Agenda item

A period of up to one hour is allocated to consider the motions on notice.  This may only be extended with the agreement of the Council.

 

The Chairman advised that three Motions on Notice had been submitted for this meeting.  However, prior to the meeting, Councillor J. Elledge had withdrawn the Motion that she had submitted to provide the Council and other parties with time to review options for future parking provision on the leisure centre car park.  Further information on this subject would be shared with Members in due course.

 

Prior to consideration of the Motion in respect of the Winter Fuel Allowance, Councillors R. Bailes, E. Gray and S. Peters left the room.  They did not participate in the debate in respect of this matter nor vote thereon.

 

Winter Fuel Allowance

 

The Council considered the following Motion on Notice submitted by Councillor S. Nock.

 

“BDC  recognises  the  importance  of  the  Winter  Fuel  Allowances  to  all  our  elderly residents.

 

The Winter Fuel Allowance has historically been a vital lifeline for pensioners, helping them to cope with the increased  costs  of  heating  during  the  cold  winter months. The recent reduction or removal of this allowance will leave many elderly members of  our  community  vulnerable  to  the  harsh  effects  of  cold  weather, exacerbating health issues and leading to an increased risk of illness and mortality.

 

Background:

 

1. Impact  of  Cold  Weather  on  the  Elderly: Cold  weather  significantly  affects the  health  and  wellbeing  of  elderly  individuals. Studies  have  shown  that exposure to cold temperatures can lead to serious health complications such as  hypothermia,  increased  blood  pressure,  respiratory  problems,  and exacerbated  chronic  conditions  like  arthritis  and  cardiovascular  diseases.

 

Moreover, the elderly are often on fixed incomes, making it difficult to absorb the rising costs of energy.

 

2. Importance of the Winter Fuel Allowance: The Winter Fuel Allowance was designed to mitigate these risks by providing financial assistance specifically for heating costs during the winter months. It has been an essential support mechanism, allowing pensioners to maintain a safe and comfortable living environment.

 

3. Consequences of the Removal/Reduction of the Allowance: The reduction or removal of the Winter Fuel Allowance will force many elderly individuals to make difficult choices between heating their homes and meeting other essential needs such as food and medication. This will lead to increased cases of cold-related illnesses and a rise in excess winter deaths among the elderly population.

 

We call upon the Leader of the Council to write a joint letter, signed by all Group Leaders, to the Chancellor of the Exchequer requesting:

• That  the  Government  acknowledges  the  importance  of  the  Winter  Fuel Allowance in protecting the health and wellbeing of pensioners.
• That  the  Government  reinstates  the  Winter  Fuel  Allowance  to  all pensioners as part of the budget statement.
• That  the  Government  commits  to  maintaining  this  allowance  to  prevent future risk to the elderly population during winter months.”

 

The Motion on Notice was proposed by Councillor Nock and seconded by Councillor B. Kumar.

 

In proposing the Motion, Councillor Nock commented that the Motion had been brought forward in a context in which within Councillor Nock’s ward alone at least 1,782 residents aged 65 and over would be impacted by proposed changes to the winter fuel allowance that had been brought forward by the Government.  Members were asked to note the impact of the cold weather during the winter months, particularly on elderly people.  The winter fuel allowance was important to protecting elderly people, in terms of their ability to continue to heat their homes.  There was a need to protect vulnerable elderly residents.  Reinstating the Winter Fuel Allowance would enable elderly people to heat their homes without having to compromise on other essentials, such as food.  The Winter Fuel Allowance also helped to prevent the development of a health crisis, as elderly people were more vulnerable to illnesses that occurred during the cold weather.  This would reduce the potential associated impact on the NHS.  Reference was also made to the implications for social equity, with elderly people having contributed over many years to society.  Councillor Nock suggested that elderly residents therefore deserved to live in relative comfort and the Winter Fuel Allowance could enable them to achieve this.

