Fife Council call on governments to restore winter payments

And he joined with Lib Dem and SNP members to call for both Westminster and Holyrood to reconsider the cuts they have made to winter fuel allowances. 

Cllr Ross, and several of his Labour councillors, also spoke out against the retention of the two child benefit cap. 

At the full council meeting he asked members to “note with concern the [UK] Government’s decision to withdraw the winter fuel allowance from those pensioners not in receipt of pension credits and not to immediately remove the two child benefit cap”. 

“[These will] ultimately have consequences for pensioners and families in Fife,” he stated. 

Fife Council leader David Ross was one of several Labour councillors to criticise two decisions of the new Labour government. (Image: Fife Council) READ MORE: Fife Council step back from 'no confidence' motion in Scottish Government

There was still some disagreement as to who shoulders most of the blame, with some arguing that it's down to Westminster to make changes for the better.

Others stated that the “hypocritical” government in Holyrood should be held more to account. 

However, there was cross-party opposition to the two policies.

Labour councillor Andrew Verrecchia, who represents Rosyth, said: “I’ll start by saying I do not support the retention of the two child cap nor the removal of the winter fuel allowance.

"I don’t think anyone supports that in this chamber."

The furore was sparked earlier this month when the prime minister announced that the new Labour government would cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners across the country. 

The Scottish Government subsequently made a similar choice.

In a press release, it said Westminster’s plans to means-test the payment would see Holyrood’s funding cut by up to £160 million, adding that ministers were left with “no choice” but to follow suit.

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The two-child benefit cap, a Conservative government policy from 2017, prevents parents from claiming child tax credit or universal credit for more than two children. 

So far, despite calls to scrap the policy, the new Labour government has not done so.

This attracted criticism from the Scottish Lib Dems and Scottish Labour – and Fife councillors have now had their say. 

“In the Labour party we are notorious for disagreeing with each other: we do it regularly, often and in public,” Labour councillor Altany Craik began. 

“This is going to be no different for me – the two policies we’ve been talking about today are absolutely terrible.

"These are not things that I can support.” 

It was highlighted that the winter fuel payment cuts will impact more than 65,800 pensioners in Fife and nearly a million households across Scotland. 

“To add insult to injury, the energy price cap will increase by 10 per cent next month,” SNP group leader Craig Walker said. 

Members were told the decision to keep the two child benefit cap will impact on 2,100 families in Fife.   

“The two child benefit cap is something we’ve opposed since it was introduced in 2017. We hope the current UK Government will reconsider and re-examine this,” Fife Lib Dem group leader James Calder said. 

“We also feel the UK Government must rethink their proposal to cut winter fuel payments.

"This cut is, in our view, wrong. For those pensioners on the line who are still in poverty, some are going to have to choose between heating and eating this winter.

“It is also disappointing that the Scottish Government is choosing to replicate this cut rather than finding any solution or mitigating it.”