Can’t just be me who is sick of the moaning about the private school VAT and winter fuel payments

I was clearly referring to the majority of pensioners on PIP or attendance allowance that are NOT receiving pension credit.

Those on PIP and AA are often likely to get sdp on a pension credit claim if living alone on a low income as that increases the Pension credit threshold by £85 a week. They not only get the disability payment but £85 Pension credit as well and so are not the group struggling the most.

That’s just pure lazy self-interest to assess cut to public support on the basis of family and friends’ privileged situations only.

Fuel payments just subsidise fossil fuel companies massive profits. Make their profits illegal, their job is to provide energy. When bills shot up their profits were record highs.

When any benefit is means tested, there is always a proportion of people who are only just over the threshold and for whom it's pretty shit. Overall though, I'm very pleased about the winter fuel payment being means tested. I see no reason why benefits for pensioners shouldn't be means tested when benefits for families are.

So yep...winter fuel allowance and vat on school fees...meh, cry me a river.

Winter fuel payments are brilliant for those who need them. So anyone who is in receipt of benefits will still receive them.

Nope, pensioners on PIP or attendance allowance won’t get them even though they are likely vulnerable to the cold and medically more likely to need heat. Pension credit is being used as the one and only gateway, and that is generally a benefit given to the habitually unemployed who reached pension age.

I’m protesting the winter fuel payment cut. Yeah ok to make it means tested but using pension credit as a proxy is just plain stupid and cruel. It is literally endangering the lives of millions of pensioners. It will also perversely, put pensioners on pension credit (which are pensioners who worked too few years to get full state pension) hundreds of pounds better off than pensioners who worked all their lives.

It is especially shocking when you take into account the fact that the winter fuel payment is already so low that thousands of pensioners die every winter of hypothermia- and that is even now with very mild winters caused by global warming.

@BIWI

"Winter fuel payments are brilliant for those who need them. So anyone who is in receipt of benefits will still receive them. More prosperous pensioners, who don't need benefits, don't need the payment. So it's a good saving for the government to stop paying it as a universal benefit."

There's a section of pensioners who receive full state pension but no private pension who are therefore not well off but will be hit by this cut. I think the full state pension is not much more than those pensioners on pension credit

I think it's a bit unfair they aren't represented in the press it's as if no one thinks there are pensioners just above the cut off who will actually suffer from this cut

7% of children go to private school, apparently. (Have seen this figure posted so often I think it's probably true.) I have no time for those who are whinging about VAT being imposed. Let's be clear. Those paying for their children's education are paying for privilege. (I do think there's an exception to be made for those who have SEN though).

Winter fuel payments are brilliant for those who need them. So anyone who is in receipt of benefits will still receive them. More prosperous pensioners, who don't need benefits, don't need the payment. So it's a good saving for the government to stop paying it as a universal benefit.

It's just you.

I've heard of people who are a few pounds above the pension credit limit and it will severely impact their ability to pay bills.

Glad you're sick of it and only know rich pensioners.