This week I sent a letter to Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, asking her to review the Government’s decision to remove the winter fuel allowance.
It followed a motion that was passed at last week’s Full Council meeting, presented by Councillor Alexander Rafiq, which called on me to express the view of the council in this way.
It is a subject that I am regularly speaking to residents about and I know that many people feel a good deal of anger about the decision.
Let me be clear, this is not a choice I would have made personally, however, the national finances are in a very poor state and harsh decisions must be made – much like we are having to do locally. We wish we didn’t have to reduce funding for the Dementia Resource Centre, or close the Lido earlier than we did last year, or worry residents that Christmas celebrations may not happen if we don’t get sponsorship. However, we have no choice because of the dire financial situation that we have inherited. It is the same on a national level and that is why unpalatable decisions such as the removal of the winter fuel allowance are being made.
Locally we are trying to do more to help vulnerable older people and this week we announced that we’ve teamed up with local charity Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to launch a new scheme specifically aimed at helping older residents who may be struggling with bills.
‘Older Adults Winter Support’ launched this week and provides £100 vouchers which can be spent at several outlets helping recipients to free up funds for heating and fuel costs during this period.
If you’re aged 65 and over, live alone or with another person aged 65 or over, on a low income and not in receipt of pension credit, savings of less than £10,000 and reside within the authority area, then you are eligible for support through the scheme.
I would urge anyone who is eligible to please call Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s team on 01733 564185 or email pbws@ageukcap.org.uk
On a related subject, I would also strongly urge anyone who is eligible to claim Pension Credits to do so. Anyone unsure if they qualify for Pension Credit or indeed, any benefit, should contact relevant governmental department, their local authority or a registered charity such as Age UK.
As I have said, there are difficult decisions to be made and this will be a theme for the next few months as we work hard to reduce a £7m in year overspend and a budget gap next year of around £22m.
This is why we are currently consulting on a revised set of corporate priorities for the council, which we can deliver within the budget that we have available.
The consultation, called Shaping Our City, runs until Sunday (October 27), so please get involved if you have not already done so. Tell us what priorities are important to you, how you want us to spend public funds and improve the services we provide.
The consultation has included a series of public meetings taking place in venues across the city and also an online survey, which will only take a few minutes of your time to complete.
Your views will then be considered by Cabinet at a meeting in December as part of the process to agree our new Corporate Strategy and our budget for 2025/26 and beyond.
For more details and how to give your views online visit: https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/council/consultations/shaping-our-city-consultation
In further news, I spent a pleasant and poignant afternoon at Central Park last Saturday at a special ceremony to mark the unveiling of two new memorials commemorating the country’s nuclear testing veterans.
Despite the wet weather, it was lovely to see so many turn up for the event, including several veterans, councillors and our two local MPs. The memorials were unveiled by city Mayor Councillor Marco Cereste and guests observed speeches, wreath laying and a bugle call of the Last Post.
No other council has commemorated nuclear veterans, so we are setting a unique precedent here in Peterborough and I’m really proud of everyone involved. Special thanks to Councillor Katy Cole who submitted a motion to recognise the contribution of nuclear veterans.
The memorials are also especially pertinent for one of our councillors, Alan Dowson, who was exposed to nuclear testing whilst stationed as a 19-year-old serviceman in the Pacific in 1958. I know that Alan, who has campaigned nationally for recognition for nuclear veterans for many years, is delighted and humbled with them.
Finally, around 400 business and civic leaders turned out for the city’s premier networking event, the annual Opportunity Peterborough Bondholder Dinner at the Cathedral last week.
Sadly I couldn’t attend myself, due to a recent hip operation, but several council representatives were there, including our Deputy Leader Cllr Mohammed Jamil.
Events like these make me really proud to be part of our city’s exciting growth programme. The business community is going to be key to this, so getting them together to discuss ideas and make new connections is really beneficial.
I’m sure everyone who attended had a great time and celebrated everything that makes Peterborough a hub of innovation and growth.