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?

Right, but I'm talking about means testing the individual, not the household income. It's not perfect, but better than we have at the moment, no? I know professionals earning decent money claiming PIP and I'm pretty sure they don't need the money because of their disabilities.

If one of them was disabled and the other a carer they would likely qualify for UC with the addition of carers and LCWRA elements. Yes state pension is deducted but they would likely still get a few hundred pounds of UC. If the younger one is not caring or disabled then unfortunately yes they will need to look for work like everyone else of UC has to.

I’m fully aware, what’s your concern around releasing equity if someone’s living standards really are so poor?

Equity release won’t be available to those whose homes are in a poor state of repair.

Pensioners who are too afraid of high bills to put the heating on over winter will be the ones whose homes are cold and damp. Damp causes structural issues.

Not sure lenders of equity release would consider such a property to be a good return on investment.

Why are people equating winter fuel to child benefit? Child benefit is now means tested. It didn’t used to be.

It’s means-tested at a much higher level, though (and is worth far more than winter fuel)

An option they might not like, but childcare costs should no longer be a barrier to working and contributing to society.

Except that even with government subsidies childcare costs are extortionate so are often a barrier to work.

They don't even get UC if they haven't paid in the previous year - and yes, aged nearly 62 trying to find a job really is difficult. I've got four years to survive having no income at all other than Mr's state pension and a bit of savings I'm eating into every day I live. Feel disgruntled that many just over the threshold will have an even poorer quality of life now. Fuel companies should be targeted and the companies which pay no tax in the UK first.

Because they are out of touch. Pensioners did very well out of the Tories. Working people not so much. Child benefit is not available to certain earners. The idea of universal benefits went a while ago.

Your narrative could apply to many people. Many who work in public services work shifts and unsociable hours. Many will miss their childrens’ birthdays because they’re caring for others. No-one ever said doctors didn’t deserve a pay rise, but 20% is mad and, as I said, many other workers will jump on this and demands for well above inflation pay rises will now come thick and fast.

You mean the sort of childcare subsidies that see my £1800+ monthly childcare bill drop by an exceedingly generous £90 per month because the nursery had no choice but to raise the fees to cover the funding gap created by the previous government's self absorb PR parade? Or the fact the nursery no longer accepts term time only or half days for the same reason? Yes, that will definitely get lots of women back to work.

I mean, I do know people like the ones you refer to, and they equally piss me off, but please don't claim childcare costs are not prohibitive to women working.

@Daisymay2 thats a typical response of someone who is. Ot affected, you might not of needed it but someone £2 over the threshold for pension credit does? Im not a pensioner so it doesn’t affect me as yet but i can see how this will hit some very hard. And how sone will not be avle to heat their times with energy being so high as it is. Should of at least been in the manifesto , have the balls to say what they were doing, I don’t but the we didn’t know etc , other parties were pointing out a hole in their figures , the reality is they got in as the opposition was so poor . Thus is a poir decision with the cap being so low

@Putting but someone receiving a winter fuel payment today would likely have got child benefit or family allowance as it was universal. Why would you resent some of the younger generation getting it?

@Champagnesocialismo make it make sense. 😆

Wow really ? Not planning on getting old then ?

Oh don't worry they're coming for the wealthier

Everyone is going to pay. Everyone.

This is small fry to what's coming.

And that's ok. We will pay thousands but that's ok. We want functioning services.

But everyone has to pay something. Even the poorest yes.

And everyone retiring later will be worse off than pensioners of today so they can have that to lord it up if you like.

@OdeToBarney but there is help ans if uou only get that much then you must be in quite a high salary in the first place, your not on £10000 are you

Making sacrifices now to save for it.

What would have been smart is getting their great British energy off the ground and reducing cost of energy bills and then scrapping the winter fuel payment or phasing it out

But you know common sense and intelligence seems to be lacking

Bit like let's ban new oil drilling licences in the north sea before we even got our clean energy up and running...so now we are more beholden to import prices and lose out on billions of tax we would of got ao now have to cut even mpre to plug this gap.....the tax that could of paid for winter fuel ....I mean shit isn't that just sensible???

I don’t resent it at all. Just pointing out that people on much higher incomes get benefits yet some people seem to be rejoicing over really quite poor people losing £200/year,

I think it is fair and also think the infant meals should be means tested

Totally agree with this, many pensioners have large pensions with housing worth a fortune that they can sell if needed

@whatdoidonowffs do you really believe free prescriptions for the over 60s will remain? The age is going to move out, it’s inevitable.

State pension age has also moved out.

Glad to hear it, but not everybody could. Company pensions weren't available to all, and those on very low wages way back would never have been able to have contributed enough. Some of today's pensioners worked 50 years with low pay - now find themselves through no fault of their own in a sticky wicket.

It's nothing to do with how much I earn. It's the prices the nursery charge. 15 hours spread over the year is 11 hours a week. One day at nursery. But with the prices rises, it actually translates to one day per MONTH.

This would be the same whether you earned £30k or £99k. Except I suppose on £30k you might get some universal credit (I don't).