Row over Bolton Council pensioners fund breaks out

This comes after the government’s plans to cut winter fuel payments sparked a widespread backlash, including in Bolton where more than 50,000 people will be affected.

But a motion set to go to the council this week to create a £200,000 fund for pensioners has also sparked controversy, given that the money will be drawn from local area working budget.

Bolton Conservatives leader Cllr Martyn Cox said: “Labour have been splurging cash ever since they were elected with above inflation pay rises and on their own pet projects and Bolton's pensioners are paying the price.

“Money used in local areas for local projects should not be used to prop up a failed national policy and Bolton Conservatives will oppose this move.”

The motion is expected to go to Bolton Council (Image: Newsquest)

The motion, put by Labour’s Cllr Sean Fielding, proposes drawing £10,000 from each of the 20 area working budgets across the borough.

But opposition councillors say that as well as equating to just £5 for each pensioner, this will also reduce the money available for communities around the borough.

Conservative deputy leader Cllr Hilary Fairclough said: “The suggestion that wards are sitting on huge sums of money is extremely disingenuous, I can only speak for Astley Bridge, but I am confident this would be the case in most wards.

“We have built up a reasonable amount of money, this is to be spent on refurbishing Astley Bridge Park, the play area for our young children is shocking, broken and shabby, what could laughingly be described as the play area for our older youngsters is pitiful.”

She added: “So, if the Labour administration take their £10,000 from our hard saved budget it will mean we cannot make this long overdue improvement to our park, it will be downgraded and that isn’t fair.

“And what will this give to our vulnerable pensioners approximately £5.

“Frankly that is an insult, we take away £200 we give you a fiver!

“This is just grandstanding and frankly shows an absolute lack of empathy for those elderly people who struggle every year to keep warm.”

Cllr David Grant, leader of the Horwich and Blackrod First Independents, said that he is also concerned about where the money will be taken from and how it will be administered.

He said: “So where is the money going and who is it going to effect? You’re taking money out of one area with no indication as to who its going to be delegated to.

“To just randomly take £10,000 out of each ward is just arbitrary and wrong.”

He said that this was money that could be spent on improving parks, highways and traffic calming measures as well as other projects.

Cllr Grant said: “Area forums are designed so that local councillors have the ability to do something local without having to take years involving the council.

“And you never know when you might need it.”

Bolton Green Party chair Alan Johnson said that he believes the council should instead call on the government to rethink the cuts the winter fuel allowances all together.

He said that the proposed fund was simply “tinkering around the edges.”

Mr Johnson said: “It’s hardly touching the sides, its just a drop in the ocean.

“Spread across all the wards, it won’t really mitigate anything.”

He added: “This is Labour making out they’re trying to do something, but I’m going to call it what it is, it’s a smokescreen.”

But Cllr Fielding said that that his motion was intended to do “something practical to help out those pensioners hit hardest.”

He said: "The level of outrage that this motion has prompted has really taken me by surprise.

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“We've seen Conservative Councillors submitting questions to council effectively describing local elderly people as a ‘hindrance’ and attempts to get the motion ruled out of order based on ignorance of the Council's constitution. The reaction is truly shameful.

"I can't predict how the vote will go on Wednesday, but at least it's drawn out where Bolton Conservatives priorities' lie.

“When given the choice between doing something meaningful to mitigate pensioner poverty, or instead go planting flowers and litter picking, they've shown they prefer the latter."

The motion is expected to go to a full meeting on Bolton Council on Wednesday October 9.