Former Conservative council leader welcomes government “u-turn” on winter fuel payments

News / Mon 9th Jun 2025 at 03:15pm

FORMER Harlow Council Leader, Russell Perrin (Cons) welcomes the Labour Government’s decision today to re-instate the Universal Winter Fuel Payment to pensioners earning £35,000 or under.

Cllr Russell Perrin had previously written to the Chris Vince MP calling on him to write to the Chancellor to ask her to alter her decision.

Conservative councillor Russell Perrin continues to campaign against Labour’s Winter Fuel Allowance

Cllr Perrin also moved a motion at Full Council calling on the local Labour Party to ask Chris Vince to do the same.

The Labour Party voted against the motion which was successfully moved by a Conservative majority on the Council.

Full details of the motion can be found here:

On hearing the news of the U-turn by Keir Starmer Cllr Perrin said “I am delighted to hear that up to 11,000 Pensioners in Harlow this year will be supported with their heating bills. This will go some way in helping alleviate the pressure they face with ever rising fuel bills.

Thank you to all my Conservative colleagues both locally and nationally as well as the many non-party political volunteers and charities who have campaigned to bring about this positive change.

“It is a great shame that Chris Vince and the government didn’t listen to us sooner, it would have prevented many pensioners having to endure the stress of heating their homes this winter with little to no notice.”

4 Comments for Former Conservative council leader welcomes government “u-turn” on winter fuel payments:

David Forman

2025-06-10 00:32:38

Chris Vince voted against 2 motions related to restoring Winter Fuel Payment on September 10, 2025. One of the motions related to publishing a "regulatory and equality impact assessment" of cutting Winter Fuel Payment. The latter motion referred to the independent scrutiny body Social Security Advisory Committee. They said in a letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on September 20, 2024: "We were disappointed that an assessment of impact was not presented to the (SSA) Committee alongside the regulations on 11 September 2024. It has subsequently been confirmed that a full assessment of impact does not exist, with the Prime Minister commenting that it was not legally necessary and that “The impact will be mitigated by pension credit, by the housing benefit”. Given the scale of pensioners who will be affected by this change, and the speed at which it is being introduced, we are not similarly reassured that this will be the case and are of the firm view that a more detailed assessment is urgently required, in particular, on the potential poverty impact. For instance, the Committee considers it particularly important to have a clear understanding of those pensioners who may fall into poverty, and what percentage of these are in older households – in particular those who reached state pension age prior to 2016 and therefore are unable to receive the new state pension." See SSAC letter at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6709199430536cb927483050/ssac-letter-to-sswp-social-fund-wfp-regs-2024.pdf

David Forman

2025-06-10 00:53:39

Correction: Vince voted against 2 motions on September 10, 2024.

Brian

2025-06-10 02:13:20

He forgot to thank farage and the reform party to get this nasty WFA policy changed,he also hasn't said anything about increasing the low pay tax threshold of £12500 which his lot brought in and this current crop are continuing.The whole lot of them take us for a bunch of mugs.