To think it's outrageous that a poor pensioner is charged money because she saved

[MummyChelleKent]

I'm so upset with the mail story. A very poor pensioner on a pension of 150 a week saved a bit every month. After a while she saved up 22k to help with her funeral costs and now she's being told she can't have housing benefit and will have to give them all of her savings!

[HappyHammy]

Her family should have kept an eye on her savings. Sorry but she isn't poor and the same rules apply to everyone regardless of age.

[PortiaCastis]

Someone with that much money is not poor and doesn't need benefit

[groundanchochillipowder]

YABU. I feel sorry for the working poor person paying taxes for others to have a huge savings nest whilst they struggle along trying to meet the high cost of living and pay their rent.

[Gwenhwyfar]

"Benefits are there for those who need it.

Someone with 22k in the bank does not need a benefit."

But if you have cars or paintings or jewellery worth 22k, it's perfectly OK apparently (unless you bought them on purpose to avoid benefits).

[Kazzyhoward]

She's not a benefit cheat, she also has learning difficulties and can't read. She may not have even understood the.form.

She was smart enough to be able to save a huge amount from her pension. It's not as if she's being burned at the stake - she's got the money and needs to pay back what she wrongfully claimed. There is no way that she isn't a benefit cheat.

[Butterymuffin]

she saved up 22k to help with her funeral costs

What kind of funeral was she planning? Has anyone asked her where she got the idea that funerals cost that much?

[codenameduchess]

YABU to be reading the daily fall and hand wringing over it.
Have you checked any facts or just taken the article at face value? Any DM article is at least 50% bullshit.

If she has saved that much then she doesn't need benefits. Where were this family who can help her appeal when she was fraudulently claiming thousands in benefits? They couldn't be bothered to help her then but suddenly are posing with compo faces because the law has been enforced but whatever, it's a good story to get us all angry at the government right?

[Guavaf1sh]

I feel for her- if the payment was fair why should she be punished for saving and not spending? Perhaps the problem is the system overpays - in which case it’s the system’s problem

[Zaphodsotherhead]

Good point codenameduchess - why didn't her family just tell her to buy herself a funeral policy if she was so worried about 'funeral costs'? Or just tell her that they'd manage to raise the money for her funeral, she didn't need to worry about it?

[HeadintheiClouds]

Is the saving for funeral costs thing real, or an attempt at a tear jerker headline? Saving for a round the world cruise wouldn’t have quite the same impact.

[Unfinishedkitchen]

What kind of funeral was she saving for? A full on ancient Egyptian burial?

[GabsAlot]

Her family should have been on this earlier-its all well and good appealing saying she needs help but where were they before

[TheBrilloPad]

Saving for a funeral is for the heart wrenching headline, surely.

I'd bet her son knew full well what she was doing, but thought she'd get away with it, playing the "old and learning difficulties" card.

If it was a single mother on benefits trying to save for a house deposit, no way would she get any sympathy. It's tough, but benefits shouldn't be at a level where you can save £32K. I'm on benefits and put £50 a month aside for emergencies in the "help to save" account they help you set up, and I count myself lucky I have that to spare.

[Fastloveinyoureyes]

My friend split up with her husband, took 400k cash from the house, bought a new property outright and went straight on to jobseekers.

That stinks. But so does this.

[GrabbyGertie]

.

[MitziK]

It's more outrageous in my mind that it's believed by some that old people can't possibly commit benefit fraud.

Managed to fill in the claim forms in the first place, didn't she? Managed to renew them each time, too (you get renewal forms every so often, sometimes with a visit to check if you've been a council tenant for a long time) or to notify them of any increases in rent if it's not council.

Amazing. Managed to budget so well that so much money could be saved, managed to submit claims, managed to provide all the information and documentation requested except for the bit where it specifically asks how much you have in savings and to prove it with a recent statement, managed to provide bank account details (part of verifying identity, not just when payments are made straight to tenants - claims can be and are closed if statements are not provided). Completely managed to navigate through the benefits system.

And now she's been caught - oh, I'm old, I can't read or count and I knew I had tens of thousands of pounds but I assumed that didn't count. IT'S NOT FAIR!!!! I'M OLD AND IT'S MIIIIIIIINE!

[Sootyandsweep2019]

She has saved this money. If she had spent all of this on bingo, holidays and wine she wouldn't be in any trouble with the law.

I work in this area and find it really troubling that we penalise saving for those in receipt of benefit.

I also think it is disgusting that they are taking a very elderly lady with learning disabilities to court when she should be enjoying her twilight years - exactly how is this in the public interest ???

[slipperywhensparticus]

Did she actually save or did she just forget to pay her Bill's?

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

I work in this area and find it really troubling that we penalise saving for those in receipt of benefit

A 16k limit is not penalising. Many working ft not in receipt of any benefits would struggle to save that much.

[Sootyandsweep2019]

Fastloveinyoureyes + why on Earth is it disgusting she spent a divorce settlement on a place to live ? Would you have preferred her to spend it on a world the round trip and the taxpayer to line private landlords pockets with HB for any more ? I genuinely can't work out what was "disgusting," about what your friend did.

[Sootyandsweep2019]

It's not a 16K limit really though: for working age people means-tested benefits start to be reduced for any savings over 6K.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

I'm not an accounting expert and haven't found the article, but that doesn't seem correct. Essentially she hasn't received any gain from the money above £16k as it's been sitting in her account gaining fuck all. It doesn't seem correct that she now has a bill for what is being said as that's some warped way to calculate it.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

What she should have done was buy a prepaid funeral and used the rest to actually just enjoy to limit of her income. Reasonable funeral probably about £5-8k

[Bookworm4]

Why would you feel sorry for her? There are pensioners who genuinely only have £150 pw to live on. £22k savings; lucky her.

[Arnoldthecat]

Too bad,,those are the rules. She should have kept her savings quiet or just bought bullion with it. Saving is for MUGS