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Winter Fuel protest to be taken direct to No. 10
Mike Hancock, MP will help take a 95 year-old World War veteran's protest over his winter fuel payment direct to the Prime Minister tomorrow, at 10, Downing Street, Tuesday 9th March at 12.30pm.
Mr McGowan of Portsmouth, who is Mike Hancock's constituent, missed out on his winter fuel payment by one day when he moved from accommodation that didn't qualify for the payment to a property that did. In 2007, he moved from a council operated residential home where he wasn't responsible for the winter fuel bill into sheltered accommodation where he was. If he had moved one day earlier he would have qualified for the payment.
He will hand in a letter of protest to the Prime Minister saying that this is over-strict bureaucracy and interpretation of the rules.
If he should receive the payment, Mr McGowan has said that he will very kindly donate it to "Help for Heroes" but he sees it as a matter of principle that his Government should look after him after he fought for his country.
Mr McGowan spent 2,133 days overseas on active service during World War Two.
Mike Hancock said: "We should honour not just today's heroes but yesterday's as well. Mr McGowan didn't count the days in his military service but did what was necessary. If Mr McGowan had known about the rules, no doubt he could have moved a bit earlier. While I appreciate there needs to be the rules, in this case I believe that the Government should give the payment as a goodwill gesture so that Help for Heroes can benefit. Mr McGowan fought for his country. Now his country should recognise his service and that of countless other heroes. And this would be one way of doing it. I am pleased to be able to help my constituent highlight this injustice but I am greatly disappointed that the Government has not acted to help him."
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