cover up a root problem, discussing the effectiveness of the blankets and clothes provided in the boxes.
Other residents have argued that people have missed the point of the boxes and are appreciative of the scheme.
According to the Department for Work and Pensions, 100,000 pensioners will experience poverty in 2026/27 as a result of winter fuel payment cuts.
Bexley Council has previously criticised the the government’s plans to cut winter fuel payments and called it ‘disgraceful’.
Hunt added: “It’s just a case of something has to be done.
“People think that the boxes are all being paid for out of the council, that the council should be paying for other things, one person said to me we should be giving fuel vouchers out.
“We haven’t got the money for that but what we can do is bring the community together.
“This is done through voluntary donations, there have been donations from companies, from individuals, from community groups.”
Councillor Baroness O’Neill of Bexley OBE said: “I hope that these boxes will bring a bit of light into the lives of someone who may not be able to get out and about.”
To get involved with the scheme email [email protected] or call 020 8187 7613.
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