Councillor Gordon Murray has urged MP Torcuil Crichton to back an increase of £1,000 or more in the personal tax allowance for state pensions and commit to keeping it in line with future Triple Lock increases.
The Stornoway North councillor said: “This critical step is non-negotiable to support
the constituency’s large pensioner population, reeling from the government’s abrupt
withdrawal of the Winter Fuel Payment.”
He points out the Western Isles has a significant amount of elderly residents, with over 25% of islanders aged 65 or older, far surpassing the UK average.
The loss of the Winter Fuel Payment has plunged many of them into “financial distress, stripping away support needed to heat their homes through our brutal winters.”
With the current tax threshold frozen at £12,570, those supplementing state pensions with modest incomes are “taxed unjustly, losing money they can ill afford as living costs soar.”
“Scrapping the Winter Fuel Payment was a callous move that’s left our pensioners exposed,” added Cllr Murray.
“Torcuil Crichton must stand up in Parliament and fight for a tax threshold increase of at least £1,000 and get Westminster to commit to keeping it in line with future Triple Lock increases.
“Our elderly deserve relief, not hardship, and this is the bare minimum to help them weather this storm.”
“Raising the threshold by at least £1,000 would provide immediate support, easing the tax burden and offering a lifeline to pensioners grappling with high energy bills and rural isolation.Our older residents, who have given so much to our community, are entitled to dignity in retirement, not a struggle to survive.”
He insisted: “Torcuil cannot sit idly by. This is a fight for fairness, and at least £1,000 is where we start. He must take this to Westminster and make our pensioners’ voices heard.”
Councillor urges MP to seek ‘fairness’ for pensioners
18 March 2025
