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?

My DP’s don’t pay rent they own their own home!
I live in a different universe because most older people I know need it. Everyone on mumsnet must have rich parents.

my full pension is £884.80 pm. That's the full amount and only because I had 38yrs contributions . Many people do not get the full amount because they have not got full contributions 🤷🏼‍♀️.

How can it be right to take help away from a couple with only £11K+ per year to live off - and do not qualify for pension credit despite having little savings! Can't they force fuel companies to reduce prices.

Like I've said, I'm 61 and desperately trying to get employment. This is another body blow.

@LoneHydrangea are you really so shortsighted and stupid? So you know a few wealthy pensioners so they all are? No wonder this country is in such a mess with the lack of critical thinking skills 🙄

It should have been means tested years ago, it’s about time something has been done about it.

I wonder if they will start means testing DLA and PIP? I was genuinely shocked at this, very surprised and disappointed.

indeed, my late DPs refused to apply for any kind of additional benefits as they could "manage" on their pension. The Fuel allowance was a big help.

My mum is in this situation. She's pennies over the cut off and so is actually worse off than those getting pension credit.
God knows how but I'm going to need to find the money to give her because she bloody needs it.

There are going to be a lot of pensioners like her this year.

This. The glee that some people are showing is vile. There are those that are living jn poverty but aren't eligible for pension credit. This is going to have a disproportionate impact on those who need looking after the most. I'm disgusted that once again the frail elderly among us are being targeted...

Martin Lewis is suggesting that council tax band could be used:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2024/07/eligibility-changes-winter-fuel-payment/

I just hope the heartless commenters are left with no inheritance.

My parents are 90 and 88 and have never received any benefits. The winter fuel payment enabled them to have the heating on longer than they otherwise would have done.

And the pensioners , just £1 or even less above the benefit threshold ? What about them ? Punishment for the people who have saved / been sensible with their money again !

What is your housing costs?

1600 with no housing costs, tax free seems like a fair amount for 2 people.

What an odd decision, so people claiming off the state can claim more and my Dad not claiming or ever claimed can’t get help, despite losing
his pension in the maxwell scandal. He’s not skint but neither are we or any of our friends claiming child benefit.

this is a bit crap for my Mum. She's only a few pounds over the limit for pension credits, so gets no help.
Now will have no winter fuel payment either. Her costs for the flat she lives in have jumped too. She'll be slowly sinking financially year on year.

Maybe those own property should downsize. You can’t sit on £200k+ of assets and plead poverty.

Downsize to where? Oh, you mean take up all the 1 or two bedroom homes so that they aren't available to young first time property owners, the same ones who can't afford to buy the pensioners £300k house that's just come to market? Good lord!

I think it’s possible to hold two thoughts at once on this - 1) people like my in laws who live abroad in a a very warm country and still receive the winter fuel payment probably shouldn’t; and 2) this plan needs careful thinking through to ensure those on the cusp of pension credit are not disadvantaged by the change. We need to see what the smallprint will say before judging it fully.

Awful decision, my Dad’s total income is a few pounds over the threshold for pension credit, he lives in a freezing cold old house, the winter fuel payment is essential to him. I get some people don’t need it, but for many pensioners the winter fuel allowance is absolutely critical, it really does make the difference is being able to keep warm or not. Many people like my Dad will simply freeze this winter. If they’re going to do this then the threshold for pension credit needs to be raised. He worked hard all his working life to end up in poverty, really upset about this.

All these people who have relatives saying that they don't need the WFA, why didn't they stop the payments?

Some people appear to be under an illusion about State Pension - a basic State Pension is £169.00 a week according to gov.uk, or about £680 a month - nowhere near the £1600+ a month some Mnetters think it is.

I didn’t say that it should go to everyone but if you think that people who have a total income of £900 of month don’t need the winter fuel allowance you are wrong. And the pensioners on the lower amounts are the older pensioners who retired before 2016 and therefore don’t get the new state pension (which is a higher amount) so, no, many of those will not be able to work.

Lonehydrangea has spoken. Let’s not bother going on the government website to learn that the average income for a single female pensioner is £232 per week.

I just hope the heartless commenters are left with no inheritance.

That’s the point. Many older people own property. They’re sitting on assets worth £200k+. If they can’t afford to live off their income without extra payments, the answer is to free up those assets and use them. Otherwise the taxpayer is subsidising their children’s inheritance.

This will absolutely cause more deaths from colds homes.

And if my DP’s sold their house there isn’t anywhere to downsize too! They already live in a cheap area and in terrace.