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?

@Mahiganygaspipe what a load of rubbish. Plenty of people who currently are in reciept of the winter fuel allowance have never worked a day in their life either. It’s not a benefit for people who have worked or need it. As for all pensioner “deserving the help” and needing to watch their spending, couldn’t be further from the reality. There are some pensioners who need it and a great proportion of them who are actually the wealthiest in society.

A lot of today's pensioners had it better financially when they were younger than today's working population. They had years of great interest rates on their savings, saw their property investments go through the roof, and a lot of the time managed on one wage and retired at 60 or 65.
These days, we're told that we must work til 67 (which will no doubt increase to 70) and even when both members of a household are working full-time, they are often unable to get on the housing ladder, or afford even the smallest of treats. Finally, there won't be anything left in the pension pot by the time today's workforce retires. I'm not pitting young against old here, but help needs to be directed to those who need it, not frittered away on those that don't.

How can other countries do it,

It may well be a 'why' that you're assuming is a 'how' - it may for some of these benefits its a political choice rather than that it's actually cost effective to means test.

Having said that - it may be time that the uk system was changed. The fuel allowance has (I assume) risen more or less in line with energy prices, whereas we might hope admin costs of means testing should have risen at a slower rate or possibly even fallen relative to 1997.

All pensioners do not get £600🥱 dream on

Do you apply the same mantra to child benefit?

It basically amounts to £500 or £600 per household though. £500/600 if you live alone depending on age and between £250 and £350 each depending on circumstances and other benefits.

As child benefit is currently means tested the same logic already applies to that so I’m not sure what point you are making? It’s not the gotcha you think it is.

Well said @Zebedee55
not to mention many pensioners die ( 2 yrs on average ) once ‘forced ‘ into moving home.

What on earth are you talking about?

Aw bless the pp who thinks all pensioners get £15000 pa after housing costs. My DH gets just under £12000 before housing costs and that's a state pension and two very small private pensions. Fortunately I still work but not for much longer. Never mind hopefully we'll fie soon and won't cost the state anything. Fucking hell.

It was a very simple response to your comment. If you struggle with that maybe you shouldn’t be engaging in the debate.

Worst part about these threads are the sons and daughters coming on here slagging their parents off for their entitlement.

@Wonkasworld higher earning parents do not get child benefit.
Its been like that for quite some time now

For people saying that child benefit is means-tested - OK, let’s means-test winter fuel allowance at the same income level (individual income over a certain amount, rather than household, as for child benefit). Wouldn’t save much, but if it makes people feel better…

Child benefit is not means tested.

When I get my £600 I'll let you know, like when I got my pension at 60 Oh no that didn't happen either

When will the money arrive?
Thanks

Are some seriously expecting OAPs to pay back a proportion of fuel allowance?

Beginning to worry this sort of talk on here encourages thoughts of a country supporting senicide.
Even nomadic tribes that used to do that have seen that such a mentality is abhorrent.

High interest rates on savings means high interest rates on borrowings too. Not everybody by any means has savings.

Managing on one income is not always a great idea either, nor was it always a choice. When my Mum became pregnant in the early 1960s she had to give up her job because there was no maternity leave or pay. Fortunately my parents' marriage endured and was a genuinely equal partnership, but for those who split up the wife who had been a SAHM ended up with next to no pension provision because divorce law didn't ensure she got any share of her husband's pension pot until quite recently. Many women found themselves completely dependent on a husband's income and had no independence - even financially abused.

And finally, the reason retirement ages have gone up is because life expectancy has gone up. When the ages were originally set, many people didn't even live long enough to claim. Many others died before 70. That's rare now. The system wasn't designed to support pensioners from age 60 to age 90, especially once a large proportion of the workforce isn't working and paying much tax or NIC until their early 20s.

You have to be on benefits to get the full 600 pounds heating allowance. I just looked it up.

My DM will get the full £600 WFA. Because she is 88 and lives alone. I am 67 and live with DH, also 67, and we will get the lower payment. But we have been together and saved and invested since our 30s, so we are not struggling, while DM was cast off at 45 with fewer options after a very shabby divorce settlement. So forgive me, we will give more to DM privately rather than tossing it back into the pool for bureaucrats to waste. Thank you for listening.

Oh come on, don't ruin the OP and her ilk's pile on. I'm sure there's plenty more pensioner bashing mileage left.

Yes it is …

It's nuanced. In theory, it is not means tested.