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?

The BBC reports today that an Age UK report says 24% of London pensioners are living in poverty and nearly 1 million over 75s are also in poverty.

I've seen my Dad's will, if he dies first his second wife gets it all and as she has 2 children of her own I won't see a penny. If by some unlikely reason his younger wife dies first, no doubt half her (my dad's) estate will go to her kids and half to my Dad, even though she entered the marriage with significantly less than he did. Then that remaining half will be split between myself and my sister, his biological kids, and her 2 whom he's not related to at all. So he screws me over now, and I'll be screwed over in the will. Meanwhile I watch as he spends his money on "family" holidays that only involve his step family and days out on his step grand child when he's never done anything with my kids. So don't assume that those of us slagging off our very well off pensioner parents don't have good reason!

At no point did I say my grandparents live there or that I myself do. You are so presumptuous it's incredible.
Does it not occur to you that the people who live in cheap housing dont have fkin ISA money, because they are in low paying jobs? That they spent the recession years just trying to get by and raise their families. Without getting help from anybody. That's the point of half of this thread. So try to keep up. These are the people who suffer, because they did try to do the right thing and pay into pensions. Now it leaves them with a couple of pounds a month, that put thems £2 over being able to claim pension credits.

I can only assume that you fell out with your parents, when you had to get on your bike to find work. Because nobody who had a loving parental relationship, could be so vile.

She must be on means tested benefits then

I don't want his money. I'd rather he gave it to a local food bank, women's refuge or similar. Myself and my husband don't want anything from him

..which is why you've looked at his will and are decrying who he's left his money to. Gotcha.

He made me executor actually as I'm the eldest. I didn't want to be, I wasn't even asked. I'm only saying what the will says to point out the kind of man he is. He can leave what he want to whomever he chooses, I'm merely answering a comment about how those of us slagging off our parents will be first in line at the will reading, not all of us will be by choice

Or over 80.

@Flopsythebunny She was literally awarded a very small amount of pension credit two weeks ago so I'm guessing it must be that that has qualified her for the COL payment as I don't remember her receiving it previously. Whatever it was she/we are very grateful for it. DM spent most of her savings last year having to install a stairlift following a broken hip and converting her bathroom as she couldn't get in the bath. Of course it's right she uses her own money but she has drained all her savings which is a worry.

I would be refusing to be an executor then! He's leaving you zilch but getting you to oversee his wishes. Sod that.

You don't have to do it if you really don't want to so why are you? Also just because you are the eldest it doesn't mean you automatically become the executor. I'm the middle one and I was executor to both in both of my parent's wills.

It's highly unlikely I'll need to do anything, his wife is younger than him by a good chunk so the chances are it'll simply be a case of everything going to her. The last time we had a conversation about it, her youngest child was under 18 and my sister had been nominated to look after them in the family home until they turned 18 without being asked so I got off lightly! That child is now nearly 30 and married so things may well be different now, but I've no interest in finding out.

I think you misunderstood me. These places might be lovely but I have no interest in living in some ghetto (however nice) surrounded by old people. I like a mixed community, I don't want to socialise and have outings with other people in the ghetto. Your parents might have loved it, I would rather be living in abject poverty

I completely agree with this. The thought of it gives me feelings of deep gloom.
An on-site restaurant and hair-salon! Rooms for socialising and events!
"Days out" with new, aged friends.
How to make your world smaller in one easy move.

Makes me shudder.

Yep. I dare say that for some it works well. But I can't think of anything worse. I really appreciate having friends of all ages and living in a mixed age demographic.

I refuse to be guilted into living a life that I'd never choose, and then leave my kids with an inheritance that they'll never realise because those things are incredibly hard to sell, while they continue to have to pay the service fee after I die.

And why not go on a little holiday to escape the cold UK

No, she must just be over 80 and living alone

Over 80's fuel allowance is normally £300, and the other £300 is the top up for this year only.

The latest COL payment, to all groups, on means tested benefits, depends on the date she actually started her PC award from.

"To be eligible for the Cost of Living Payment from DWP , you need to have been entitled to a payment for a qualifying benefit between 18 August 2023 and 17 September 2023, or payment for an assessment period, ending between these dates."

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/second-2023-to-2024-cost-of-living-payment-dates-announced

It makes me laugh often in my job, it's always the pushy adult kids pushing their elderly parents to claim absolutely every benefit they can. Often the parents themselves clearly don't want to as they feel they have enough to live off but there's always the son/ daughter in the background pushing for it.

I do feel that some people on this thread banging the same 'not fair' drum have perhaps not read the responses from many of the posters who set out clearly - the amount depends on age, it is per household not per pensioner, it is a one-off this year as the normal payment is £300 less.
It works out as normally less than £5 per week per household. It is not worth it or easy to means test. Comparisons with child benefit which is £1000 per year per child are misleading.

Suggestion (in jest) - if £50k per annum is the right threshold for CB - base the £200 WFA eligibility on the same income

Im talking less than £600 month...on uc single person age over 25 gets £398 month. Pension is more .
Other benefits: the warm home discount is £150..even if they get the £300 this year theyre still £150 less than pensioners at £600. Im not slating anyone..nor will i slate anyone for having more or less. Just replying to the question

But this is no different to those on another thread who were saving up their child benefits to give their child a lump sum on their 18th birthday.

I agree. I used to work for the DWP, and means tested benefits cost a fortune to administer.

For a once a year payment, it would not be cost effective.

That is why they didn't means test the £400, for everyone, "fuel back up" last year.

Its not £600 this year for most, and it's normally £300 max even for over 80's.

But, yes, if they means test future WFA on the child benefit baseline of £50k a year, most pensioners would be happy lol 🍾

I'm wondering if my parents are entitled to this given they live abroad but have a UK address. They don't need it. None of my elderly relatives do. If it were up to me, winter allowance would be scrapped, bus passes would be scrapped and anything else elderly people get just for being over a certain age. They are part of the reason the country is a mess, the NHS is in shambles although Gen Z are also a large portion of that so can't put the entire blame on pensioners with the sniffles and terrible balance.

Yes of course....🙄. Scrap the lot...oldies are meant to suffer. You just carry on breeding..🤐

All the Boomers are making life miserable for everyone else. That's the aim lol 😬

The elderly that would then be eligible for a bus pass on the virtue of severe walking difficulties, their eyesight failing, because they've now developed dementia. What would be the point of scrapping free bus passes for the elderly when many would qualify on the basis of disability?