Christmas comes late for over 1,000 elderly people in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney

12.00.00am GMT Fri 27th Feb 2009

Local campaigner Amy Kitcher is disappointed that Labour have failed to deliver payments on time

Christmas bonus payments for around 1,200 elderly people in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney to help with winter fuel bills will not be paid until nearly Easter, warns a leading local Liberal Democrat.

According to research carried out by Liberal Democrats in Parliament, nearly one in ten older people will be getting their Christmas bonus at a time when their grandchildren are getting their Easter eggs.

Parliamentary spokesperson for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, Amy Kitcher, is joining calls to speed up payments and make sure older residents of the area get their bonus as soon as possible.

"This late payment is appalling," said Amy. "At a time of sky high heating and fuel bills, paying the bonus three months late is just not good enough.

"I am urging the Government to ensure that payments are made promptly next Christmas. Making the elderly wait until it's nearly Easter is just not acceptable."

Steve Webb MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said, "The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, stood up in the House of Commons in November and promised pensioners a Christmas bonus on their winter fuel payments, but clearly this was nothing of the sort.

"It is outrageous that this money will not be reaching pensioners until nearly Easter."

Parliamentary questions by Liberal Democrat MPs revealed that 8.69 percent of bonus payments - nearly one in ten - will not be made until March. There are around 14,000 pensioners in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney who would qualify for the payment, meaning around 1,200 are expected to receive their payment late.