Ashfield District Council pass Hucknall Councillors' motion on miners' pensions

Ashfield District Council voted unanimously on a motion concerning miners' pensions in Thursday night's meeting.

The motion was proposed by Hucknall Labour Councillors Keir Morrison and Lauren Mitchell and amended by Independent Councillor David Hennigan and former miner Councillor John Baird.

It states that the three party leaders on the Council will write to the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to voice their belief on three points. Firstly, 'that the government should implement immediately the full findings and conclusions of the BEIS Select Committee's investigation' into the scheme; secondly that 'the government should now hand back the £1.2 billion from the investment reserve fund to the miners and their families' and thirdly that 'the government should now seek to negotiate a fairer arrangement to benefit the miners.'

This was the second time in a week that a motion on the miners' pension controversy has gone to a local council. Last week, the Ashfield Independents successfully steered a motion through Nottinghamshire County Council on the same issue.

Councillor John Wilmott, who represents Hucknall North, said: "I'm proud that our Councillors voted so strongly for this. It was especially poignant that my colleague – Councillor John Baird – an ex-miner of 30 odd years at Bentinck Colliery seconded the amendment. John was an outspoken critic of the Government in his time on the pits. He became a reluctant TV star on programmes like Panorama who followed his battle for better pay and conditions.

"Bottom Pit and Top Pit in Hucknall played a key role in life in Hucknall. They shaped our marvellous town. Now, despite promises from Boris Johnson in the General Election – they have been told that they can't have the money they rightly saved. Ex-miners and their families will lose a minimum of £728 a year because the Government REFUSED to implement the recommendations of one of its own committees."