The government has had to make some difficult decisions to fix the foundations of the economy due to the dire state of the public finances. The Winter Fuel Payment is set to be means-tested and delivered to those on Pension Credit to ensure it is targeted towards those in most need.

Pensioners whose weekly income is below £218.15 for a single person or £332.95 for a couple should check to see if they are eligible for this support which is worth £3,900 a year on average, using DWP’s online calculator: Pension Credit calculator - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)


Applications for Pension Credit can be made:  

• On the How to Claim page  
• Over the phone by calling 0800 99 1234 (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm)  
• By printing out and filling in a paper application form  
• For more information visit the Pension Credit GOV.UK page.

Pensioners need to be entitled to Pension Credit for at least one day in week September 16 to 22 to be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment for this winter.

21 December is the last date for backdating a claim for Pension Credit to 22 September, assuming the claimant met the Pension Credit entitlement conditions throughout the previous three months.

I will endeavour to work with the Government and Local Authorities to ensure that the 800,000 pensioners who qualify for Pension Credit but have not applied for it do so.

In the coming weeks, I will also be setting up a dedicated surgery for older residents with information about further assistance and available support.

In the meantime, if you need me to look at your specific case to see how I can support, please contact my office and make an appointment for a phone consultation.

Support available
Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF) | GOV.WALES
Help with your energy bills: If you're on benefits or have a low income - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Get help with energy efficiency in your home from Nest | GOV.WALES
Help with fuel and energy costs and other household bills - Swansea
Tackling Fuel Poverty in Wales Together - Warm Wales
​Advicelink Cymru - Citizens Advice

Petitions are one of the easiest ways to get involved in Parliament. Here's how:

Tonia Antoniazzi, Member of Parliament for Gower, has called on the UK Government to take action to protect businesses and consumers amid rising rates of shoplifting.

According to data released in February by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the trade body representing retail businesses in the UK, incidents of customer theft have risen to a record 16.7 million, up from 8 million the previous year. The BRC estimates the cost to retailers last year of this shoplifting epidemic was £1.8bn, up from £950mn and the highest amount on record.

The impact on shop workers has been clear with incidents of violence and abuse of shop workers soaring by 50% over the past year. The BRC estimates a staggering 1,300 incidents each day last year of racial abuse, sexual harassment, physical assaults, and threats with weapons.

Tonia Antoniazzi spoke to local shop workers and owners in Gorseinon to discuss their experiences and concerns on the frontline of this surge in shoplifting and violence.

Tonia backed plans to tackle soaring rates of shop lifting by reversing the decision by the Conservative Government in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to downgrade the police response to the theft of items worth less than £200.

Under the 2014 Act, any incidents involving goods below £200 would have to be tried as “summary only offences.” This has led to many defendants being able to plead guilty by post and pay a small fine - thereby avoiding a court appearance.

In practice, it has acted as a signal to the police to deprioritise any enforcement for shoplifting of goods below £200 at all – even in cases of repeat and organised shoplifting - with arrests for theft offences falling from 136,000 in 2018 to just 78,000 in 2022.

Tonia Antoniazzi, Labour MP for Gower said:

“Too many communities and high streets are being blighted by staggering increases in shoplifting, up 30 per cent in the last year alone. Since 2010, the Conservative government has decimated neighbourhood policing, leaving our town centres unprotected, and introduced a rule meaning that shoplifting of goods under £200 isn’t being investigated. This Tory ‘Shoplifter’s Charter’ has left local businesses and retail workers at the mercy of criminals.

"Enough is enough. Labour called for tougher action on criminals who assault shop-workers and only in the past month did the Government finally act. The Tories should follow Labour’s lead again and remove the £200 rule that is letting shoplifters off the hook.

“Britain cannot afford more damaging decline from the Conservatives on crime and justice. Labour will restore the rule of law on Britain’s high streets and in our town centres.
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More widely, Labour have pledged to tackle crime across England and Wales by reintroducing neighbourhood policing with 13,000 more police and PCSOs on the streets, including a named officer to lead on tackling anti-social behaviour.

For the sake of our beautiful coastline, we must bring an end to sewage pollution. 

The UKs waterways and coastlines are in crisis. Extreme weather, pollution, climate impacts, industrial and agricultural processes, and associated water demand and population growth have all placed enormous pressure on our antiquated plumbing and drainage networks.

The alarming statistics speak for themselves: in 2022 alone, a staggering 399,864 instances of raw sewage discharges into UK water bodies were recorded, with 1,924 reported cases of illness linked to sewage contamination by Surfers Against Sewage.

To show support for water users and water lovers affected by pollution, I joined water users including surfers, swimmers, canoers and business in Westminster at the launch of the End Sewage Pollution Manifesto, created by Surfers Against Sewage, and the End Sewage Pollution Coalition.

The End Sewage Pollution Coalitions manifesto sets out a five-point plan to restore the health and safety of the UK's waterways.

The manifesto includes 5 key policies which parties can adopt to turn the tide on sewage pollution, Including:

1. Enforce existing regulations and laws.

2. Hold companies accountable for their environmental impact and preventing pollution for profit.

3. Take immediate and targeted action to address pollution into protected nature and bathing sites.

4. Embrace a nature-led approach to tackling sewage pollution.
​
5. Ensure nationwide transparency regarding sewage pollution levels.
 
The upcoming election presents a genuine opportunity for an incoming government to take further steps to address sewage pollution.

​That’s why I'm committed to supporting the aims of the manifesto in order to protect and champion the water users of Gower.