Winter fuel payments: Blackpool South MP Chris Webb abstains on cutback vote
"I would never do anything to make my constituents poorer" says the Labour MP - as the government's plan to remove the winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners is approved. Blackpool North & Fleetwood MP, Lorraine Beavers, also gives her view on the threshold set.
The Labour MP for Blackpool South has refused to back the government's means-testing of winter fuel payments.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the payment, worth up to £300-a-year for many pensioners, was being removed.
Chris Webb, elected twice this year as MP for Blackpool South, has not he cannot vote with the government.
It is understood by The Blackpool Lead he was one of a number of Labour MPs to abstain - not going as far as supporting a Tory-led motion to scrap the cutback.
Webb said: "I wanted to let my constituents know I will not be voting with the government on the Winter Fuel Payment today.
"I am a proud Labour MP but ultimately, I am the Member of Parliament for Blackpool South, the place I was born and raised. I was elected by you and I promised I would never do anything to make my constituents poorer. Means-testing the Winter Fuel Payment, without considering those who fall just above the threshold, will do just that.
"Pensioners in Blackpool South have recognised that the £22 billion black hole left by the last government will mean changes and they are happy to play their part. There are pensioners in receipt of the allowance who do not need it, as the government rightly points out. But I believe there should be a more nuanced decision by government on who should receive Winter Fuel Payments so that no pensioner will suffer hardship this winter – as I believe many in Blackpool would. I have also outlined to the government that many of my constituents, who are disabled or have illnesses, have higher fuel costs and their circumstances need to be factored in too.
"Age UK estimates that 14,900 people in Blackpool South would lose the Winter Fuel Payment under the government’s proposed plans - 76% of people over 66. Around 2,700 of them are likely to be entitled to pension credits but identifying and encouraging them all to claim in a short timeframe would be difficult. Some are likely to slip through the cracks. It’s clear from the volume of letters I have received from constituents that of the remaining 12,000-plus, many do depend on the Winter Fuel Payment but would not be entitled to claim it.
"With a Labour MP, working under a Labour government and alongside a Labour Council, we have an opportunity to make a real difference. It is important that I continue to work with colleagues to advocate for my constituency and give Blackpool this chance for change. As MP for Blackpool South my constituents will always come first."
Jon Trickett, Labour MP for Normanton and Hemsworth, appears to be the only sitting MP to have voted against the government. 53 Labour MPs didn't vote in Tuesday's Commons motion, but some of these may have been due to absence rather than deliberately abstaining as Webb chose to do.
The government's motion passed by 348 to 228 to restrict the winter fuel payment, starting this winter, to pensioners receiving Pension Credit or a number of other means-tested benefits. Previously all pensioners received a payment, regardless of their situation.
Blackpool North and Fleetwood MP, Lorraine Beavers, responded about her position on the winter fuel payment.
She said: "I was unable to participate in the vote on Tuesday due to being on compassionate leave having recently suffered a bereavement. The previous Conservative government left us with the public finances in a dire state, and it is right that the government is taking steps to repair this.
"I am of the view however that the threshold now set for receipt of winter fuel payments is too low, and I urge the government to take any steps to mitigate the impact of this, including looking at linking payments to council tax banding as has been suggested by Martin Lewis, as well as other proposals.
"I will also be working to ensure all residents of Blackpool North and Fleetwood who are entitled to Pension Credit are signed-up for it, and I encourage anyone who needs assistance to contact my office."
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