11,566. That’s the number of elderly residents of Watford who it is estimated will be £200 worse off this winter because of the decision to cut the winter fuel allowance for most pensioners. Sadly, our new MP Matt Turmaine voted in favour of this cut.

Do you remember reading about this major cut to pensioners’ income in the Labour manifesto? Do you remember Matt mentioning it during the election campaign?

Maybe you voted for Matt – or another party that helped Matt win – in the mistaken belief that Labour would never hurt pensioners in this way?

Many residents are now telling us how shocked they are at Labour’s deception.

And they aren’t buying the argument that it’s all because of some invented ‘black hole’ in the budget. They can see the Labour government isn’t saying how it came up with that figure. They can also see all the pay rises Labour is doling out to train drivers and the like.

To put it bluntly, the Labour is taking money from relatively poor pensioners to give it to relatively well-off train drivers and so forth because that’s what their trade union masters demand.

Where will the deception stop? We’re hearing now about threats to end the reduction of council tax for people who live alone, again hurting many pensioners.

On top of the possible betrayal over the new Watford General Hospital, pensioners are paying a high price for this new government, and it looks as if it will get worse. So far our new MP has just gone along with it. It is time for Matt Turmaine to say enough is enough to his party bosses and to start standing up for the people of our town.

  • Stephen Woodard is chairman of Watford Conservatives