Pensioners panicking about winter – Milton Keynes clothes bank

Chris Curtis, who was elected to serve Milton Keynes North in the summer’s general election, wrote to his constituents to explain why he voted for the cuts.

In a letter, he said he felt it was “necessary” because of the “dire state of the public finances left by the previous government”.

However, he said he had been “reassured by government colleagues” that vulnerable pensioners would not suffer.

He pointed to a government decision to maintain the triple lock on pensions, meaning a rise of more than £900 for the state pension this year and also an extension to the Household Support Fund, providing “£500m of support for those most in need”.

However, he voiced concerns over the low take-up of pension credit, adding that he would be writing to the Labour leader of Milton Keynes Council to see if more could be done locally to increase uptake.