Oxfordshire Conservatives have delivered an open letter to Banbury’s Labour MP after the Conservatives launched a Winter Fuel Payments petition.

The petition calls for Winter Fuel Payments to be restored to pensioners after the Labour government proposed to scrap the scheme last month.

More than 240,000 people across the county have signed the petition.

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Eddie Reeves, who is leader of the Conservative Group for Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council, wrote an open letter to Sean Woodcock MP containing details of how to access the petition.

The letter was delivered to the Labour Group at Bodicote House, Banbury, on Tuesday, October 29, ahead of today’s Budget (Wednesday, October 30).

Mr Reeves said: “This petition shows how many people agree with the Conservatives that scrapping Winter Fuel Payments in this way is profoundly wrong.

“Labour must do the right thing and protect pensioners on the lowest incomes. Doing so would end the anxiety facing pensioners whose fixed incomes cannot rise to meet the falling support available to them under the previous Conservative government.

“Whatever the merits of Labour’s attempt to reduce welfare payments, its means of doing so in this instance is divisive and discriminatory.

"It cannot be right to withdraw £300 from a pensioner earning as little as £13,000 a year or £1,074 per month.

“Local Conservatives are calling on Labour in Banbury – and across Oxfordshire – to protect the incomes of pensioners in the greatest need.

“In the absence of a government U-turn, we are calling for a grown-up, cross-party approach from district and county councillors to help those in the most acute need by way of targeted support through the Council Tax and local benefits system to help them through the winter.”

(Image: Cllr Eddie Reeves)

When approached for comment, Mr Woodcock said: “Under the last government, after 14 years in office one third of those eligible for Pension Credit were not getting it.

“I am proud to have a Labour government that is looking after the poorest pensioners by increasing take up of Pension Credit by more than 150 per cent since taking office ensuring that they are better off.

“Those pensioners will also continue to get the Winter Fuel Allowance.

“This we are doing while also increasing the state pension by £900 this year and £450 next via the Triple Lock which will benefit all pensioners.

“I will continue to work to advise and encourage all those eligible to apply for Pension Credit.

"Rather than cheap political point-scoring, it might be more useful for councillor Reeves to consider putting his energy into doing the same.

“Today, I am looking forward to hearing a budget delivered by the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer in history.

“It is a budget that will focus on investing in rebuilding Britain for a better life for my constituents.”

He also posted a letter on Facebook in response to the letter from Mr Reeves.

In the letter, he states that he is “proud” of the Labour Party for its commitment to investing in public services that were “left devastated” by the Conservatives.

Woodcock MP was among the 347 Labour MPs who voted to remove Winter Fuel Payments.

It is estimated that 17,630 pensioners in Banbury will lose up to £300 in Winter Fuel Payments.

Mr Reeves has put forward a motion to protect pensioners’ winter fuel payments at the next Oxfordshire County Council meeting on Tuesday, November 5.

The motion was also put forward at the previous county council meeting on 10 September, but it was not debated.