New Year cash boost for 60,150 local people

The Brighton and Hove Labour Group has welcomed a new cash boost for 60,150 local people as part of the Labour Government's financial help for 15 million people.

Following the coldest start to winter in thirty years, the Government today formally ordered a special one-off payment of £60 to pensioners, carers, disabled people and those in receipt of bereavement benefits.

Councillor Les Hamilton, Labour Opposition Spokesman for finance writes:

"This is a great Christmas bonus for Brighton and Hove.  Residents in the City need more money to see them through this difficult period.  It is right that the Government has invested this extra cash and acted swiftly to help our most vulnerable residents, including 45,620 pensioners and 1470 children.”

This help is in addition to the extra £4bn which will be spent on pensioners next year, announced by the Chancellor in the pre-budget report. This means the biggest increase in the State Pension since 2001, bringing it from £90 to £95 a week, and the biggest increase in Pension Credit since it was introduced, so that no pensioner need live on less than £130 a week from April 2009.

Speaking after a special debate in the House of Commons, James Purnell MP, Labour's Secretary of State for Work and Pensions said:

“We know that older people in Brighton and Hove are facing tough times and that's why we are making this real help available. I am pleased to confirm that this year we will spend approximately £900 million on the additional Christmas bonus payments.

"The Tories say we should do nothing to help vulnerable people in Brighton and Hove but we've ignored them and are putting an extra £60 in every pensioners’ pockets, alongside their increased Winter Fuel Payments.”