 

In seconding the Motion, Councillor Kumar suggested that changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance could be viewed as an attack on the elderly and could result in an increase in illnesses that were more prevalent during periods of bad weather.  Fuel poverty effected an estimated 2.5 million households in the UK and Councillor Kumar suggested that this figure would increase as a result of the Government’s changes.  The suggestion was made that a consequence of the changes would be that many elderly residents would be unable to afford adequate heating during the winter months.  Data provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) estimated that 1.6 million people living in poverty would lose the Winter Fuel Allowance as they were not receiving any other benefits that would ensure their eligibility for support.  A further 900,000 with incomes just above the poverty line would also lose winter fuel payments.  Whilst the Government would continue to provide the Household Support Fund in the country, Councillor Kumar commented that pensioners would only receive £1 for every £10 paid out in this fund, with the remainder paid to other groups.  Council was asked to note that health professionals, including representatives of Public Health, had raised concerns about the impact of the changes, including the potential for an increase in preventable deaths among older people. 

 

The suggestion was made that there had been poor communications on this change to the Winter Fuel Allowance, with many residents having only recently learned that they would not be receiving this financial support during the winter months.  Many Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations had criticised the Government’s changes and had highlighted the need for clearer communications and the introduction of an easier process for eligible elderly people to follow in order to apply for financial support.  Many residents who were eligible for pension credits and other support were not currently submitting claims and complex forms, consisting of 220 questions, deterred some from applying.  The Government had announced an increase of 38,000 claims for pension credit, following the announcement of changes to Winter Fuel Allowance payments.  However, Councillor Kumar suggested that these figures needed to be viewed in context, as there were millions of elderly people in the country who were entitled to pension credit but who were not claiming this support.

 

In concluding his remarks, Councillor Kumar referred to the Government’s Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed changes.  This had revealed that 1.6 million people with disabilities who had been in receipt of the Winter Fuel Allowance would no longer be eligible alongside 2.7 million people aged 80 years or older and 7.3 million people aged 66 – 79.  At a local level, there would be circa 9,500 elderly people, including people with disabilities, who would be impacted.

 

The Cabinet Member for Strategic Housing and Health and Well Being responded by highlighting the following sources of support for elderly residents living in the District through the Household Support Fund (HSF).

·             Round 6 of the HSF would see the continuation of the cash voucher scheme delivered through Citizens Advice Bromsgrove and Redditch. This scheme was currently being finalised and it was anticipated that it would be open and available for residents to apply later in the month.

·             Act on Energy delivered a Worcestershire HSF scheme to assist financially with people’s energy bills, debts, broken heating systems and similar issues and this was open to all ages. However, supported by funding from the UKSPF, there was a community worker within Act On Energy that focused on Bromsgrove District only and assisted people to claim for the support they were entitled to. That community worker had gone along to events and coffee mornings and offered his support.

·             Warmth on Prescription – This was funded via HSF across the County, at a District level.  Social prescribers were working with GPs to identify those with medical conditions which were exacerbated due to cold weather. Those eligible received support provided by Act on Energy.

·             Worcestershire Advice Network (WAN) HSF Scheme – This scheme was funded by HSF to cover the County. WAN (which was made up of local representatives of VCS groups, including Age UK, the CAB and DIAL) were able to provide a £75 post office voucher to pensioners not in receipt of pension credit, people with a disability of any age and carers of any age. Some might qualify for all three forms of support (such as a pensioner, who was disabled and also cared for their partner) so could potentially receive three £75 vouchers.

·             At a county level, the DWP were sharing data with Worcestershire County Council in respect of those on pension credit, who were automatically sent a post office voucher that could be cashed. The WAN scheme applied to those not on pension credit.

·             The local HSF funds were allocated to the Foodbanks / larders and white goods scheme and BDHT (for their Hardship Scheme).

 

Council had been promoting the take up of pension credit which gave extra money to help with living costs if a person was over state pension age and on a low income. Nationally, there were many pensioners who might be eligible for this funding, but they were not aware. The Leader therefore urged all Councillors to promote and encourage pensioners to check if they were eligible.

 

It was noted that Age UK provided guides around pension credit on their website.  Age UK also printed copies of many leaflets (for those who could not or did not want to access this information online) at their office on Windsor Street and they are in the process of putting more information and leaflets into all their charity shops.

 

Members subsequently debated the Motion in detail and in doing so commented on the following points:

 

·             The need to act in the best interests of the people of Bromsgrove.

