Plea from Lincolnshire county councillors to reverse Government’s ‘blunt and insensitive’ winter fuel allowance cuts
Concerned councillors have urged the Labour government to review its decision to remove the winter fuel allowance for all but the most financially vulnerable pensioners.
During a full council meeting on Friday, county councillors from across Lincolnshire described the decision to limit the winter fuel allowance to only those claiming pension credit or other means-tested benefits as "reckless" and "insensitive".
In a motion brought forward by Waddington and Hykeham East Councillor Tom Dyer (Conservative), members agreed to write to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, urging her to reconsider and to publicly support the 'Save the Winter Fuel Payment' petition run by Age UK.
"It is deeply disappointing that I have to stand here today to propose this motion," stated Coun Dyer.
"In one of its early decisions, this government has chosen to abolish the winter fuel allowance - a decision that will have far-reaching consequences and far-reaching harmful consequences for some of our most vulnerable residents across Lincolnshire."
He added: "Scrapping the winter fuel allowance is a blunt and insensitive measure that completely disregards the plight of pensioners that are barely getting by. These individuals may not qualify for additional benefits but are still heavily reliant on support to stay warm during the winter months."
The Conservative councillor highlighted that about 170,000 people in Lincolnshire claimed the winter fuel allowance in 2022, and with this new reform, this number would plummet to just 21,000.
Last week, Neil O’Brien, Conservative MP for Harborough, shared data outlining the number of people per constituency losing winter fuel payments, describing it as "the numbers the government doesn’t want to publish".
This data showed that 215,897 people across Lincolnshire are set to lose support.
"This motion is a call for action. As a council, we must step up for our pensioners where the government has failed. We have a moral duty to protect the most vulnerable residents in Lincolnshire. It is truly shameful that we are even in this position but, we cannot and must not stand by while pensioners are abandoned in this way," continued Coun Dyer.
Fellow Conservative councillor Hilton Spratt, who also sits on City of Lincoln Council, agreed. He said that a friend of his, who is a pensioner, was "absolutely disgusted" by the move.
He argued: "The poor will still get the money. A lot of people will argue that the rich don’t need it, and I understand that argument, but if you follow that through to the logical conclusion, does it mean that rich people shouldn’t get old age pensions? Is that what’s coming next?"
The motion, which also included creating a council-led campaign to alter those eligible for pension credit, passed by a landslide vote, with 51 in favour and five abstaining.
When a Conservative motion to block the cut was shot down in Parliament on Tuesday, September 10, Lincoln's Labour MP Hamish Falconer faced questions from the BBC Look North. He admitted it was a "difficult day" but assured viewers that he had the welfare of residents in mind.
"Nobody in the Labour Party wants to be making these kinds of decisions," he said.
"We, of course, want to make sure that everybody has a chance to have their energy on in the winter, but we have been left with a £22 billion deficit and we need to take action in-year to try and rectify that."