Conservative councillors have walked out of a Hertsmere Borough Council (HBC) meeting after Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors denied a vote on the winter fuel allowance.
The motion was hoping to bring about a local awareness campaign, encouraging local people to apply for pension credit and sign a petition against the government’s plan to scrap the winter fuel allowance.
Councillor Morris Bright MBE released a video after leaving the council meeting claiming Labour and the Lib Dems had stopped a debate from taking place.
He said: “This evening we were in council debating plans that we put forward to help our elderly and vulnerable people who are affected by the cutting of the winter fuel allowance.
“Halfway through, Labour and the Lib Dems joined together to vote down, they killed our plan to help our pensioners, and 17,000 pensioners.”
Cllr Bright MBE said it had been 25 years since the last time a party had stormed out of a full council meeting in the area.
A post on Facebook from Labour for Hertsmere accused the Conservatives of being “more interested in theatrics than progress”.
Labour Councillor Chris Gray said: “They’ve used the elderly as political pawns.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it. It was like watching children throw a tantrum.”
One Conservative councillor, Councillor Sarah Hodgson-Jones, stayed in the meeting to continue the debate.
The Labour/Lib Dem coalition at Hertsmere Council should have really tried to help struggling pensioners. Such a shame, I’m lost for words.