Stratford councillors want protection for 30,000 residents this winter

LABOUR is picking the pocket of Stratford district pensioners – that is the eye-catching sentiment behind a call to tackle the looming cut in winter fuel payments.

It’s at the heart of a motion going to a meeting of SDC’s full council next week, urging action to protect the more than 30,000 residents it says are at risk from fuel poverty.

There was shock and anger when an immediate change to the system – originally introduced by Labour in 1997– was one of the new government’s first big announcements after winning the election in July.

There had long been support for the idea of taking it away from high-earning pensioners but the drastic change outlined by chancellor Rachel Reeves has been seen to go too far, limiting it to those in receipt of Pension Credit or other means-tested benefits.

That could see some ten million pensioners miss out this winter at short notice – a position aggravated by the high number of those eligible for Pension Credit having not applied for it.

Age UK has launched a petition calling for the plans to be halted and Labour’s political opponents have been quick to call for the payments to be saved.

To this considerable opposition can now be added the motion being put forward by Cllr Sarah Whalley-Hoggins (Con, Brailes and Compton) and seconded by Cllr Chris Mills (Con, Gaydon, Kineton and Upper Lighthorne).

It says Labour’s approach will affect 30,200 residents across the district and will be an added burden on the NHS.

It adds: “Every single village, town and hamlet within Stratford district will be impacted by this decision which was not listed in Labour’s election manifesto.

“It leaves our most vulnerable residents on fixed incomes with no time to plan for the extra financial burden.”

They urge Stratford District Council to note an array of points about the impact and also that the council should state its belief that the winter fuel payment has been a lifelong for many older people and that changes to the system could be done in a different way.

And the motion calls on the council to resolve to take five actions:

- Bring forward a council-led local awareness campaign to alert those eligible of Pension Credit which in some respects will help access to the payment for those most in need.

- Request that the council leader write to the Chancellor, urging a review of the decision to means-test the payment and asking the government to ensure that vulnerable pensioners, particularly those who do not claim Pension Credit, are protected from fuel poverty.

- Commit the council to sign the Age UK petition and write to all councillors, offering them the opportunity to sign the petition themselves.

- Commit 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.

- Encourage efforts in the area to promote Pension Credit uptake through council services and partnerships with charities and community organisations, to ensure that all eligible pensioners in Stratford district are supported in claiming their entitlement.

The motion is set to be debated at the full council meeting next Monday (14th October), at 2pm in the council chamber at Elizabeth House, in Stratford.