A petition has been launched to reverse a decision that would cancel winter fuel payments for more than 10,000 elderly pensioners in Reading.

The Labour government is due to limit winter fuel payments designed to help elderly people with their heating bills.

The payments are set at £200 or £300 and have been available to all pensioners, regardless of their finances.

But since July, the Labour government has announced plans to restrict payments to only those who qualify for pension credit or certain other means-tested benefits.

The change has been justified as a cost-cutting measure in an effort to fill a £22 billion 'black hole' in the country's finances, while retaining the payments for the poorest pensioners.

Now, opposition parties in Reading are calling for the changes to be scrapped.

Councillor Dave McElroy (Green, Redlands) said: “We know that there are wealthy pensioners in the UK who this won't trouble, but there are two million pensioners that will be pushed towards poverty following the Labour government’s cruel decision to cut the winter fuel payment.

"Greens want to see this vicious cut reversed immediately. It's not people who have worked hard all their lives and retired with little, if any, savings that should be paying for the years of austerity, it's the very wealthy who can afford to help.

“Greens also want to see a massive programme of insulating homes to bring down energy bills. Please sign our petition and send a message to Labour.”

You can sign the petition online via a Google Document.

Cllr McElroy was also the Green Party Reading Central MP candidate at the recent general election.

According to the Reading Conservatives, 10,133 pensioners will be impacted when the change comes into effect this Winter. This figure has not been independently verified.

The Greens have also accused Labour of hypocrisy, as party politicians claimed Conservative plans to scrap the winter fuel payments for wealthier pensions in 2017 could have led to almost 4,000 additional deaths over winter.

Again, this claim has not been independently verified.

While a parliament vote on the measure to restrict Winter fuel payments is due to be decided on Wednesday, September 25, an attempt by opposition parties to retain the payments for all pensioners failed.

In a vote, 335 MPs voted against it and 213 MPs voted for it.

Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Reading Central, Olivia Bailey, the Labour MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire, Yuan Yang, the Labour MP for Earley and Woodley, Peter Swallow, the Labour MP for Bracknell and Tan Dhesi, Labour MP for Slough voted against the motion.

Meanwhile, Clive Jones, the Liberal Democrat MP for Wokingham, Lee Dillon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Newbury, Joshua Reynolds, the Liberal Democrat MP for Maidenhead and Jack Rankin, the Conservative MP for Windsor voted for it.

The failed vote on the motion was held on Tuesday, September 10.