Pensioners say Labour must not axe benefits such as the free bus pass (Image: Getty)
CAMPAIGNERS have warned Labour not to axe free bus passes amid fury at the Chancellor scrapping winter fuel payments for around 10 million pensioners.
The shock decision has stoked fears that free bus travel and other benefits could face the chop next as the Treasury searches for billions of pounds in savings.
Dennis Reed of the campaign group Silver Voices warned: “The bus service and bus passes are really essential for older people. We say, ‘Hands off the bus pass.’”
Describing the anger among retirees, he said: “We certainly feel that older people are being targeted by the Government.”
Free bus travel helped older people escape isolation and attend GP and hospital appointments, he said, adding he fears older people are seen by the Government as “low-hanging fruit”.
The group has written to MPs, urging them to put pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to u-turn on the decision to end fuel payments for pensioners in England and Wales who are not on pension credit or other means-tested benefits.
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Setting out his concerns that benefits such as free bus passes could be the next to go, he said: “We’ve got to mount a really strong campaign on this one to show older people are not a pushover.”
Mr Reed, who suspects the changes to fuel payments were planned before the election, added: “We hope the protests will mount and mount and mount before the party conferences.”
The Department for Transport insists it has “no plans” to withdraw free bus passes but Mr Reed said there is a “lot of concern” about the future of entitlements.
Former Conservative pensions minister Baroness Altmann said: “I do fear that there seems to be a determination to balance the nation’s books on the backs of pensioners, rather than having a considered review of all aspects of how this country supports its elderly citizens.”
She warned that a “‘death by a thousand cuts’ approach to pensioner benefits” is “not the way to run social policy”.
Leading charity Age UK stated that policymakers remove universal benefits such as the bus pass and free prescriptions “at their peril”.
Director Caroline Abrahams said: “The winter fuel payment helps older people to stay warm and well through the winter; free prescriptions encourage those aged 60-plus to take the meds which slow or prevent serious health problems, including heart attacks and strokes; and the free bus pass supports older people to stay mobile and connected, sustaining their physical and mental health. Policymakers forget this at their peril, and these health gains are more important than ever at a time when the NHS is visibly buckling at the knees.”
In England, people are eligible for free local bus travel once they reach pension age, with the specific terms of the travel schemes varying between local authorities.
Morgan Vine, head of policy at Independent Age, stressed the importance of the bus pass.
He said: “It’s concerning to hear that older people are worried about losing the free bus pass. Poverty in later life is a very isolating and lonely place to be and because of this, affordable access to public transport is important.
“The older people we speak to who are living in financial hardship tell us that they are at absolute breaking point and can’t afford any additional expenses. When you’re deciding between heating and eating, spending additional money on transport can feel like a luxury.”
There was outcry in 2020 when free TV licences for over-75s were limited to those receiving pension credit.
Today there is further disappointment that the Chancellor has axed plans introduced by the Conservatives to bring in an ￡86,000 cap on how much older or disabled people can be charged towards support at home or in care homes.
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Paul Wallace, author of forthcoming book Tanked: Why the British Economy is Failing and How to Fix it, said: “The decision not to go ahead with the cap on social care costs in old age is disappointing given that it isn’t feasible for people to insure privately against the risk of very high expenses. That means only the state can provide cover.
“Yes, this would cost the Government more money but that is only part of the bill needed to improve social care.”
Silver Voice’s Mr Reed is concerned there was no mention of the change to winter fuel payments in the Labour manifesto.
He said: “People are very angry it wasn’t mentioned during the campaign. A lot of them would have voted for Labour under the false expectation that their benefits would be protected.”
Polling suggests there is less opposition among the general public. YouGov found 47 per cent of Britons support means testing winter fuel payments with just 38 per cent opposed.
But Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said: “The decision to remove the winter fuel payment is heartless, and shows Labour are not on the side of pensioners. Many pensioners will face hardship this winter without this payment, which can literally be lifesaving.”
A spokeswoman for the Department for Transport said: “The free bus pass scheme prevents loneliness, provides access to vital services and keeps people connected to loved ones and we have no plans to withdraw it.”