The Leader of Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) Cllr Neil Clarke has called upon Rushcliffe MP James Naish to vote against the government’s planned Winter Fuel Payment withdrawal.
In an open letter to the James Naish MP ahead of the planned vote in the Commons later this afternoon, Tuesday 10 September 10, Cllr Clarke highlighted the ‘significant number of Rushcliffe residents outside the Pensions Credit threshold who will be affected by the proposals if voted through.’
Cllr Clarke said: “I remain concerned that the proposal to stop winter fuel payments will adversely affect many pensioners.
“Whilst I fully appreciate there are some for whom the withdrawal of the payments will make little difference, there are nevertheless a significant number outside the Pensions Credit threshold for whom this will still cause considerable hardship and distress.
“Would you please confirm that you will be supporting and representing your residents in Rushcliffe by voting against the Government proposals to withdraw the winter fuel allowance payments?”
In an update on 10 September addressing contact from ‘250 constituents, of which many held concerns about the move’, James Naish MP ( Labour ) said:
‘The motion today ( 10 September ) will call for *all* proposed changes to be reversed, not just to help the two million or so vulnerable pensioners.
‘Thank you to everyone who has contacted me about this.
‘I am uncomfortable about the potential impact of changes on the bottom quartile, especially as a Council Leader who oversaw around £460,000 invested over the past two winters to support the most vulnerable people locally.
‘Fuel poverty is real.
‘I will continue to lobby for more support to avoid the cliff edge drop which some pensioners are facing, and am pleased that the Household Support Fund has been extended to £500m and that *all* households can benefit from this when required, not just those on benefits.
‘The triple lock is being maintained for the whole parliament and the link between Pension and Housing Credit is being strengthened.
‘I want to be part of a government that thinks and does things differently to kick-start the economy to the benefit of society as a whole.
‘I accept that this means the status quo will have to change in places. I will continue to support the government on this core mission but implore officials to think deeply about where lines are drawn between those who receive and don’t receive support moving forwards, so we don’t end-up inadvertently hurting the most vulnerable.
‘I will keep lobbying for more support for the most vulnerable until the Spending Review at the end of October – and beyond if necessary.
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- Introduced in 1997 by Gordon Brown, winter fuel payments have been paid to all pensioners to help with energy bills.
- The payment was based on the thought that those people would be left exposed and at an increased risk if they could not pay their bills.
- The benefit is separate from other support measures like Cold Weather Payments and the Warm Homes discount.
- In 2024 the winter fuel payment totals £200 for those on certain benefits and born before 22 September 1958. For those born before 23 September 1944, and on certain benefits, it is worth £300.
- More than 354,000 people have now signed a petition demanding a U-turn on the government’s plans to cut back on the winter fuel payment. The petition, launched by campaign group 38 Degrees, calls on both the Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Scottish Finance Minister Shona Robison not to limit the payments.
1:30 pm The House of Commons debate on the planned cuts to the winter fuel payment has started
This will last for around 90 minutes – and will be followed by the vote.
