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Motion to “deplore” winter fuel payment cuts
21/10/2024
The proposal seeks to find local money for those in genuine hardship
Cherwell District Council will meet this evening and discuss a number of motions. These include one proposed by the Conservatives, asking members to agree that the Council deplores the government’s plans to cut Winter Fuel Payments for pensioners.
Councillor Eddie Reeves has put forward the motion and quotes Age UK estimates that as many as two million pensioners across the country could be affected by the decision, 17,638 of those in the Banbury constituency.
He wants the leader of the Council to write to the Chancellor Rachel Reeves urging a review of her decision to introduce means testing for the payments, without any public consultation.
The motion also proposes the council undertakes an awareness campaign to encourage elderly residents who are eligible for means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credits, to register and claim them. This would ensure they continue to receive Winter Fuel Payments.
For those who aren’t eligible for government support the motion proposes prioritising money within the Council’s budget to offer support to those pensioners who are in genuine hardship.
The Council meeting starts at 6.30pm at Bodicote House.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam