- 19% of households are in Council Tax Bands E-H (4.7 million households).
- There are 11.5 million pensioners in the UK. An estimated 2.1 million of these (19%) live in band E or lower homes.
- These people are missing out on £150 rebate – Liberal Democrats slam “national scandal” of pensioners being left out in the cold by out of touch Government.
More than two million pensioners are being shunned by the Government’s council tax rebate, estimates by the Liberal Democrats can reveal.
The shocking revelation comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson was told this morning of the story of 77-year-old Elsie, who eats one meal a day and stays on the bus all day to stay warm and avoid using energy at home.
The Conservatives’ lack of support to elderly pensioners during the cost of living crisis has made stories like Elsie’s all too familiar, with over two million elderly and vulnerable people being left to face soaring energy bills without even the meagre £150 council tax rebate.
Analysis by the Liberal Democrats has forecast that two in ten pensioners are classed as ineligible for the scheme. It follows the news that BP has made profits of over $6bn in Q1 2022 – something which the party says has made the Conservative Government’s refusal to introduce a windfall tax impossible to justify.
Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said: “It is a national scandal that on the same day that BP announces mega profits, millions of pensioners, many living in poverty, are being left without support.
“Hearing Elsie’s story on GMB this morning was heartbreaking, and Boris Johnson’s response showed he’s unfit to be Prime Minister during this national crisis.
“If he had even a shred of decency he would step in and help pensioners who are making the unbearable decision between heating and eating.
“This Thursday is a chance to send a message that the Conservatives must get rid of Boris Johnson and do more to help pensioners who have been left out in the cold.”