Conservatives' anger over alleged ‘political’ messaging sees motion on Winter Fuel Payments withdrawn from Cambridgeshire County Council meeting

A leading county councillor says he has been forced to withdraw his motion on Winter Fuel Payments to prevent the authority from publishing “politically biased messaging”.

March-based Cllr Steve Count, leader of the Conservative group at Cambridgeshire County Council, was set to put a motion to tomorrow’s full council meeting to raise awareness of the Government’s decision to halt non-means-tested Winter Fuel Payments for pensioners.

He claimed the move announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves early last month could affect up to 124,303 people across the county.

As a result, he had tabled a motion on behalf of his group calling for immediate action to protect elderly residents from what they say are the “dire consequences of fuel poverty”.

However, Cllr Count said he received a proposed amendment to his motion from Cllr Richard Howitt on Friday and discussions with his fellow group members led to the decision to withdraw the motion and to write a letter of complaint to the council’s chief executive Steve Moir.

He said: "I was absolutely shocked by how political it was and the language used.”

Cllr Count said there is an unwritten rule that motions should not use too political language because in that way it does not show any particular bias.

However, he said Cllr Howitt had used a lot of derogatory words about the previous Conservative government.

But Cllr Howitt has hit back and accused the Tories of making a “humiliating u-turn” over their motion.

He said: “Conservative County Councillors have been exposed for misusing the county council by seeking to put a resolution which was nothing more than 'playing politics' over the serious issue of pensioner poverty.”

Meanwhile Cllr Count explained he had not circulated the amendment along with a copy of the letter he had sent to Mr Moir because he did not want Cllr Howitt’s words published.

“We had no choice but to withdraw our motion. If we had left our motion on the table then the amendment would have been discussed and voted on. We would not have been able to vote for the amendment because of the language used about the Conservatives,” said Cllr Count.

His letter to Mr Moir said the motion had been drawn up with the support and advice of the council’s officers and democratic services team.

He said: “The only political reference I can see is correctly identifying the Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeve as the decision maker. Trying to improve outcomes remains more important to us, than the political messaging, which is more appropriate when reserved for election leaflets.

“I was therefore shocked, saddened and dismayed by the amendment put forward by Labour Councillor Richard Howitt. Shocked at the way he had butchered a well-intentioned motion and put party politics ahead of poor pensioners.

“Saddened to know that Labour’s partnership with the Liberal Democrats ensured the amended motion would be passed, and dismayed that the council would allow such partisan, inflammatory, political messaging to be published.”

But Cllr Howitt, who is the deputy leader of the council’s Labour group, said: “The Labour-led amendment would have put the needs of the local elderly population first, focused on what the council can actually do to assist in practical terms, as well as balancing proper questions of the new Government with the equally proper context of the financial black hole left by the Conservatives.

"The humiliating u-turn shows Conservatives guilty of short-term political opportunism of the worst kind.

"The fact that they have chosen to withdraw the resolution, shows that it is the Conservative Party in Cambridgeshire which does not want their record or their fitness for office to be scrutinised."

In the conclusion of his letter of complaint Cllr Cout goes on to ask Mr Moir to use his influence with the council’s administration to run a campaign to raise awareness of benefits such as Pension Credit to ensure those entitled are receiving it. Those in receipt of Pension Credit automatically qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment.