The Warm Home Discount scheme available to the elderly in receipt of pension credits in England, Scotland and Wales should be available to pensioners here, according to a local councillor.
Waterside Sinn Fein Cllr Bridget Meehan has revealed she has written to Minister for Social Development Nelson McCausland to enquire if people receiving the pension credits here could avail of the scheme which offers £135 off gas bills.
Cllr Meehan said: “With winter upon us, people are more and more anxious about the rising cost of heating their home.
“With 30% of Derry households in fuel poverty and 76% of households headed by a person aged 75+ in fuel poverty across the North, heating the home is a very real concern for many of us.
“We are aware that those in receipt of pension credits in England, Scotland and Wales are offered a Warm Home Discount of £135 by British Gas.
“I have written to the Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland, asking if there is an equivalent scheme offered by any of the energy providers here in the North. And if not, whether he plans to enter into any negotiations with energy providers to replicate the scheme here.”
Cllr Meehan concluded: “Given that energy and fuel costs are higher in the North than in Britain, it is increasingly important that ways are found to reduce those costs for people who are struggling.”
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