Barnsley's Labour leader urges a rethink on winter fuel cuts saying it is 'now or never' to stop Reform

On election night, Labour’s Doncaster Mayor, Ros Jones, hit out at the Prime Minister and urged him to listen to voters, specifically citing the winter fuel payment cuts.

Now another local Labour grandee Sir Stephen Houghton, the leader of Barnsley Council, has said the Government needs to reassess a number of policies, including the fuel allowance.

“Despite the good work on the NHS, including consistently reducing waiting times, and the Prime Minister's leading work on supporting Ukraine, last Thursday's results are a worrying sign for the Labour Party.

“These results show that the outcome of next year's local elections will be even worse if things don't change and the government doesn’t do more to help councils and communities in need.

“ Big capital expenditure takes time to have a political effect, but the government simply doesn't have that time.

“Delivering support on immediate problems - such as the cost-of-living crisis, supporting councils in the most deprived areas and rethinking cuts to the winter fuel allowance - is pivotal if Labour want to hold off Reform and get a second term.

“It's now or never for the government to make these changes.”

Barnsley and South Yorkshire are seen as some of Reform’s real target areas in the North.

Sir Stephen is proposing that any pensioner household with a total income of under £34,000, the national median, gets a £300 winter fuel payment.

He said those on pension credit should continue to receive their individual payments of £200.

He also called for free bus travel for under 18s - as is being brought in in Barnsley - and changes to the threshold for free school meals.

Sir Stephen’s comments come as the Red Wall Group of Labour MPs - which represent constituencies across the North - also told Sir Keir Starmer to change.

In a statement after a meeting on Tuesday night, they dozens of MPs said: “Our voters told us loudly and clearly that we have not met their expectations.

“The response that the Government will go further and faster on the plan for change has fallen on deaf ears.

“This is our call for action: visit our areas, listen and rebuild the social contract between government and the people.

“Responding to issues raised by our constituents, including on winter fuel, isn’t weak, it takes us to a position of strength”.

They said Sir Keir must break the “disconnect between Westminster and the red wall areas”.

However, the Government indicated that there will be no changes to the winter fuel payment, with the Prime Minister’s acting press secretary saying that voters did not elect Labour to “be blown off course”.

In one of her first major interviews since her resignation as Transport Secretary, Sheffield Heeley MP said it shouldn’t be underestimated “how catastrophic those results were last week for the Labour Party”.

“People don’t really feel that we’re taking the action to address the issues that matter, whether that be on the cost of living, the public services or on the economy more widely, and that’s very frustrating,” she told the BBC.