Warning more older people will live in poverty

Rhian Bowen-Davies is the new Older People’s Commissioner for Wales

More older people in Wales will be pushed into poverty this winter, Wales' older people's commissioner has warned.

Rhian Bowen-Davies said she was "angry, concerned and very disappointed" with the UK government's decision to cut the winter fuel payment

Around 10 million pensioners in Wales and England who are not on pension credit or other means-tested benefits will no longer get the annual payments, worth between £100 and £300.

"That decision of heating or eating is a reality for older people in Wales," Ms Bowen-Davies told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

Ms Bowen-Davies said there had been no contingency planning for those who would lose out as a result of the decision.

The UK government said most pensioners would benefit from a rise in the state pension.

It comes as annual gas and electricity prices rise by 10% or £149 in Wales, Scotland and England.

One in six older people in Wales live in poverty, Ms Bowen-Davies pointed out, adding that Wales has a higher proportion of older people than the rest of the UK.

"The reality is that this decision is going to mean that older people, some of them, are going to be pushed further into poverty," she said.

She added it would also have a "significant" impact on people's physical and mental health and consequentially on the health and social care system in Wales.