Nuneaton’s MP Marcus Jones has continued the fight to support ex-Daw Mill miners during a parliamentary debate.

Following the demise of UK Coal and the closure of Daw Mill Colliery, former Daw Mill workers and Daw Mill pensioners who left the mining industry after 1994, were dealt a further blow at the loss of a concessionary coal allowance to heat their homes, which was a payment worth over £1000 a year.

The loss of the concessionary coal allowance has left many former Daw Mill workers facing fuel poverty. Recognising the devastating impact the closure of the colliery has had on the lives of many families across our area, Marcus joined forces with a number of other MPs and met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to lobby for the reinstatement of the concessionary coal allowance.

Commenting, Marcus said: “This is an issue of fairness and that is why we have taken this important case to the Chancellor previously. On Wednesday (6 November) I spoke in a Westminster Hall debate on the subject in order to raise the profile of this important issue.  I firmly believe that whilst there is no apparent legal obligation for the Government to intervene on this issue, there is a moral argument as many of the people involved are pensioners who could well be pushed into fuel poverty through no fault of their own.

“People who left the mining industry prior to 1994 are still receiving the concessionary coal allowance from Government, but those who retired after 1994 or who have been made redundant lost their right to concessionary coal when UK Coal was liquidated.

“The Chancellor took a keen interest in this issue and had a great deal of sympathy with our argument and is looking carefully at this to see what the Government can do to help.”