‘Support welcome but it will not go very far’

A PENSIONER has said it is ‘a relief’ to hear of the extra help which includes the return of the state pension triple lock next year.

Mick Thompson, 67, and his wife Nix, 5 , expect to receive around £ 50 to help ease the squeeze on their finances.

Mr Thompson said: ‘It was a relief to hear about the help because it meant we weren’t going to be heading to Armageddon. Without any help we would have been.’

He described the return of the triple lock on pensions as ‘great’, adding: ‘I was really angry when it was frozen – my pension only went up by £14 this year.’ However he noted that the additional support could have gone further and said of his pension: ‘It will only end up being a 4 per cent increase, when it should have been per cent.’

The former hotel owner said he and his wife are now spending twice as much on oil to heat their bungalow in Cornwall, setting them back by £1,200 over the past year. And their electricity bills have increased from £75 to £206 a month following the collapse of their supplier Zebra in November.

Mrs Thompson, who is unable to work due to a tendon condition, receives a £464 per month personal independence payment. Mr Thompson’s pension amounts to £626 a month. This means their energy bills alone now take up around a fifth of their entire household income.

Mr Thompson, a father-of-two, added: ‘While I welcome the help, it will only really cover the increased cost of our oil.

‘It will not go very far in addressing our electricity bills.’