Senator Francis Le Gresley persuaded the majority of the House to approve his idea, by 30 votes to 18, plugging a gap in the welfare system.
The Senator had argued that it was unfair that over-65s who qualified for the annual GST bonus – but not Income Support – were not eligible for cold weather payments. His proposal to bring them under Income Support through cold weather payments, costing an estimated £315,000, will come into place in 2012.
