The recommendation led to a bitter battle last night
A bitter row has erupted over a 'whingers' comment made in relation to borough pensioners.
It came during a stormy Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council meeting last night (February 15) where a proposal was made to give every sheltered complex in the borough a one-off payment of £5,000.
This, said the opposing Tories, would be 'little treat' for the elderly residents, many of whom have been shielding for months and have been unable to raise funds of their own due to Covid-19 restrictions.
It could be spent on communal rooms, new pieces of equipment such as TVs or white goods like a new washing machine.
Councillor Kyle Evans said: "We all have complexes in our wards and this is a decent proposal just to go back to them and say 'thank you' for being so loyal to us in recent years."
But councillor Barry Longden (pictured above) hit back at the Tories for what he described as electioneering prior to the local elections on May 6.
"It is amazing isnt it? It is not political but it would just come just before an election, where they would get a grant into these complexes," he said.
"They do get quite well looked after and I must point out to Cllr Evams there are far more people outside of the complexes shielding, I am one, my next door neighbour is two and another neighbour down the road that is just along our small stretch of street - and we have all been shielding - we haven't been allowed to go out.
"We are not whinging about this, that and the other. We have had to get on with it. It is not just people in the complexes who have had to deal with it, it is people in the community as well.
"I do take some exception to Cllr Evans trying to make out that it is just some people that deserve, for some reason, to be recognised, because they have been shielding. That is not what I see, what I see is deliberate electioneering and it is not on."
It led a flabbergasted Cllr Clare Golby to say: "I am quite shocked at what I just heard, people in complexes whinging? Is this what the Labour group think- shut up everyone in a complex, you are whinging?
"We are here to do a little bit for people who are struggling, just because we cant give free TVs for everyone - you say what do I get? That is just cold."
Cllr Bill Hancox added: "So now we have now suddenly got Conservatives caring, caring Conservatives? The same Conservatives that want to make this contribution to complexes are the same ones to take the free TV licences away, it jumps out to me."
A vote was taken and it lead to a 17-17 deadlock.
The Mayor, Cllr June Tandy, used her casting vote against the proposal and it was dismissed.
