Westmorland and Furness council debates winter heating subsidies

Conservative leader Hilary Carrick will table a motion at its meeting on 26 September calling on the council to write to the Labour government demanding a review.

The motion calls on Council Leader Jonathan Brook to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer asking him to review the decision to means test heating allowances for the winter.

In England and Wales, people who do not receive a pension supplement or other income-related benefits will no longer receive winter heating allowances after an opposition motion to prevent cuts to the allowance failed.

Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds had previously said the payment would be means-tested because the previous government had left a “£22 billion black hole” in public finances.

“There are many very wealthy pensioners who get transfers of £200 (or £300 if they are over 80) into their bank accounts and who do not need the money. So it is right that we target this support at the poorest pensioners,” she said.

It is expected that the number of pensioners receiving the payment of up to £300 will fall by 10 million (from 11.4 million to 1.5 million), resulting in savings of around £1.4 billion this year.

However, Councillor Carrick’s motion states: “The new Labour Government’s recent decision to restrict the Winter Fuel Payment to those pensioners who receive income-related benefits such as Pension Credit means that over 40,000 pensioners in Westmorland and Furness who desperately need the money to keep warm this winter will not receive it.”

“The Winter Fuel Payment has been a lifeline for many older people across the UK. Restricting its availability solely to those in receipt of Pension Credit risks leaving many pensioners in financial difficulty.

“While some pensioners currently receiving the Winter Fuel Payment may not need it, many thousands in Westmorland and Furness are just above the Pension Credit threshold and will now lose their allowance.”

If the motion is passed, the council will support local efforts to promote the take-up of the pension subsidy through community services and partnerships with local charities and community organisations to ensure that all eligible pensioners in Westmorland and Furness are supported in claiming their entitlement.

Councillors will discuss the motion at their meeting on 26 September at County Hall in Kendal.