Political unity dissolves as Sefton Council debates winter fuel payments

On Thursday evening, in a night of contrasting emotions, Sefton Council convened two separate meetings at Southport Town Hall.

The first session saw rare political unity as councillors paid tribute to the victims of the recent Hart Street attack, while the second devolved into heated debates over council tax and winter fuel payments for pensioners.

Solidarity in Tragedy

The initial meeting focused solely on passing a motion in solidarity with the victims of the Hart Street attack and their families.

In an uncommon display of cross-party cooperation, Labour’s motion received support from Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Labour Leader Marion Atkinson, Conservative Leader Mike Prendergast, and Liberal Democrat Leader John Pugh delivered solemn speeches backing the motion.

Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy addressed the chamber, describing the aftermath of the St Luke’s Road / Sussex Road riot as “the worst night of my career.” She recounted the distressing sight of injured officers returning to the local police station following the incident while saying that the thoughts of the service remained with Alice, Bebe and Elsie, along with their family and friends.

The unanimously passed motion commits the Council to collaborating with victims’ families and local schools in response to the tragedy.

Political Divisions Resurface

The spirit of unity was short-lived as the Council reconvened for its regular business meeting. Discussions on winter fuel payments and council tax sparked tense exchanges between party representatives.

The meeting played out amid the backdrop of a score of protestors concerned about 5G  and climate emergency policy and took an unusual turn when they presented what appeared to be a lengthy conspiracy report to the Council (the specific demands of this report and the group remain unclear to this reporter).

Eventually, Mayor Cllr June Burns felt compelled to intervene, asking, “Is there a question?” When the presenter finally asked “Have you read it?” to Cllr Mhairi Doyle, she responded to the 7-minute presentation with a succinct “Yes I have”, mercifully ending the group’s official involvement in the meeting, save for clapping dramatically at every criticism of the Labour Party for the next 2 hours.

Both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties proposed separate motions urging Sefton to protest recent changes implemented by the central government. Labour’s opposition defeated both motions.

Conservative Leader Cllr Prendergast argued that Labour had inherited “the fastest growing economy in the G7.” Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat Cllr Brodie-Browne, while acknowledging the need for economic repair, cautioned that restrictions on winter fuel payments would adversely affect some of society’s most vulnerable members.

Cllr Mike Prendergast said following the meeting: “In Southport, we have 20,568 pensioners who could lose their Winter Fuel Allowance, with a further 22,626 in Sefton Central and 12,755 in Bootle.

“Across the whole of Sefton, that’s nearly 56,000 pensioners who will have vital energy support taken from them with little time to adjust and no alternative measure being provided. Even Labour’s own research on the issue shows that thousands could die because of the removal of the fuel allowance.

“All because Labour have made a choice; to take money from pensioners and give it to union members threatening to go on strike. They’ve prioritised those who donate to their party over those who have voted for them.

“None of which was in the manifesto during the last General Election.”

A separate motion from Cllr Prendergast called on Sefton to seek permission from the Council if it ever wanted to raise Council Tax by more than 5%. Currently, the Council must seek that permission, but there is speculation that the central government will soon remove this requirement. Again, this was defeated due to Labour opposition.