Winter Fuel Allowance: City council meeting to debate cut labelled 'embarrassing' as Labour abstain

Shoppers in Derby
-Credit: (Image: Derby Telegraph)


A letter urging the Government to rethink its decision to scrap the Winter Fuel Allowance and prevent fuel poverty among Derby's 39,784 pensioners should soon be on its way to London - but not before it was part of a lively and heated debate that has been dubbed "embarrassing" by some councillors. It was held in front of elderly residents in the public gallery, after being put forward as a motion at this week's full council meeting.

The motion was penned by deputy Conservative council group leader Councillor Jonathan Smale and although the motion was carried, the ruling Labour group alone abstained. Among them were two newly-elected Labour MPs, who have remained as city councillors - Councillor Baggy Shanker (Derby South) and Councillor John Whitby (Derbyshire Dales) - who recently supported Sir Keir Starmer's cut to winter fuel payments after a Tory bid to reverse it was defeated in the Commons.

Up to now, winter fuel payments have been a state benefit for pensioners that are designed to help with their heating bills. They were introduced in 1997 by the previous Labour government and have been available to everyone in the UK who has reached state pension age. Payments are worth between £100 and £300 – tax-free – with the basic rate paid automatically to anyone claiming the state pension. The higher sums are available to those who get other benefits, such as pension credit.

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Mr Shanker and Mr Whitby both spoke during the motion debate in Derby's council chamber on Wednesday night. Both cited the Government's need to plug the £22 billion funding gap that they blamed the previous Conservative government for creating, explaining why the Government had decided to cut the fuel allowance with Mr Shanker, who is also ward councillor Sinfin, saying: "We do want to support pensioners on good fiscal terms do everyone in the country is supported.

"Tough choices and tough decisions must be made to ensure commitments like the triple-lock commitment giving pensioners £1,700 a year can be made."

Empty chamber at Derby City Council
The council chamber was very lively on Wednesday night during the fuel allowance debate -Credit:Derby City Council

Mr Whitby, who is a Mackworth and New Zealand ward councillor, added: "Nobody expected to have this problem, it's £22 billion within year. Our public services are on their knees and so we have to pay workers so they can recruit otherwise they will remain on their knees."

The debate, which lasted almost 90 minutes, attracted remarks from a large number of city councillors from all parties after Mr Smale kicked it off by saying: "Decisions made in Westminster resonate profoundly within our communities in Derby, particularly among our most vulnerable citizens, our pensioners. This allowance has been a lifeline for pensioners in the city, who depend on it to keep their homes warmer. It is being stripped away when they are being hit by higher cost-of-living costs.

"This motion asks us to reach out to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with the help of the leadership of this city council, asking for the reinstatement of the winter fuel payment, emphasising the impact on our pensioners in Derby. If the policy remains unchanged we should make sure all vulnerable residents are aware of what support is available. Let us stand together in solidarity and call for a reversal of this policy."

Council leader Councillor Nadine Peatfield, who tabled an amendment to the motion suggesting the allowance is means-tested and which was lost, said that "no-one disagrees with the sentiment of the motion" but said she wanted to "call-out the hypocrisy" of the Conservative councillors, who she said did not support previous motions on the cost of living in 2021 and universal credit in 2018-19.

She added: "We are looking to make sure we alert people who are eligible for pension credit so they can claim winter fuel allowance as there is £9 million unclaimed pension credit in the council at the moment. Many benefits are means-tested already. Some pensioners can afford to lose this allowance and use it for other than fuel.

Cost of living council cabinet member Councillor Sarah Chambers also proceeded to justify why the Government had decided to cut the fuel allowance and said: "No Labour Government wants to make these tough choices. We have 14 years of financial mess and chaos, food poverty, fuel poverty, a mental health crisis and it's shameful and embarrassing." She also explained that efforts were being made to contact people who needed help financially.

A couple of Conservative councillors spoke movingly of contact they had with elderly people and what they had been told. Councillor Nicola Roulstone said: "One lady told me she had sold her jewellery to pay her fuel bills." And Councillor Jamie Mulhall added: "One resident said to me 'I hope I die before winter starts because it will be less painful'.

Reform Derby councillor Councillor Tim Prosser said that money was being spent by the Government on special advisers and trade union members and said that cutting the fuel allowance was a "bitter pill to swallow which could cost lives".

A recorded vote showed the motion was carried by 24 votes to none, with Labour abstaining.

Afterwards Conservative group leader Councillor Steve Hassall added: "Thankfully, common sense prevailed and the motion was passed despite all Labour councillors not only abstaining from the vote and the MPs, who remain councillors, proudly defending their government’s actions, in what can only be seen as a shameless act of self preservation.

"Equally, the Labour cabinet member for cost of living also abstained, which not only makes mockery of this position but also questions its validity. This motion has direct cost of living implications and she should be embarrassed and ashamed of her performance and should immediately consider her position, as now was the time for her to act but sadly she completely failed in that duty."

Reform Derby councillor Alan Graves added: "There are other budgets that deserve cutting such as the foreign aid budget or the amount the country spends on illegal immigrants. Labour have their priorities all wrong. Our elderly are going to struggle even more this Christmas."

Lib Dem leader Councillor Ajit Atwal said the meeting was "embarrassing" in the way that Labour lost the amendment and then abstained in the final vote. He added: "This should not have been a political debate but it became one,. we should have been united on behalf of the city and I think the two MPs should distance themselves from justifying what the Government is doing and think of the people of Derby."

Former Derby North Conservative MP Amanda Solloway was in the council chamber's public gallery and was name-checked during the debate by Mr Shanker, as losing her seat because of her Government policies. Mrs Solloway said afterwards: "I was at the Council House last night in support of the thousands of Derby pensioners set to struggle this winter.

"The two councillors - Mr Whitby and Mr Shanker - only last week put their political party before people by voting in Westminster to take this support from pensioners. Our pensioners deserve better."

Derbyshire Live has asked the city council when the letter will be sent to the Government and who will be signing it after Mrs Peatfield and Ms Chambers abstained during the vote and also if it is possible to be given a copy of it.