SCOTT SEEKS U TURN ON CONSERVATIVES SNUB FOR MINERS PENSION CAMPAIGN IN NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND

Scott Dickinson said: This is about the retired miners and their families getting a fair deal in relation to their own money saved in pension pots.

Councillor demands Tory U-turn as North Northumberland Conservatives refuse to back campaign to halt raid on mine workers’ pension pots in rural coalfields.

Conservative councillors in North Northumberland who represent wards in Northumberland’ rural coalfields have come under fire for failing to support a Motion seeking an independent investigation into how the government has pocketed over £3.3b in surpluses from mine workers’ pensions. Cllr Geoff Watson and Cllr Glen Sanderson abstained on the motion and are being urged to U-turn and back ex mine workers and their families who make up over 30% of the population of the rural coalfields. Cllr Scott Dickinson of Druridge Bay is demanding to know why Cllr Watson and Sanderson are against mineworkers in their wards and in the rural coalfields.

The motion which was tabled by Cllr Allan Hepple (Cramlington South East) whose late father was a miner at Full Council at County Hall, Morpeth on 7 Dec.

Cllr Hepple’s father died at 54 from an industry related disease and over 30% of the Cramlington West ward represented by Cllr Flux contains ex mineworkers or relations.

The Motion called for the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee chaired by Labour’s Meg Hillier to investigate why HM Treasury had managed to appropriate over £3.3billion in surpluses from the Mine Workers Pension Scheme despite not making any contributions to the fund since 1993.

Labour are demanding to know why Cllr Watson and Sanderson have snubbed their constituents by abstaining and not supporting this important motion.

Now local Labour councillor Scott Dickinson has waded in and urged Cllr Watson and Sanderson to ‘think again and support the motion to support ex mineworkers and their families’.

He said

“These Tory councillors are paid to represent their constituents so why are they snubbing ex miners and their families? They need to seriously rethink and publicly back the campaign to hold the government to account over the pension raid. It’s disgraceful and vindictive by the Tories in Northumberland. Ex miners won’t forget the latest snub from local Tories and I’m urging the local Tories to apologise and support the independent investigation into how £3.3billion has ended up with HM Treasury not supporting ex miners and their families”

Cllr Hepple who tabled the motion said “My late father would be turning in his grave if he knew what his local Tory councillors were seeking to do to ex mine workers – they need to U-turn quickly, apologise and support the motion – we want to see an independent investigation into the Tory raid on miner’s pensions”.

Notes

NOTICES OF MOTION Motion No.1 In accordance with Council Rules of Procedure No.10, Councillor A. Hepple to move the following motion, received by the Democratic Services Manager on 15 November 2016:- “Northumberland County Council views with concern the injustice whereby the Treasury receives 50% of surpluses from the Mineworkers Pension Scheme, accumulating so far over £3 billion, a sum taken from people and communities that are least able to afford it and one that is out of all proportion to the risk covered, and calls for independent scrutiny by the Public Accounts Committee to address this unfair arrangement”.