Tory council criticises winter fuel payment cuts

Labour won a vote to only allow people claiming pension credit to receive the winter fuel payment

Conservative councillors at a local authority have proposed a motion against the government's winter fuel payment cuts.

It was submitted by the leader of Tory-led West Northamptonshire Council, Adam Brown, and suggests as many as 64,000 pensioners could be affected by the cuts in the area.

The motion, which will be heard at a full council meeting on Thursday, said the cut may "push many... towards making dire financial choices this coming winter".

Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves told the BBC the cut was not a step she wanted to take, but that it was one of the "difficult decisions" needed to fix the economy.

Rachel Reeves told the Labour conference the cut was not a return to austerity

Earlier this month, the government won its vote to implement the winter fuel cuts by a majority of 120. It means more than 10 million pensioners in England and Wales lose out on around £200-£300.

The payments are normally made in November and December and will still be paid to pensioners claiming pension credit to top up a low income.

More than 6,300 people in West Northamptonshire claim this and should automatically receive the winter fuel payments, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Leader of West Northamptonshire Council Adam Brown has proposed the motion

The Conservatives will ask West Northamptonshire Council to "formally stand against the government's decision, in support of our elderly residents in need".

The motion asked the local authority to make pensioner poverty a priority of the council's anti-poverty working group, enhance the promotion of warm spaces and launch more in underserved communities this winter, and advertise the locations of food banks and community larders to elderly residents.

It also asked to continue to raise awareness of pension credit, the eligibility, and how to apply.

According to government figures, there were around 880,000 people across the UK who may be eligible but are not claiming it.