2 days Ago By [email protected] (Fionn Burrows)
A decision to cut winter fuel payments for thousands across our area has received strong criticism from Newark’s MP. Last week the new Labour government won a vote on plans to means-test winter fuel allowances and restrict payments to all but the pensioners most in need, after Conservative opposition put forward a motion in an attempt to block the proposals. The motion was defeated by 348 votes to 228, with 58 Labour MPs abstaining from the vote.
Nationally, the result means this winter the number of fuel payments will fall from 11.4m to just 1.5m.
Across Newark and Sherwood more than 40,000 people are expected to lose out. This accounts for 21,748 or 92.1% of all winter fuel recipients in the Newark constituency, and 18,768 or 91.
5% of recipients in the Sherwood Forest constituency. Labour’s Michelle Welsh, MP for Sherwood Forest MP, voted against the blocking motion and supported the government’s plans to cut the benefits. The decision has been strongly criticised by Newark MP Robert Jenrick, who is the only Conservative MP remaining in Nottinghamshire following July’s General Election.
He said: “I was the only MP in Nottinghamshire to stand against scrapping winter fuel payments for ten million pensioners. “The others, who have shamefully supported this decision, have turned their backs on some of the most vulnerable in our county. “Tens of thousands of pensioners, people on as little as £13,000 a year, will suffer.
Tragically, Labour’s own assessment concludes that up to 4,000 pensioners will die as a result. “Labour are content with subjecting the elderly to a challenging winter, all to just satisfy their trade union paymasters. “This is an appalling political choice.
Our pensioners deserve better than to be left abandoned in the cold.” Neil John O’Brien, Conservative MP for Harborough, compiled the data from the Department for Work and Pensions describing it as "the numbers the government doesn’t want to publish.".
