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?

When did I say I don't care? If I didn't care I'd not bother posting on this thread. You're just putting words in my mouth.

There are loads of people who miss out on all sorts of benefits because they're just over a threshold. Dozen of families in my DC's school miss out on free school meals and pupil premium because they're just over the threshold to qualify. Those families are often struggling to get by. But I don't see the government offering to make free school meals and pupil premium universal because of that.

The government do all sorts to attract the votes of older people and in the process spend money on older people that they could spend benefitting other age groups.

So? It’s a hell of a lot more money in child benefit than in winter fuel payment while the admin cost is a fixed cost.

My in-laws are multi millionaires, they will add it to their stash

@londonmummy1966 up to parents to sort out whether eligible to claim child benefit. Quite a few people get caught out when their income goes over the threshold. Think some people forget to claim it too

Which other benefits are just £600 per year?

Older people vote Conservative Are you always this pig-ignorant?

The problem there is the cut off. If there was a taper, it might be acceptable, but lots of pensioners are only marginally better off than those on Pension Credit. We don’t all have great lifestyles, run expensive cars, go on cruises!

We’ll get £250 each, (£500 per household) and we’ll be grateful. Over 80s will get £300/£600. