Pensioners

I want to make sure every older person in Paisley and Renfrewshire knows about the help that may be available to them. I have prepared a handy guide which can be found below giving key information to help in this time of recession.

Many pensioners don’t know what help is out there or feel uncomfortable asking for help or filling in forms. Hopefully this guide will help you through the jungle and shed some light on what help you may be able to get. Many may have received earlier editions of my leaflet through the post, but the below update has new material. For example, the new Energy Assistance Package has replaced the previous Central Heating Installation/Replacement scheme.

I regret the demise of the previous Central Heating Scheme that I had pride in launching with Donald Dewar in 2000. Since then over 100,000 Scots, mainly pensioners, benefited from new central heating systems. It is easy to forget how common deaths from hypothermia used to be. So I was determined the scheme should not be means-tested. Sadly, its replacement is means-tested and only 173 households have benefitted from new systems in its first 6 months. But whatever the shortcomings od the new Energy Assistance Package – check out your eligibility just in case!

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Pensioners Winter Leaflet 2009

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