Retried Member Section
The Branch has a retired members section and a active retired members Section Secretary in Gordon Dowell, who plays an active role within the Branch in representing our retired members.
If you are already a retired member and require any assistance or you are about to retire and would like to remain a member of the CWU you can do so at a discounted rate whilst still making use of the excellent benefits. or would like to get involved in the retired members section please conctact the Branch on 01634-387716 or email cwukentinvicta@aol.com
NPC RESPONSE TO 43.900 COLD RELATED DEATHS OF THE ELDERLY, DECEMBER 2014 TO MARCH 2015;
Call for a commission to tackle fuel poverty as figures reveal 15 pensioners died every hour last winter Posted on November 25, 2015 by admin Press Release For immediate release: 25 November 2015 Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has called on the government to launch a new fuel poverty commission to urgently address the scale of annual winter deaths among the country’s older population.
The call comes as official figures today show an estimated 43,900 excess winter deaths occurred in England and Wales in 2014/15; the highest number since 1999/00, with 27% more people dying in the winter months compared with the non-winter months.
This is up by 25,700 on the previous year and represents a 140% increase. The majority of deaths occurred among people aged 75 and over; there were an estimated 36,300 excess winter deaths in this age group in 2014/15, compared with 7,700 in people aged under 75. In total, the figures represent 365 deaths a day or 15 deaths an hour. Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “Successive governments have simply ignored the problem of winter deaths among the older population and seem to have a policy of crossing their fingers and hoping things will improve.
Today’s figures show that this policy simply doesn’t work. The key is tackling winter deaths is to make sure older people have got a well-insulated, warm home and the income needed to pay the fuel bills. This is a basic requirement of what a decent society should do.
A fuel poverty commission should be set up as a matter of urgency with the task of finding solutions to this problem such as rolling out a more effective programme to insulate homes, building more suitable properties for older people, raising the winter fuel allowance and tackling the excessive profits of the big six energy companies.
COMMENTS WELCOME, ON SENPEC FACEBOOK PAGE. INCIDENTALLY IT WAS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD