Hull City Council calls on the Government to reconsider 'cruel' winter fuel allowance cut
Hull City Council has called on the Government and Hull's three MPs to reverse the "cruel and devastating" cuts to the winter fuel allowance.
At last Thursday's full council meeting, Cllr Jack Haines, of the authority's ruling Liberal Democrat group, presented a motion condemning the Labour government's decision to cut the winter fuel allowance for pensioners and called for the decision to be reconsidered.
Cllr Haines said: "Thousands of vulnerable people across Hull will be impacted terribly by this government cut.
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"So many pensioners across the city are already facing another winter of a cost of living crisis and this will make things worse. I’m disappointed in our three Labour MPs and now our Labour councillors.
"Cutting payments to vulnerable pensioners across Hull is no way to bring about the change the country needs."
All three Hull MPs belong to the governing Labour Party. Both Emma Hardy and Karl Turner voted against a Conservative motion put forward in Parliament that opposed to scrapping the payment, while Dame Diana Johnson was unable to attend the vote due to ministerial commitments.
In his speech to the council chamber, Cllr Haines addressed the authority's Labour representatives, saying "their government has made a bad decision, and their councillors have an opportunity to join us in agreeing that that is a bad decision".
The Labour councillors present abstained from the vote meaning Cllr Haines' motion which described the government's cut as "cruel and devastating" passed 30-0.
Speaking to Hull Live, Daren Hale, the leader of the opposition Labour group on Hull City Council, accused the Liberal Democrats of "grabbing a headline and virtue signalling about something they can't do anything about."
He stated that his Labour group are focussed on "what we can practically do as councillors in Hull to make a difference" rather than "point scoring".
Since voting to scrap the payment, both Emma Hardy and Karl Turner have addressed their decision to vote in line with the Government.
Ms Hardy said: "This decision to means test the winter fuel allowance was not taken lightly but we will ensure the most vulnerable pensioners will still receive the support they need."
She has since asked any concerned elderly residents to contact her directly to discuss potential support.
Mr Turner explained that deciding to vote to scrap the allowance "was a difficult decision for everyone on the Labour benches to take, and I have placed my trust in the Chancellor to fix the foundations of our economy and I’ll continue to explore alternative ways to support pensioners in East Hull".