Wirral Tories win bid to challenge fuel cuts

About 10 million pensioners are expected to lose their winter fuel allowance

Conservative councillors in Wirral have succeeded in passing a motion calling for the government to reverse its cuts to the winter fuel allowance.

The motion was supported by Green Party and Liberal Democrats members, meaning it had majority support on the Labour-run council.

About 10 million pensioners, including 58,000 in Wirral, are expected to no longer get the annual payments worth up to £300.

The Conservative motion calls on councillors to lobby Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Wirral's four Labour MPs to reverse the cuts.

Labour has said most pensioners would benefit from an upcoming rise in the state pension and argued the cuts were needed to sort out public finances.

However, councillor Jeff Green, leader of the Tory group, said the cuts amounted to “breath-taking cruelty” given recent rises in energy prices, the Local Democracy Reporting Service wrote.

Labour chancellor Rachel Reeves said the blame for winter fuel cuts should be blamed on "reckless decisions" by the Conservatives

The Green Party also criticised the move and called for the government to speed up home insulation programmes to help people save on their energy bills.

The Liberal Democrat group voted with the Conservatives arguing if the government had planned to means test the winter fuel allowance, it should not have rushed the decision.

Labour councillors hit back at the criticism arguing the new government was elected to solve “economic mismanagement which has brought our country to this desperate state” and pointed to the ability to access pension credit.

They accused the Conservatives of hypocrisy because they had previously proposed means testing the benefit.

'Disgrace'

Pointing to profits made by energy companies while the Conservatives were in government, councillor Ann Ainsworth said: “Where were your motions about the poverty pensioners were in then when you were in government and had the chance to do something about it?

“If you want to talk about a disgrace, that’s the disgrace.

"The fact people need a winter fuel payment at all is a disgrace.”

Labour eventually lost the vote with 33 voting in favour of the motion from all three opposition parties

Labour has 29 seats on Wirral Council, compared with 17 and 14 respectively for the Conservatives and Greens. The Lib Dems have six councillors.