·             The background to the introduction of the Winter Fuel Allowance in the 1990s.

·             The original aim of the Winter Fuel Allowance to reduce fuel poverty.  At that time 29 per cent of people in the country were reported to be experiencing absolute poverty and this number had fallen to 12 per cent by 2024.

·             The Winter Fuel Allowance’s introduction in a context, in the 1990s, where the Government had been supporting the war generation.

·             The current elderly population in the country, largely comprising the baby boomer generation, and the many positive developments that had occurred during their lifetimes.

·             The problems in the country with energy efficiency.

·             The 20 per cent of the baby boomer generation that were classified as millionaires and the extent to which they should be receiving a universal benefit.

·             The need to direct support to those most in need.

·             The need for the Government to consider the impact of the changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance on the most vulnerable within society.

·             The alternative options available to tackle discrepancies, in terms of social mobility and wealth, in society.

·             The excess winter deaths experienced in the UK and the extent to which this could be exacerbated by changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance.

·             The particular vulnerabilities of elderly people in cold weather, including in respect of cardio-vascular diseases and pneumonia.

·             The compelling evidence for the importance of Winter Fuel Allowances arising from academic studies in respect of public health.

·             The rising cost of living in the UK and the extent to which it was appropriate to make these changes in this context.

·             The impact that the changes could have, in terms of exacerbating the financial burden on health services.

·             The conversations that Members were having with elderly residents, who were frequently raising concerns about getting through the winter months.

·             The particular difficulties that would be experienced by those on the threshold, who were not eligible for pension credit.

·             The stress for elderly people arising from not knowing how they would manage the financial impact of the changes.

·             The fact that many elderly people were asset rich but cash poor.

·             The need to develop a new, more equitable system for the future.

·             The particular challenges in terms of heating older properties and properties in a state of disrepair.

·             The process that had been followed by the Government in respect of making changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance.

·             The timing of the announcement from the Government.

·             The need for the Government to make difficult decisions in respect of managing the budget.

·             The difficulty for the leader of the Independent 2024 group in terms of signing the letter, as there was no group whip and it was difficult to establish whether the proposed letter reflected the views of all of the members of the group.  Councillor Hotham commented that on this basis, he would not be able to sign the letter as group leader, although individual members of the group could choose to add their signatures.

 

In accordance with Procedure Rule 18.3 a recorded vote was taken on this Motion and the voting was as follows:

 

Members voting FOR the Motion:

 

Councillors S. Ammar, S. Baxter, J. Clarke, S. Colella, A. Dale, S. Evans, D. Forsythe, C. Hotham, R. Hunter, B. Kumar, R. Lambert, M. Marshall, K. May, D. Nicholl, S. Nock, J. Robinson, S. Robinson, H. Rone-Clarke, J. Stanley, S. Webb and P. Whittaker (21).

 

Members voting AGAINST the Motion:

 

No councillors (0).

 

Members ABSTAINING in the vote:

 

Councillors B. McEldowney and A. Bailes (2).

 

(Prior to the vote in respect of this matter Councillor H. Jones had already left the meeting and was therefore not present for the debate nor vote thereon).

 

The recorded vote on this Motion was therefore carried.

 

EV Chargers

 

The Council considered the following Motion on Notice submitted by Councillor H. Rone-Clarke.

 

“Council notes

 

·             that we must invest in green methods of transportation in order to achieve our targets to reduce carbon emissions.

·             that active travel and public transport will be integral in achieving this goal.

·             that electric vehicles (EVs) will play an important role in our transition to clean energy.

 

Therefore, council resolves to ask the Cabinet to explore ways in which EV chargers can be better integrated within our infrastructure, including options for on-street parking, allowing residents who do not have access to a driveway, to purchase an EV of their own.”

 

The Motion was proposed by Councillor Rone-Clarke and seconded by Councillor E. Gray.

 

In proposing the Motion, Councillor Rone-Clarke commented that the purpose behind the Motion related to the need to transition to green energy and to reduce the Council’s carbon footprint.  As part of this process, there was a need to encourage active travel, invest in public transport and to enable greater investment in electric vehicles.  There were a variety of homes in the District, including homes without driveways.  Householders living in these properties deserved the opportunity to purchase electric vehicles that they could charge at different locations in the District.  Various options needed to be provided and these needed to be safe.  It was therefore important to provide electric vehicle charging points where possible.

