Weston MP Dan Aldridge votes in support of winter fuel allowance cuts

A Conservative motion to annul the Government’s cuts to winter fuel payments was defeated by 348 votes to 228, majority 120, in the House of Commons.

Both North Somerset and Weston MP, respectively Sadik Al-Hassan and Dan Aldridge, voted to go ahead with the cut.

The leader of North Somerset Council, Councillor Mike Bell (Lib Dem) commented: “The House of Commons has this afternoon voted to go ahead with the cut to the Winter Fuel Allowance.

“Disappointing that North Somerset's two Labour MPs both toed the party line and voted to force through the £300 cut for tens of thousands of local pensioners.

“Thank you and well done to Tessa Munt, Lib Dem MP for Wells and the Mendip Hills - which covers part of North Somerset - for voting to stop the cut.

“Really noticeable that 348 Labour MPs voted for the cut and everybody else - Lib Dem, Conservative, Green, Independent, SNP and Northern Ireland parties - voted to stop it.”

Cllr Bell previously said “the decisions will have disastrous consequences for some of our most vulnerable residents,” and “no one should have to make the difficult decision to choose between heating or eating”.

Weston Labour MP Aldridge previously said: “Targeting winter fuel payments to the poorest pensioners was a difficult decision, not one of us wanted to be in this position.

“Unfortunately, because the previous government made a series of unfunded spending commitments and left a £22bn black hole in the country’s finances – threatening our economic stability, the Government is having to take difficult decisions.”

North Somerset Labour MP, Sadik Al-Hassan, said: "We are protecting the triple lock, keeping energy bills low through our Warm Homes Plan which will insulate millions of homes, and cutting NHS waiting lists – bringing real stability to people’s lives.

MP Sadik Al-Hassan giving a speech after being elected (Image: Newsquest)

"Our recent extension of the Household Support Fund for local councils will help those on the edges of the threshold.

"We’ve been honest with the public and, given the dire state of the public finances we have inherited from the last government after years of austerity and poor management, we are in a position where we must take difficult decisions to fix the foundations of the economy.”

The Weston Mercury and the North Somerset Times have contacted Mr Aldridge and Mr Al-Hassan for more comments.