I’m an OAP, 70, forced to live ‘hand to mouth’ with NO food or heating… I’m terrified of winter coming
A PENSIONER who lives “hand to mouth” and “never goes out” has said he fears the winter as he cannot afford to even put the heating on.
Simon Moss, a 70-year-old from Sunderland, is terrified of the harsh winter ahead in his freezing cold housing association bungalow.
The retired customer service assistant is one of almost 12 million people in the UK who say they don’t have enough to live on, according to a new report from Christians Against Poverty.
Simon said: “Life is a struggle, I never go out and hardly ever drink anymore.
“I’m a scared for the winter.”
A few years ago, Simon found himself in a difficult financial situation and sought help from Christians Against Poverty (CAP) after being referred by Gentoo Housing.
With the assistance of his CAP Debt Centre Manager, Simon was able to go debt-free through a Debt Relief Order.
However, despite this relief, managing his finances remains a constant struggle.
Simon said his pension from various jobs in retail plus his state pension narrowly tip him over the edge of the threshold to not get the winter fuel allowance.
The benefit was scrapped for 10 million pensioners by the new Labour government went it came into office.
CAP, which runs over 200 debt centres across the UK and supports thousands of people each year says almost 50 per cent of their our clients have a ‘deficit budget’ – where their income leaves them unable to afford essential items.
The charity said: “We can see that chronically low incomes are devastating the lives of millions of people across the UK – damaging people’s wellbeing, affecting families and impacting health and welfare services.”
According to CAP, 11.8 million (22%) of UK adults have a deficit budget and its clients are typically £273 a month short of what they need to be able to cover basics such as food, energy bills, and rent.
Simon’s weekly income is around £219 but even this modest amount is not enough to cover all his expenses without making significant sacrifices.
Simon said: “I’ve learned over the past few months to cancel everything I used to have – no Sky TV, just Freeview, and I hardly ever go out or drink anymore.
“I’ve had to give up smoking, which I guess is one good thing.”
Simon’s lifestyle now is stripped of luxuries – no holidays, no treats and he describes his existence as “living hand to mouth each day”.
He said: “It’s a case of constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
Where to get help if you're struggling with the cost of living
If you don’t have enough money to live on, you might be able to get help to afford essentials like bills and food. This includes the Household Support Fund and cost of living payments. You should check if you can claim benefits - you might be able to do this even if you work, have savings or own a home, according to Citizens Advice.
Check what benefits you can get
Lots of people miss out on benefits they’re entitled to – so it’s worth checking what you can get.
Claiming benefits might also let you get access to other financial help like cost of living payments and discounts on energy and transport.
You might be able to claim benefits or increase your current benefits if you’re:
- over 16 years old with a low income or no income
- sick or disabled, including if you have a mental health condition
- of State Pension age with a low income or no income
- a carer
- responsible for children
Get help with your energy bills
If you’re struggling to pay your energy bills or top up your prepayment meter, you might be able to get help – for example a fuel voucher or a grant from your energy supplier.
Check if you can get help to pay your energy bills.
You might be able to save money on your energy bills by switching to a different supplier, or to a different tariff with your current supplier. Check if you can switch.
Get help with essential costs
Your local council might help you pay for things like:
- your energy and water bills
- food
- essential items – for example, clothes or an oven
This help is known as ‘welfare assistance’ or the ‘Household Support Fund’. Each council runs their own scheme. You’ll need to check if you can get support and what type of support you can get.
Ask your local council if they run a welfare assistance or Household Support Fund scheme. You can find out how to contact your local council on GOV.UK.
You don’t have to be getting benefits to get help from your local council. If you do get benefits, they won’t be affected if you start getting money from a welfare assistance or Household Support Fund scheme.
There are also other things you can do if you’re struggling to afford essentials like rent or food.
If you’re struggling to pay for food, you might be able to get a referral to a food bank.
You can find out how to get help from a food bank.
Apply for a charitable grant
You might be able to get extra money from a charity to help with living costs. Some of these charitable grants are open to everyone. Others might be available based on your situation, for example:
- if you have a disability or health condition
- your age
- your previous or current job
You can check what help you can get from local and national charities on the Turn2us website. You’ll need to know your postcode.
Simon said he’s ridden with anxiety at the thought of enduring another winter like the last one but without any help from the government.
Simon said: “Last year, it was freezing. I wasn’t putting the heating on unless I absolutely had to, which is why I’m in dispute with my provider.
“I was barely using it, and if we get a cold winter this year, I’m dreading it.”
Simon’s financial woes are further compounded by his need to support his son and daughter-in-law – both of whom are also on Universal Credit and not working.
But despite his own limited means, he tries to help them out when he can.
His own rent, after housing benefit, is £60 per week, and he has to be extremely careful with his food budget, shopping only once a month and strictly sticking to a shopping list.
He feels particularly frustrated by the government’s withdrawal of support for pensioners, especially those with the lowest incomes.
He said: “I’m not being greedy, but I do think that this withdrawal of support for pensioners is wrong.
“I feel that we’re not taken into consideration at all – they don’t care.”
Adding to his stress, Simon is currently involved in a dispute with the council over council tax payments as he’s been struggling to keep up with the direct debit payments.
Labour accused of ‘punishing pensioners’ as £400 triple lock hike won't offset winter fuel payment axing
Labour has been accused of 'punishing pensioners' as its planned £400 rise in the state pension doesn’t make up for the axing of the winter fuel allowance for the elderly.
Treasury internal analysis reveals they expect the benefit to go up by average earnings which will kick in next April for millions of elderly Brits.
The figures come as the government is under mounting pressure over cutting the winter fuel payment worth up to £300 for ten million pensioners.
The measure means the overall increase in incomes for OAPs is likely to be £100 or £200.
Tory leader Rishi Sunak used a heated Prime Minister’s Questions to question why Sir Keir Starmer decided to give train drivers a pay hike while cutting the benefit.
He said: “The government doesn’t have to choose to take money off low paid pensioners and give it to highly paid train drivers. He can’t justify it.”
In response the Prime Minister said: “This Government was elected to clear up the mess left by the party opposite, to bring about the change that the country desperately needs. Our first job was to audit the books, and what we found was a £22 billion black hole.
“So we’ve had to take tough decisions to stabilise the economy and repair the damage, including targeting winter fuel payments whilst protecting pensioners – 800,000 pensioners are not taking up pension credit.”
He said: “I’m one of millions who are overlooked and forgotten every day in lots of local government and Westminster government decisions.”
Christians Against Poverty Chief Executive Officer Stewart McCulloch said: “This new report shows the brutal reality of living with a deficit budget.
“Our expert debt advisors, alongside local churches we partner with, are continuing to help thousands of people across the UK to become debt free.
“11 million people living lives of hidden desperation is utterly unacceptable. We can’t afford the welfare and health costs of this tragedy. We are all affected by the strains this puts on our society. The time has come to act.”
Simon isn’t alone in his struggles.
James Thompson, a 67 year old former miner from Askern, Doncaster, also lost his winter fuel allowance in the Labour cut.
He fears he won’t even be able to afford coal to keep himself warm in his “tin-can” caravan home following the cut.
Other retirees in Askern also said they are now stockpiling food knowing bills will rise once winter arrives.
Some admitted to growing their own food and most said they will struggle to tighten their belts any further.
Struggling households can get support through the Household Support Fund, where local authorities distribute funding from Westminster.
The money is from a pot worth £421 million by the Department for Work and Pensions, which has been extended for the sixth time since its launch in 2021.
The current round of funding is due to end on 30 September, but applications may still being accepted by some local authorities.
Each area will then open up the scheme again in October, with the new funding in place until April 2025.
If successful, the money will either be given to you as a direct cash transfer, shopping vouchers or in another form.