Excerpt of Tower Hamlets Council meeting held on 5 October 2024 (AI generated summary)
The Aspire group proposed a motion to provide residents of pension age who are no longer eligible for the Winter Fuel Allowance due to the recent change of government with a payment of £165 towards their winter fuel bills.
Labour councillors proposed an amendment to the motion stating that the money should come from the Council’s General Fund and increasing the payment to £300 for residents over 80 and £200 for residents under 80, arguing that this was more in line with the original scheme. Labour councillors argued that the Council should step in to address hardship caused by their own government’s recent changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance. Aspire members responded by arguing that they were stepping in to mitigate the impact of the Labour government’s cuts.
The amendment was defeated by 23 votes to 22. The original motion was then passed by the same margin.
This summary is provided by Tower Hamlets Council, which uses AI-generated summaries to ensure that journalism fulfils its role in informing the public of the activities of government.