Winter fuel payments for pensioners scrapped

[MidnightPatrol]

Unless they are in receipt of pension credit or other benefits.

I suspect this will be the first of many benefits which will be restricted as part of cost-cutting measures.

What else might we see / should we see?

That would have been nice @Lopine. We are restricting eligibility, but making it more generous.

It is has been for years!

This is exactly what will happen. They can’t scrap disability benefits - they’re there to mitigate the extra cost of living with a disability. Just as they can’t scrap child benefit for much the same reasons. They could possibly means test them but it would have to be somewhere in line with the cap on child benefit. My money is on them redefining what disability is, so that fewer people qualify. Just like the Tories did when they scrapped DLA and introduced PIP. A completely different benefit which reduced complex disability to a series of points awarded according to the level of incapacity

I want to see child benefit means tested as well then..

Err it is although my parents got the family allowance or similar thing which wasn’t means tested.

Yet they are taking £200 from people who earn just over £218.15 per week! That’s taking away from some of the most vulnerable. It’s an absolute pittance to live on as it is, every penny of that £200 is so needed by a lot of pensioners

Taxing the “super rich” raises very little money as they are highly mobile and there are very few of them. So cutting benefits to those who don’t need them is a good way to save money

Child Benefit is paid for every child. UC is only paid for the first two children, but the rule change was introduced with five (FIVE,5] years notice.

What a joke. I am a pensioner topping up my kids from my meagre funds.

If it had gone ahead they would have found the money somewhere.

Yet they are taking £200 from people who earn just over £218.15 per week! That’s taking away from some of the most vulnerable. It’s an absolute pittance to live on as it is, every penny of that £200 is so needed by a lot of pensioners

Not all pensioners live only on a state pension though.

I’m another in favour of this policy. It’s similar to the Tories change to Child benefit from being a universal benefit to means tested so that affluent families don’t get it.

My PIL spent it going to the canaries last year. My parent doesn’t need it as has pensions and savings. My neighbours in their 80s are flush from their lifestyle (good for them). Of course there are pensioners on low incomes but like with child benefit there are many affluent pensioners who just don’t need this money and it’s better targeted elsewhere.

yes, but not at £11k ish a year

Good.
Ideally they'll increase them for the pensioners who actually need them because they're living in poverty.

The same article says that over-65s are now the wealthiest generation.

https://www.standard.co.uk/homesandproperty/property-news/baby-boomers-property-wealth-uk-london-generation-property-gap-b1077686.html

Boomers are 60-79.

I'm absolutely not against the poorest and most vulnerable getting help with winter fuel payments. Once upon a time, the poorest and most vulnerable demographic in society was pensioners and it made sense to give it to them, knowing that whilst some would not need it, most probably would.

Now, that's no longer the case and whilst, yes, there are some poor pensioners, as a demographic they hold more money and property than ANYONE ELSE in society. It's insane that the RICHEST demographic, with the lowest levels of poverty of any age group, should be getting a universal handout, whilst we have record levels of child poverty.

www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2024-the-essential-guide-to-understanding-poverty-in-the-uk#:~:text=Children%20have%20consistently%20had%20the,%2F95%20to%202021%2F22.

There is a cap on child benefit. It’s only paid for the first two children.

But many do. I have absolutely no problem with this being taken from the wealthy. The problem is those on just over £218.50 per week, they will literally freeze this winter

Now, that's no longer the case and whilst, yes, there are some poor pensioners, as a demographic they hold more money and property than ANYONE ELSE in society. It's insane that the RICHEST demographic, with the lowest levels of poverty of any age group, should be getting a universal handout, whilst we have record levels of child poverty.

This. It’s just not sustainable

No, child benefit is paid for every child (although you pay it back if you’re over a certain income level). The restriction is on the child element of universal credit

Wonder what the response on here will be when Inheritance Tax gets changed? Sure they'll be wanting to increase the take from that.

But many do. I have absolutely no problem with this being taken from the wealthy. The problem is those on just over £218.50 per week, they will literally freeze this winter

There has to be a cut off though & no one ever agrees on who the wealthy are apart from the fact it’s not them but everyone else.

My parents give me their winter fuel allowance as they are rich pensioners and I don't earn much. I think this is a good thing. It should be means tested.

This was what affected me, I was a single mum under Thatcher and only worked part time as there was no help with child care costs. There was no way I could have afforded to pay into a private pension even if my them employer offered one and then being part time would have more than likely have ruled me out. As if was, I needed every penny just to pay all the bills and survive. What is really hacking me off is that throughout my life I have done the "right" thing, I have always worked, I have always gone on training courses and changed my job to earn more and gone for additional qualifications. I am seriously wondering what the bloody point of my life has been, I have had a tough life and now I am at the end of it and facing the same old stuff I faced as a young mum, being cold and worrying about money. The difference this time around is that I no longer have the resilience of youth and the hope of being to able to work my way out of it. I will be interested to see if there is any gender imbalance with this cut, I suspect that more women will be adversely affected due to having less years to build up a decent pension. I have emailed my MP this evening with a message to this effect.

My Aunt and Uncle retired on a good pension. Lived mostly in Corfu in retirement. This was known to the authorities. They still got winter fuel payments. I understand it is controversial, but I am still supportive.