Wandsworth Council Conservatives have today (18 October) expressed “deep disappointment” at the decision of the Labour administration to vote down a Conservative motion calling on the Council to urgently develop an assistance scheme for pensioners struggling with the loss of their Winter Fuel Payments.
As a result of the changes to Winter Fuel Payments announced by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, only pensioners in receipt of means-tested benefits, like Pension Credit, will continue to receive payments.
The motion tabled by the Conservative group at a full meeting of Wandsworth Council on Wednesday evening (16 October) called on Labour “to follow the example of other local authorities by urgently developing an assistance scheme to help pensioners in need in Wandsworth who have lost their Winter Fuel Payments, funded through the Council’s Cost of Living Reserve”.
While not all elderly residents require financial support to heat their homes during cold spells, many find themselves just above the cut-off for Pension Credit – an income of £218.25 a week for single pensioners (£11,349 per year) and £332.95 for a couple (£8,657 each per year).
Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, leader of the Conservative group on Wandsworth Council said:
“I am deeply disappointed in Labour’s decision to vote against this compassionate Conservative proposal.
“Over 20,000 pensioners in Wandsworth will lose their Winter Fuel Payments in the coming weeks. Not all of those pensioners will be put into financial hardship as a result, but many will be. Our motion specifically called for the Council to identify pensioners in Wandsworth who do not meet the eligibility criterion for Pensions Credit but may still suffer hardship due to the Chancellor’s proposal – such as pensioners who are just above the threshold for Pensions Credit, or who face extra living expenses due to illness or disability – and to create targeted financial support for those pensioners.
“Funds like the Council’s Cost of Living Reserve exist for precisely this kind of situation – to give those in need a helping hand.
“Despite having the means to do so, Labour have actively chosen not to do so.”
