TWO councils in Scotland have called on the UK Government to reverse its decision to axe the Winter Fuel Payment for all those not in receipt of benefits.
East Ayshire Council and Perth and Kinross Council both voted to call on Labour to reverse the cut.
Labour voted to make the Winter Fuel Payment means tested in September, leading to warnings from charities about the impact of the cut.
Age Scotland has warned that nearly 900,000 Scottish pensioners will lose their Winter Fuel Payment, meaning 85% of pensioners will be left in poverty without the vital fund.
On Wednesday, a motion tabled by East Ayrshire SNP councillor Neal Ingram was passed overwhelmingly.
The motion called on the UK Government “to halt the changes to the Winter Fuel Payment at a UK level until an impact assessment can be done and the eligibility for pensions credits can be reviewed”.
Ingram said: “In 2017, the Labour Party, in opposition, argued against the then-Conservative government and its plans to introduce means testing and to link eligibility to pension credit.
“The research the Labour used to argue their case stated that half of all the almost 10,000 decrease in the so-called excess winter deaths between 2000 and 2012 was due to the introduction of the Winter Fuel Allowance.
“They stated that means-testing the Winter Fuel Allowance for pensioners could contribute almost 4000 extra deaths over the winter months.
“Given their previous position, it is surprising and equally disappointing that one of the first policies Labour introduced is the one they fought so hard against when in opposition.”
The motion was backed by Conservative group leader John McFadzean, while Labour councillor Peter Mabon tabled an amendment highlighting the areas of the Budget that the party says will improve the outlook for older people.
Mabon also called on both the UK and Scottish governments to “revisit” their position on winter fuel payments.
'A disgrace'
It comes after another motion was passed by Perth and Kinross Council on October 30, which also called on the UK Government to reverse its decision to means test the Winter Fuel Payment.
The motion, tabled by Conservative group leader John Duff and the council’s “older people’s champion” Ian Massie, won the support of every elected member except sole Labour councillor Alasdair Bailey.
Bailey, meanwhile, questioned why the Scottish Government had not “exercised its powers to reverse the decision”.
He said: “The Scottish Government has various economic and tax levers at its disposal – if it wished to pay the Winter Fuel Allowance, it could.”
Council leader Grant Laing – an SNP councillor – responded: “If Bailey were to support an independent Scotland, we would be able to make all our decisions over funding here.”
Laing, alongside representatives from each political group on the council – with the exception of Labour – are set to write to Chancellor Rachel Reeves expressing their “strong opposition to the means testing of the Winter Fuel Payment and encouraging the Government to reverse this decision”.
