In advance of the Labour Government’s budget taking place next week on Wednesday 30 October, Conservative Councillors across the country are doing whatever we can, to try and get Labour to see the error of their ways and change their mind over their terrible decision to remove the Winter Fuel Allowance from 10.2 million pensioners, of whom 13,000 live here in Crawley. 

For something like this that impacts so many people, the best mechanism we councillors have is seeking to get our council to pass a motion at a Full Council meeting, ideally getting whole-council and cross-party support.  Everywhere across the country, local authorities have been passing motions calling upon the Labour government to reconsider their removal of the Winter Fuel Allowance. 

In my 21 years as a councillor, I have never seen so many councils debate a motion on the same subject, as I have seen on trying to save the Winter Fuel Allowance.  Last week at their Full Council meetings, it was the turn of Crawley Borough Council on Wednesday and West Sussex County Council on Friday, as Conservative Councillors had tabled motions at both councils.

As the proposer of the motion at Crawley Borough Council, I highlighted in my speech that all of Crawley’s Conservative Councillors opposed how Crawley’s Labour MP had voted last month in Parliament on saving the Winter Fuel Allowance, and I criticised his infamous remark of “that’s their choice” about pensioners not switching on the heating this coming winter.  I invited Labour Councillors to say in debate if they agreed or not with their MP, but none of them would say.  I said “put your constituents first before your party”, but what we saw was a barrage of excuses being trotted out, and then shamefully, a voting down of our motion by Labour’s large majority on the council.

Thankfully, Crawley pensioners are still being fairly represented at Conservative-run West Sussex County Council.  The Council Leader will be writing to the Chancellor on behalf of the council.  There, all parties on the council except Labour, supported our motion to save the Winter Fuel Allowance.  

Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group

23rd October 2024