THE dust had still not settled after Labour’s election victory at Warrington when MP Helen Jones launched another salvo – this time directed at the coalition government.
She claimed the government was set to grab almost £3 billion from the elderly by slashing the winter fuel allowance by £100.
The Warrington North MP (pictured) said elderly residents had been shocked by the announcement in the budget that the Tory-led government was to cut the fuel allowance by up to £100.
She claimed to have now discovered that cutting winter fuel allowance by £100 for the over 80s and by £50 for the over 60s would see the government pocket almost £3 billion over the next five years.
Ms Jones said: “The surprise cut in winter fuel allowance is a betrayal of pensioners. We all know how cold the last two winters have been and pensioners will be worried about how they will heat their homes in the next cold spell.
“The revelation that the government stands to profit by £3 billion off the backs of pensioners demonstrates yet again the uncaring nature of the Tory-led government.
“Over 19,000 pensioners receive winter fuel allowance in Warrington North and each one of them will feel the impact this winter of having a Tory-led Government.”
The figures were revealed in a written answer to Ms Jones from Steven Webb, a Minister in the Department for Work and Pensions.
It is the second time Ms Jones has criticised the government over cuts to the winter fuel allowance.
On the last occasion, she was attacked by Cllr Paul Campbell, her Conservative opponent at the last General Election.
He said: “Labour made a series of ‘one-off’ additional payments just before the general election that topped the level of the winter fuel allowance to £400 for over-80s and £250 for over-65s.
“It is important to note that this additional payment was not a permanent top up. It was just for 2010-11, and Labour did not budget for it in future years. “This is shown in the March 2010 Budget, which shows the cost to the Exchequer in 2010-11 only, and not in future years.
“So compared to Labour’s own baseline, which would also have seen the payments revert back to their original levels, there is no cut.”
MP aims salvo at the government
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
10 Comments
Quote:
“Ms Jones said: “The surprise cut in winter fuel allowance is a betrayal of pensioners”
The last years of Labour in control of the finances has been a betrayal of the “whole country”.
Has she no shame? She needs to stop carping and work out with the new administration how they are going to put things right in Warrington. Then perhaps people will have a little bit more respect for her.
I have no respect already for this silly woman. She takes home 15 times more money than any of her average constituents and deserves to be paid 15 times less. None of the Labour lot have any shame and they are now hiding behind the Tories cuts hoping the electorate forget about their disasterous years in power. On QuestionTime on Thursday, the Labour chap was with the fact that apparently Paddy Pantsdown offered the Labour lot headed by Brown; a coalition partnership, but the opted to go into opposition instead…….. Obviously to allow time for the Tories to put things right again before they come back and borrow us into bankrupcy….damn them all
Liebour. It is a regular pattern that the electorate are blind to.
Locally worth giving them a chance though.. they may have seen the light and reaslised they need to do what local people want … I’m not a labour supporter by the way and didn’t vote on Thursday 😉
Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems….. no difference
Helen Jones’ popularity is really a thorn in the side for all you Tory die hard supporters isn’t it? Perhaps it would serve the opposition better to learn from her example in how engaging with and fighting for the public’s interests gains the voters. North Warrington are lucky, In South Warrington we do not have, nor have had for as long as I can remember anyone to fight so hard for our interests.
Nobody would need a winter fuel allowance if Labour had not allowed the fuel companies to levy such heavy prices, its tax payers money going to pensioners who are then forced by extortionate prices to give it to private fat cat companies, no incentive to lower prices at all the pensioners do not benefit from the winter fuel payment the ENERGY companies do !!!….and the current government arent putting things right either, roll on the new set of fuel protest…
sha !!! what planet ? Im certainly no tory nor am I any party I hate them equaly and aligning yourself to any one of these hypocrites turns my stomach, have you seen what has happened to north warrington, I’m sick of harping on about how its been turned into a playground for disgusting superstore sheds, main roads, multi traffic light roundabouts..you dont get that in Stockton heath, Appleton thorne, lymm..our community is ripped apart by these morons who allow this planning, you lot complain about planning permision for a blooming chip shop upsetting your “village” ! you could not be more wrong or blind !
Sha. Get real, wake up to fact. Jones gets criticised because she conveniently ignores what her Labour government did. She just likes to throw mud around in the hope that some will stick. She isn’t that interested in her people, just the money that she gets paid for being an MP.
Richiepoo, where have I suggested that you are a Tory? my remarks re Tory supporters were in response to some of the earlier comments on this article – non of which were written by yourself. Helen Jones gets a good bashing every time she appears on here – for whatever she says- not for the content of her words but merely because of which party she represents. I too have no time for national party politics, because I can’t see much difference between any of them! My opinion on Helen Jones originates from what I have heard and seen her do. I have spent a lot of time working in North Warrington and have never heard a word against her. I was told by numerous locals that she is very friendly, and very helpful. In all the years I have lived in South Warrington I have never even seen an MP in the street where I live! We have had ‘the other Helen’ (Lab) and now Mr Mowatt (Con) and in the fight for our school or Walton Gardens all we got was that they couldn’t get involved or couldn’t help in issues such as these. Yet Helen Jones was very publicly fighting the same types of issues in her area! I agree that WBC have made major cock-ups in your area, maybe if you contacted Helen Jones she could help? Re your comments that suggest that South of the town we are getting off lightly, have you ever tried to navigate yourself through the congested, polluted hell hole that was once the pleasant Stockton Heath Village? Have you been there at night before and after the village was developed and noticed the difference? – which now makes a large number of the locals avoid the place! As for the threat of additional chip shops, Stockton Heath, Appleton and Lymm have far worse to face! It is these areas that will take the major hammering with the planned expansion of Warrington, but as yet most people here are still unaware of what is to materialise directly on their doorsteps! The future doesn’t look rosy in Warrington, either north or south and rather than arguing over who is getting the worse end of the stick it would be better for the people of Warrington to dump the north / south divide attitude, dump the local party politics and unite to dump any of the councillors/politicians (of any party) who are not going to oppose the wrecking of our town!