2,133 days of active service but no fuel allowance

“It’s bureaucracy gone mad!” is a familiar cry from Lib Dem MPs, councillors and activists across the country. But I think in Portsmouth we probably have something that takes the biscuit in that regard.

Here, Mike Hancock has been taken up the case of a 94 year-old Second World War veteran, Mr Bob McGowan who was denied his winter fuel payment by moving one day too late. He is now threatening to hand back his war medals in disgust at the way that he has been treated unless, at the very least, he gets an apology and a donation to Help the Heroes from the Government.

In 2007, Mr McGowan who spent with 2,133 days on active duty overseas during the war, moved from accommodation that didn’t qualify for the payment to a property that did. If he had moved on the Friday he would have got the £300 winter fuel allowance but by not moving until the beginning of the following week, it meant Mr McGowan was denied it. Although, he did of course have to heat his home for the whole of that winter.

During the Second World War, Mr McGowan fought in defence of our democracy and against dictatorship and excessive “jobsworth” bureaucracy and I doubt that there is a person in the land would deny Mr McGowan his winter fuel allowance with perhaps the exception of Gordon Brown and the Pensions Minister. As Mike has said, we should honour not just today’s heroes but yesterday’s as well.

We would be grateful if readers of Lib Dem Voice could back Mike’s online petition in support of Mr McGowan and feature it in their blogs! Thanks! May be then we can persuade the Government to give him one day’s grace in return for the 2,133 days he gave us defending our democracy!

Michael Andrewes is Constituency Researcher for Mike Hancock, Lib Dem MP for Portsmouth South