CUTS to winter fuel payments have been described as “an absolute disgrace” by Worcestershire councillors.

The county council will write to the government urging it to reverse its decision to introduce means-testing, meaning millions of pensioners will miss out on the payments.

Conservative councillor Marc Bayliss introduced a motion at a full council meeting on Thursday (September 12), giving councillors the chance to vote on whether the authority writes to the government or not.

He said: “We’re speaking up for 100,000 Worcestershire pensioners who are about to get punished by this mean-spirited policy, that was not mentioned at the General Election.”

Cllr Bayliss, who stood as a candidate for Worcester in the General Election but lost out to Labour’s Tom Collins, added: “My opponent promised to protect pensioners but has done the opposite.”

Fellow Conservative councillor Karen May said the cuts would have a “potentially devastating impact”.

“The death rate significantly increases during winter and older adults are particularly vulnerable,” she said. “I urge the government to reconsider.”

Cllr May said she doesn’t want people to have to choose between “heating and eating”.

Cllr Craig Warhurst, another Tory councillor, said: “It’s an absolute disgrace. People in Redditch are frightened of freezing this winter.”

Lib Dem councillor Dan Boatright-Greene said: “It’s a ridiculous idea that was not in the [Labour] manifesto”.

He also said: “On the concept of being mean there are loads of young people about to start an apprenticeship, whose parents will lose some of their universal income they actually need - and that was created by the Conservatives. So if we start talking about the mean-spirited angle to social security we’ve got an interesting one.”

Another Lib Dem councillor, Josh Robinson, said: “The Labour government did not come into rosy economic conditions.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has insisted the cut to fuel payments is necessary to help fill a £22bn black hole inherited by the previous government.

But Tory councillor Nathan Desmond said: “You do not fill a black hole by throwing pensioners in it.”

Labour councillors voted against the motion.