WTF? £600 winter fuel allowance for all pensioners!

[user1497207191]

No wonder the country has no money and the deficit/debt is getting bigger.

MIL just phoned up saying she'd got a letter telling her £600 was on the way to her and asking why, when she doesn't need it?

Just why??? She's not claiming means tested benefits. Her state and her husband's occupational pension are already far more than she needs to live on, meaning she saves a few hundred pounds a month into ISAs (which already stand at over £100k). Owns her own house, so no rent/mortgage.

Why the hell can't this money be directed at those who actually need it or more worthy causes? It's insane to keep throwing money at people who don't need it.

She doesn't need it, she doesn't want it. She wouldn't miss it if it wasn't paid to her.

If they can means test the child benefit and claw it back from those earning over £50k, why can't they come up with a way of ensuring winter fuel allowance is only paid to those who may need it? Why not only paid to those pensioners claiming pension credits, or rent allowance, or whatever?

Because Tories need the pensioners vote to win the next election.

Which charity will she donate it to ?

Tell her to send it to you.

The reason why they don’t means-test the winter fuel allowance is because it would cost more in administration than it would save. And pensioners reliably vote and a big chunk of them vote Tory.

It is absolutely ridiculous

This. If she doesn't need it she is welcome to give it herself to someone who does.

This!!

Because it's cheaper to give it to everyone than it is to means test it.

The administrative burden of filtering the payments would outweigh the costs of paying those not in need I’d imagine - it won’t be just people on pension credit or rent allowance that need the additional funding there will be many home owners with fairly modest income who are being affected by COL crisis.

They're paying off their voters at this point.

You can cancel it if you don’t want it

Why is that not the case for other means tested benefits then?

Hmm you make a good point🤔 I never considered that at all tbh!

I agree with you OP. There will be a lot of pensioners like my grandma who will really benefit from that money. However on the flip side there will be so many people like your MIL who don’t need the money at all. It should be means tested like the COL payment but unfortunately it isn’t

I’m assuming most other means tested benefits are more than £600

DH's grandparents get it and they have thousands sat in their bank accounts. I know they won't give it to charity. They'll just add it to their pot 🙄

The government will take it ALL back if she has the misfortune to need care, especially for Dementia, so don’t be too envious 🙄

Also, to those who think all oaps vote Tory, please educate yourselves, it’s not true where I live and same for many other areas.

I'm torn over this. My DPs missed out on pension credits by a couple of pound a month (my mum had a dinner ladies pension, which amounts to a few pounds)
So they get none of the means tested benefits and they own their home.
So they really need this.
If we, as a society look after our elderly well. Can we not hope to all benefit from it ourselves one day?

Why not only paid to those pensioners claiming pension credits, or rent allowance, or whatever?

My MIL also owns her own flat, so no rent to pay. But she only gets the state pension and then a tiny occupational pension (like, £200 a year or something). This tiny bit of extra pension renders her ineligible for pension credit or any other benefits. Usual story, she was divorced in her late 50s with no career to speak of and thus no wealth - she’d expected to retire with her husband. Last winter she didn’t put the heating on at all hardly, due to fear of the bills, and got damp patches appearing everywhere. She absolutely does need the winter fuel allowance. In contrast, my dad - also a home owner - absolutely does not.

My MIL is one of the pensioners who’d probably be much better off if she’d never saved/owned and was in council housing with all the attendant benefits. There’s lots like her.

It’s way too simplistic to think there’s s solution that doesn’t have a disadvantage to someone. At least this way my MIL does get £600 for heating, even if my dad who doesn’t need it gets it too. Under any of the current means-testing like ‘only if you’re in receipt of pension credit’ she’d miss out and be even more scared to hear her home.

Agreed, even those in care homes get it (even those who don't pay for their care, it's bonkers).

It really is just that.

In a few years time if this is still in place and I get it, I'll donate to a charity supporting older people.

DM was moaning last week that there are proposals to means test the winter fuel allowance. She was really grumpy when I said they should as she could afford to pay to her bills easily without it. I was told she would have to spend my inheritance on it then!
I know means testing is expensive but I think everything should be calculated on need not a tory

This ☝

Why is that not the case for other means tested benefits then?

Because they're worth more than £600 a year?

Tell her to go on a huge spending spree in Sainsburys (or somewhere) and donate it all to a local food bank. That's what my parents will do.

Pork barrel politics.