Bolton Council pensioners support fund motion goes to vote

The motion was put by Cllr Sean Fielding to a full meeting of the council after a wide-ranging backlash against the government’s plans to cut winter fuel payments to pensioners.

But despite controversies about taking money from local budgets in the lead up to the vote, the motion was carried without extending the meeting to allow a full debate to take place.

Cllr Roger Hayes, of Smithills, said: "I'm personally very annoyed that we should vote on this without a debate.

"Cllr Fielding has had the benefit of virtually saying his moving speech in answer to questions tonight.

The vote was taken at a full meeting of Bolton Council (Image: Newsquest)

"People who have got reservations, have got strong opposition haven't got the chance to speak.

"I’ve got a lot to say!”

The motion proposed by Labour’s Cllr Fielding, of Breightmet, had sparked controversy even before going to a formal vote.

It proposed to create the £200,000 fund to support the borough’s pensioners by taking £10,000 from each of Bolton’s area working budgets.

Cllr Fielding’s motion said that this would come after “significant underspends in area working budgets across the borough.”

But Conservative opposition leader Cllr Martyn Cox described this as taking money away from local projects to “prop up a failed national policy".

Horwich and Blackrod First leader Cllr David Grant said taking £10,000 from each ward was “arbitrary and wrong”, while Green Party chair Alan Johnson called it “a smokescreen".

All these comments had been made before the vote was taken at a full meeting of the council on Wednesday, October 10.

At the meeting, Cllr Fielding did not ask for extra time for a debate, despite the point made by former Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Roger Hayes.

He instead asked that the motion be put straight to a vote, which it won.

Another motion had been put by the Green Party’s Cllr Hanif Alli which asked the council to call on the government to delay the cuts and come up with a way of tackling fuel poverty.

Cllr Alli, of Halliwell, also asked that the motion be put forward straight away without a debate to a vote, which it then carried.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Fielding said “We were happy to support a motion that asked the government to reconsider its decision on winter fuel payments.

"However we also wanted to do something far more constructive in order to actually make a bit of a difference to help people who may struggle with energy bills this winter.

"As we are moving money from unspent councillors budgets to this new fund, there is no additional burden on the taxpayer."

The Bolton and District Pensioners Association said that the idea for a fund worth £200,000 to blunt the impact of the cut was “laudable” but failed to address the “real issues”.

Instead the association favoured the Green Party motion more strongly.

Association secretary Bernie Gallagher said: “The fundamental principle of universality guarantees those in most need will get the money. 

“Higher income pensioners can then ‘pay back’ the allowance via a progressive taxation system to ensure fairness. 

“The Labour motion relies on a system of means testing for a scheme which hasn’t even been devised yet. 

“If the government can’t get poorer pensioners to sign up for pension credit, then it is highly likely any local scheme will fail to reach those in most need.

“By taking money out of the area budgets to set up this fund seems like robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

She added: “The motion moved by the Green Party calls on the government to postpone the ending of winter fuel payments and establish a comprehensive strategy to tackle fuel poverty, health inequality and low incomes among older people.

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“This seems to me a more effective strategic approach to pensioner poverty and ensures those pensioners in greatest need will not lose out this year.”

The new fund will be added to existing welfare provision, adding up to around £1m for a range of projects.

Council leader Cllr Nick Peel said: “We were quite disappointed that the Conservative councillors voted against our motion.

"It's easy to criticise from the side lines, but when we actually gave them the opportunity to use some of their own unspent local budgets to directly help older people in need, they made it absolutely clear that they would not support  it, and voted against.

"Thankfully we got the support of a handful of independent councillors to make sure the motion was passed.”