Dear Editor
I, like many of your readers, am deeply unsettled by the new statistics showing the numbers of people who died last year whilst homeless.
To echo Labour’s Housing spokesperson Mark Griffin, pictured right, it is indeed a ‘travesty’ and a ‘damning symbol of government failure’.
I’d like to remind your readers what our local MP, Douglas McAllister, voted for this year whilst on a trip to London. He, and nearly all his Labour colleagues voted to end the winter fuel allowance for all pensioners aside from those on pension benefit.
It is now more important than ever that everyone sees the hypocrisy of our new government and realise the reality of their failures.
Labour previously stated the withdrawal of the winter fuel payment would result in 4000 deaths across the UK, when first proposed by the Tory party. Now they do not care.
To this end it appears as though the SNP and the Labour government have formed a silent coalition to let those who are the most vulnerable within our society pass away in the most lonely, cold and miserable manner that one can imagine.
Whilst the SNP government will pay lip service to those who are homeless, or facing homelessness, it will come as no surprise to anyone to see these figures again next year. At the same time, we should all expect to hear about stories of pensioners who will pass away at home simply because they couldn’t keep themselves warm. This Labour government will not release any figures to show the voting public the harm they will cause and will hide away from any scrutiny. But we all know in our hearts what is inevitably going to happen.
Only last week I heard a story of a gentleman pensioner who had completely run out of gas and electric on his pre-paid meter. He had been sitting in his cold and dark house, alone, for a period of time before he managed to get himself up and to his local shop to put some money onto his meter. This gentleman fell on the icy pavement and broke his hip. The lady who found him called an ambulance and was then told that there wasn’t one available. The lady with her young son managed to help the gentleman into her car and get him to the hospital. This is the reality for pensioners under this Labour Government.
Kezia Dugdale, pictured right, former Scottish Labour Leader wrote an article published in ‘The Courier and Advertiser’ this week claiming in 2026 we may see a coalition of the left between Scottish Labour and the SNP. Just when you think things couldn’t get any worse, along comes a leading voice within Labour with a radical idea that should keep us all up at night!
Whilst one party demonstrates complete complacency towards homelessness death statistics, the other demonstrates the same complete complacency towards our pensioners, those that will pass away at home due to cold related illnesses.
Scottish Labour have stated that they will reinstate the winter fuel allowance for Scottish Pensioners if they win power in 2026. However, if anyone can trust them to do so will be measured when the votes are counted. I can already hear the excuses and claims of financial black holes left by the current SNP Scottish Government.
Labour leader Anas Sarwar, his Deputy Jackie Baillie and Dumbarton MP Douglas McAllister, formerly Provost of West Dunbartonshire.
Does anyone actually think that if Anas Sarwar or Jackie Baillie were sitting in Westminster instead of Douglas McAllister either of them would have voted differently? The answer is obvious and simple, they would not have voted any differently because these are career politicians who will say absolutely anything to win your vote and do anything they like once they have a seat.
Please can everyone be very mindful of our pensioners this winter. Please check in on neighbours and relatives as often as you can so we can combat the misery created by our Scottish SNP and UK Labour governments and together we can try and avoid these preventable deaths.
Whilst Reform UK are unable to hold the SNP or Labour to account in Holyrood, we will do our very best to hold them to account in our local and national press. Please share your stories with the editors and if you can, please share them directly with us.
My email address is chair.westdunb@reformuk.com. We have established a local branch and have a very good team volunteers who want to hear your personal stories and help wherever we can. With your permission we can write on your behalf to highlight the failures of our current government and hold them to account. Kind Regards, David Smith, Reform UK Branch Chairman for West Dunbartonshire