Conservative Councillors at Stratford District Council's (SDC) meeting on Monday 14th October submitted a notice of motion regarding the appalling decision by the Labour Government to stop the winter fuel allowance to pensioners.
The motion asked Stratford on Avon District Council to bring forward a council-led local awareness campaign to alert those eligible for Pension Credit (which in some respects will help gain access to the Winter Fuel Payment for those most in need), as well as request that the Council Leader write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, urging a review of the decision to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment and asking the government to ensure that vulnerable pensioners, particularly those who do not claim Pension Credit, are protected from fuel poverty. It also asked for the Council to commit to signing the ‘Save the Winter Fuel Payment for Struggling Pensioners’ petition being run by Age UK and write to all members offering them the opportunity to sign the petition themselves.
Other commitments were for the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ask for funding for a local advertising and outreach campaign to raise awareness about Pension Credit and other benefits, targeting pensioners who may be eligible but are not currently claiming, as well as encouraging local efforts to promote Pension Credit uptake through council services and partnerships with local charities and community organisations to ensure that all eligible pensioners in the Stratford District are supported in claiming their entitlement.
These types of motions have been happening in councils across the country and sometimes these motions are subject to a 'friendly amendment', where another group will make a slight change that everyone can vote and agree with. However, there was nothing friendly about the Green party amendment which was brought in at the last minute and changed the motion fundamentally to be about climate change issues rather than helping the elderly and the vulnerable. Unbelievably these amendments were supported by not only the local Lib Dem MP but also by the Leader of the Council and her deputy, although there were signs of a split within the Lib Dem group with their other councillors.
Cllr Whalley-Hoggins motion was presented to and cleared with SDC officers in plenty of time for the meeting and published in the papers, however the Green party amendment was not seen until during the actual meeting. Its topic was so far removed from the original that it should have been presented as its own motion, rather than sabotaging the Winter Fuel Allowance one.
As the urgency of the winter fuel allowance motion was obviously no longer deemed a priority for the Lib Dem Councillors or the Greens or even the local MP, Conservative Group Leader and proposer of the motion Cllr Sarah Whalley-Hoggins withdrew the original, and heartfelt motion.
Conservative Councillor and Group Leader Sarah Whalley-Hoggins commented "the appalling behaviour of both the Greens and Lib Dems at the meeting shows they really do not care about the elderly pensioners in Stratford on Avon and fail to grasp the gravity of the situation our elderly residents face”.
Richard Walters, Chairman of Stratford Conservative Association added “The events clearly illustrated that in Parliament, and Local Councils, you cannot rely on the Liberal Democrats to stand up to Labour. Without a single Labour Councillor the Liberal Democrat led SDC is silent on Labour’s cruel removal of the Winter Fuel Allowance. Stratford deserves better.”
Today was a very sad day for Stratford on Avon pensioners, however your Conservative councillors will continue to fight for all residents and we will do all we can to advocate for those who need the winter fuel allowance.
