'They’re worried sick': Shropshire councillors clash over winter fuel plan as Tories call for rethink

Members arriving at Shirehall on Thursday were greeted by protestors supporting a motion to ask the Labour government to reverse its position on behalf of the county’s 80,000 or so pensioners, some of whom will lose out on a payment of up to £300 due to the changes.

The motion, put forward by Councillor Gwilym Butler on behalf of the Conservative group, asked council leader Lezley Picton to write to the chancellor to ask her to either reverse the cut or improve support measures for over 65s in rural areas.

The town’s Labour MP Julia Buckley, who still serves on Shropshire Council as member for Bridgnorth West and Tasley, was absent for a key government vote on winter fuel payments earlier this month due to illness.

Dr Buckley had earlier excused herself from the debate on the motion before heading to a constituency meeting, but in her absence the Shirehall chamber divided itself along party political lines during an occasionally heated debate.

“We were shocked by the recent announcement by the new Labour Government to stop payments to pensioners of the Winter Fuel Payments unless they are on Pension Tax Credits,” the motion read.

“We already have many pensioners in fuel poverty and the result of this withdrawal will result with many more."

Conservative councillor Chris Schofield (Oswestry East) said in his 35 years in local politics he had never known people to be so angry about a policy as with the government’s cuts to winter fuel payments.

“Talk to the pensioners in Oswestry, they are absolutely livid about this,” he said.

“They’re worried sick. It’s a double whammy because the the energy tariffs have gone up so it’s not just the £300 they’re losing, it’s another £200 on top of that.”

Green group leader Julian Dean accused Conservatives of “hypocrisy” as his amendment, which called for the council to provide “advice, guidance and direct support” to those eligible for pension credits, was accepted.

“Can we just remember that the winter fuel payment was slashed in 2010 by the coalition government and in subsequent years has been frozen every year, so effectively the Tories have over previous years made it worth less and less and less every year?” he asked.

“We need a massive insulation programme and we need to deal with winter fuel by reducing people’s reliance on fossil fuels and reducing people’s reliance on heating by having much better [insulated] homes.

“The amendment is to use our resources, the data we have, the places we have to really get that information out there and try to make sure that as many people as possible get access to the frankly miserable sum [available].”

A second amendment proposed by Labour group leader Councillor Rosemary Dartnall to continue to provide free green waste collections for those in receipt of pension credit was rejected.

“Of course we want to support our vulnerable residents, that’s obvious. It’s not always been as obvious on the other side of this chamber,” she said.