Perth and Kinross councillors call on UK Government to reverse cuts to Winter Fuel Payments

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Perth and Kinross Council has called on the UK Government to reverse its decision to means test the Winter Fuel Payment.

A joint motion - condemning the "savage" cuts - 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.

The motion was passed at a meeting of the full council on Wednesday, October 30 in response to thousands of Perth and Kinross pensioners having their payments withdrawn.

As a result of the change announced in July, elderly residents who do not receive pension credit or other means-tested benefits no longer get the annual one-off payment to help with energy bills over the winter.

Tabling the motion, Cllr Duff claimed the cuts would cost the public purse more in the long term.

The Conservative Highland Perthshire councillor said: "With over 860,000 pensioners across Scotland and over 32,000 in Perth and Kinross, this savage cut to Winter Fuel Payments for pensioners of up to £300 will be keenly felt this winter.

"If financial concerns cause pensioners to switch their heating off more often this winter, cold-related health issues will increase, impacting on the health and wellbeing of our elderly and vulnerable and placing greater strain on our health and care services. A cold winter will cost the government and this council a lot more."

Supporting the motion, Liberal Democrat councillor Willie Robertson called it a "very harsh and nasty decision".

He said: "It flies in the face of things you expect a Labour government to come forward with."

The Kinross-shire councillor added: "Many older people take pride in that they've been self-sufficient all their lives and don't want to fall back on the state in their later years and look for support and so they're reluctant to apply for support.

"It's not the sort of country I want to stay in where people are attacked even though they're just over the threshold for support."

Newly elected SNP councillor Carol Mair is replacing fellow Perth City North councillor Ian Massie as the council's Older People's Champion. She called the decision a "disgrace".

Cllr Mair said: "The government has referred to those not in receipt of the benefit as being 'better off' pensioners and that is also a disgrace because a single person having a few pounds more than £11,343 per annum to live on most definitely does not meet any definition of the phrase 'being better off'."

Labour councillor Alasdair Bailey voiced his dissent and queried why the Scottish Government had not exercised powers to reverse the decision.

Bailie Bailey said: "I'm sadly not surprised we're debating things outwith our control again today.

"I am actually surprised at the Tory-SNP partnership emerging here - given that the one person who can address this in Scotland is John Swinney.

"The Scottish Government has various economic and tax levers at its disposal, if it wished to pay the Winter Fuel Allowance it could. If it wanted to tweak the means testing, it could. If it wanted to taper the means testing it could."

SNP leader Grant Laing responded: "If Bailie Bailey were to support an independent Scotland we would be able to make all our decisions over funding here."

Council leader Grant Laing and representatives from each of PKC's political groups - except Labour - and the council's Older People's Champion will write a joint letter to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves expressing "strong opposition to the means-testing of the Winter Fuel Payment and encouraging the government to reverse this decision".

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