Over 2,000 local pensioners in Salisbury will miss out on Cold Weather Payments triggered by the recent weather, according to analysis of Government figures by the Liberal Democrats.

Cold Weather Payments of £25 a week are paid to people on low incomes who receive a qualifying benefit, such as Pension Credit. This  benefit goes unclaimed by as many as 1.7m pensioners in the UK, meaning these people will miss out on the Winter Fuel Payments.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb said: 

“Labour has failed pensioners by creating a complicated system that makes it difficult for them to get the help they desperately need.

“The Government should be making every effort to identify pensioners who are missing out and get them this extra cash.”

In Salisbury constituency, the number of pensioners missing out on the payments is estimated to be 2,220. Nick Radford, Prospective Lib Dem MP for Salisbury, has expressed his concern over the figures:

“It is a scandal that pensioners are missing out on these payments. With fuel prices at an all time high 4 out of 5 single pensioner households in Salisbury are living in fuel poverty. This makes these payments all the more important locally.”