 

In seconding the Motion, Councillor Gray commented that an opportunity had arisen to invest in an electric charging point in her ward in Rubery.  However, delays had occurred in terms of the proposed location for the electric charging point.  This was having a negative impact on residents in Rubery, in terms of postponing many residents’ opportunities to invest in electric vehicles as there were currently limited options available to charge such vehicles in that location.

 

Members subsequently discussed the Motion and in doing so noted that there were currently two main issues which could discourage people from investing in electric vehicles.  The first issue was the cost of purchasing an electric vehicle.  The second challenge was the potential to locate adequate numbers of charging points for electric vehicles.  It was noted that the cost of purchasing an electric vehicle was falling, creating opportunities for organisations like Bromsgrove District Council to invest in charging points.

 

Reference was made to the need for work to be undertaken to enable the Council to establish the level of demand for electric charging points in the District.  Members also commented on the need for an Electric Charging Policy to be introduced for the District.  This would need to be informed by community engagement in order to clarify the proportion of residents who were likely to require access to electric charging points away from their properties. In discussing this matter, it was also suggested that consideration should be given to working in partnership with the private sector.

 

Members commented that it was important to note the need to take action that mitigated the risks in respect of climate change.  This was one such action that could have a positive impact on carbon emissions in the District.

 

Reference was made to the incidents of on street charging that had been observed in the community, whereby some residents had extended wires and leads across roads, creating trip hazards and placing other residents at risk.  In this context, Members commented that the action proposed in the Motion would support public safety.

 

Consideration was given to the extent to which it was appropriate to make reference to on street parking within the Motion, with Members suggesting that this might be more suitable for Worcestershire County Council to address.  A car parking strategy could partly address this, but there would also be a need for ongoing partnership working with Worcestershire County Council.

 

During consideration of this item, the Cabinet Member for Leisure and Climate Change responded by commenting that Worcestershire County Council had the primary role for implementing active travel initiatives.  Bromsgrove District Council officers regularly meet with officers from the County Council to discuss this role. Worcestershire County Council had had commissioned a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) for Bromsgrove which was currently being drafted. Full consultation, including a member engagement session, would be undertaken to help inform the content of the LCWIP. The final adopted LCWIP would then be used to bid for funding from Active Travel England and other sources to implement the recommendations of the plan.  It would also help inform future policies such as the Bromsgrove District Local Plan and the Worcestershire Local Transport Plan No 5.

 

Whilst the Council had undertaken a review of the Refuse Fleet and had an agreed replacement programme, the technology for these vehicles was not cost effective nor mature enough to deliver services in Bromsgrove. The Council was, however, finalising the wider fleet replacement programme review and were consciously looking at how to utilise electric powered vehicles as part of this. In the interim, the fleet used Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil as a proportion of their fuelling to reduce emissions.

 

The Council had a contract with Zest Eco Limited to expand the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (EVCI) across Council owned land. The project, which covered a 10-year period with an option to extend for a further five years, was assessing each of the car parks that did not currently have EVCI. The Council was finalising leases for various sites in order to set out installation timescales and associated publicity around these.

 

This project was complimenting the installations previously undertaken through a separate scheme which saw the following car parks receive EVCI:

·             Golden Cross Car Park

·             Alvechurch Car Park

·             Sanders Park Car Park

·             Windsor Street

·             North Bromsgrove (Bromsgrove Leisure Centre)

·             Asda Bromsgrove

·             Aston Fields

·             Barnt Green Parish – clarification was requested on the location of these parking spaces.

·             Princess of Wales (POW) Community Hospital

·             Webbs Hagley Garden Centre

 

To further enhance the ECVI schemes, which concentrated around car parks, there was a Government funded Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) scheme which was being co-ordinated by Worcestershire County Council· An allocation of £3.5 million had been received and was primarily focused on delivering public charging points for residents without dedicated off-street parking at home. The County Council were producing tender documents that would be released in January 2025.

 

On being put the to the vote, the Motion was carried.