As we await the spending review and a change in policy on winter fuel payments, I’m reminded of just how resilient our older generations are. They’ve lived through national recessions, decades of social change and seen some workers’ rights being eroded. Many of them raised families while working tirelessly, often in physically demanding jobs, to build a better life for the next generation. And yet, here they are in 2025, this winter, again, we have the prospect of them facing the cold with the heating off, living in quiet dignity despite the weight of pensioner poverty. A Government U-turn on winter fuel payments needs to happen quickly.
Last winter, we saw sharp and sustained rises in energy prices, which hit older people especially hard. Many are reluctant to seek help, not because they don’t need it, but because they carry a deep, generational pride. A quiet belief in self-reliance, inherited from their parents, who “made do” and never asked for handouts. That belief still runs deep, even when circumstances are cruel.
We met Davide thanks to a local postman who noticed he was always sitting on his porch wearing a coat. The porch, it turned out, was the warmest place in the house. Davide hadn’t used his heating for fear of unaffordable bills. He was helped with a fuel payment, bought a microwave so he didn’t have to heat an entire oven for one meal, and provided thermal nightwear and bedding. He said it was the best night’s sleep he’d had in years. A hot meal delivery service now brings him food and friendship, once a week. Small changes, but ones that restored his sense of warmth, dignity, and connection.
Then there’s Mrs E, in her 90s, widowed, living alone. She was suddenly hit with a huge debt of over £1,000 because of an old immersion heater. Her energy supplier, without real consideration, increased her direct debit to £400 a month. That’s nearly half her state pension. She resorted to boiling a kettle for a wash and turning off the heating completely. That’s the reality for too many.
Our partners report an increasing number of older people becoming isolated. One woman, Jo, now only visits her grandchildren once a month. It’s not a lack of love; it’s the cost of a bus fare and fear of a heating bill she can’t pay. The cuts to services, rising transportation costs, and patchy public infrastructure are forcing people to stay in their homes.
What we’re witnessing isn’t just a failure of policy, but a betrayal of our social contract. Older people feel they are penalised for being self-reliant. Many aren’t told what support they’re entitled to, and they don’t ask, because for their generation and their parents before them, accepting help feels like admitting failure.
This is why face-to-face support matters. A national helpline, no matter how well-meaning, will never replace the trust built when someone genuinely listens and understands. Participants in recent research by York St. John’s Institute of Social Justice told us clearly: they want tailored help, not generic advice. A national Help to Claim line might assist frontline charities, but it won’t encourage prideful older adults to reach out, especially when they’re often not even told they’re eligible in the first place.
We need better data and capacity to target support. Local authorities lack the data to identify who is eligible for Pension Credit. The DWP estimates that 8,000 older people in Leeds are eligible, but far fewer are on the radar of benefits teams. We need secure, ethical data sharing and increased, dedicated funding so that local services can undertake the proactive work of identifying and supporting individuals. Without that, many continue to suffer in silence, not claiming the benefits to which they are entitled.
We have been proud to support older people through grants like the Household Support Fund (HSF), but it is a sticking plaster on a much deeper wound. In the last round, 28% of support went to people with disabilities or households with a disabled member. We funded 62 community projects in partnership with Forum Central, helping thousands. But this lifeline is only funded until March 2026. What then?
In addition to data and funding, we also need policy change. We are deeply concerned about housing: the rise in private renting among older adults, the lack of new affordable homes, and the ongoing loss of council housing through the Right to Buy, all while 26,000 people remain on the housing register in Leeds. Right to Buy must be paused.
Generational pride is not a barrier; it’s a value. It’s time we stop asking older people to let go of that pride and instead shape services that work with it. Let’s automate benefit eligibility where possible, especially for those already on low incomes. We want more to join the movement to change the language of support so that it speaks to dignity and strength, not deficit.
We also must face a hard truth: the struggles of later life often begin earlier. Ageism in the workplace, economic inactivity, and a lack of career support for over-50s mean many people arrive at pension age poorer, less secure, and more isolated. Women, in particular, face a pension gap shaped by years of unpaid caring. Carers Leeds annual survey found that 20% of unpaid carers skipped meals, and 13% had visited a food bank. That’s unacceptable.
And while we welcome recent government trailblazer funding on work and health, let’s not forget that people aged 50+ are twice as likely to be out of work for over a year compared to younger people. We understand the media focus on youth unemployment and would like to see similar emphasis on the ageing workforce who are being left behind.
This is a national challenge, but the answers start locally. Through the Poverty Truth Commission, we have seen what happens when people with lived experience sit at the same table as those with power: policies become more compassionate and more effective. We need more of that.
Ultimately, we need a new conversation about ageing. One that respects pride without leaving people behind. One that doesn’t just talk about resilience, but about rights. About fairness. About ensuring our older generations, who gave so much, don’t have to choose between heating and eating.
Because the truth is, helping our older citizens isn’t charity. It’s justice.