The Labour Party in Slough has launched a campaign to sign people up for pension credits – after its government said only people getting the benefit will receive winter fuel payments.

The party’s announcement comes as councillors in Slough are set to debate the Labour government’s decision to cut winter fuel payments. They are also going to vote on whether Slough Borough Council should run its own pension credits awareness campaign.

Pavitar K Mann, leader of the Labour opposition group, said the government had to make ‘tough decisions’ because of a £22 billion gap in this year’s budget, which it said was caused by the previous Conservative leaders.

But she said her group was ‘protecting the pensioners who most need our support’ by launching a campaign to sign people up for pension credits.

READ MORE: Winter fuel payment cut 'to hit 11,000 Slough pensioners’

The Labour government agreed earlier this month to only give winter fuel payments – a sum of up to £300 – to people receiving pension credits or other means-tested benefits.

It means 10 million older people are likely to lose out as previously the payment was available to anyone of pension age. Labour in Slough says it believes there are 1,688 households in the borough eligible to receive pension credit that don’t currently get it.

Labour members at the party’s annual conference voted to call on the government to backtrack on the cut on Wednesday, September 25. But the vote is non-binding on the government, meaning it can be ignored.

Councillors in Slough were also set to vote on whether to call on the government to retreat, in a vote at a meeting on Thursday September 26. The Labour group did not say whether it would back the call proposed by Liberal Democrat councillor Frank O’Kelly.

Speaking earlier this month councillor O’Kelly said: “The Labour government’s plans to cut the payments will hit an estimated 11,216 pensioners across Slough.

“The government should only go ahead with cutting the winter fuel payments if the cuts can be restricted to those who clearly do not need the payments.”

Slough Borough Council leader Dexter Smith has said his Conservative group will back the motion, meaning it is likely to have enough votes in favour to pass.

He said: “The government must reverse this decision, which will adversely impact both a large number, and a large proportion, of pensioners in Slough.”

Sabia Akram, leader of the seven-strong Slough Independent Group of councillors, also said she backed the proposal.

She said the Labour government had ‘adopted a Tory policy of austerity’. She said: “If they had real ideas on where to save and where to spend they'd have started with the corporates not those who barely make ends meet and are relying on foodbanks.”