News Beat
Up to 4,000 Bolton West people in work need universal credit
The cost of fuel and food bills has long been cited in driving people into need help from universal credit around the borough and across the country over recent years.
In the House of Commons this week, Bolton West MP Phil Brickell said this had hit thousands of people in his area.
Mr Brickell said: “Almost 4,000 people with jobs in my Bolton West constituency still need universal credit to cope with the cost-of-living.
“Heating, water and food bills have been stubbornly high.
“So what steps is the minister taking to ensure that families in my constituency get the support they need to pay the bills?”
Speaking afterwards, Mr Brickell said he hoped various measures that were already in place would be helping people in his constituency.
He said: “Over 2500 children in Bolton West benefit from the removal of the two child limit.
“Combined with tripling investment in breakfast clubs, raising the living wage and increasing access to free schools meals, this Labour government has made huge strides in tackling child poverty.”
But his question at the House of Commons this week had been focused on what more the government was doing to help those afflicted by fuel poverty in Bolton and beyond.
In response to Mr Brickell’s question, Minister of State for Work and Pensions Dame Diana Johnson MP said the government had a range of measures underway, some of them from last year’s budget.
She said: “We recognise that too many homes in England struggle to afford heating and tackling fuel poverty is a government priority.
Dame Diana said that on January 21 this year the government had published its fuel poverty strategy, which included the warm homes plan.
She said this was aimed at ensuring that “fuel poor households” were better protected by 2030.
Dame Diana said that the budget of 2025 had also cut energy prices by an average of £150 and that expanding the warm homes discount had given a rebate of £150 to 2.7M households.
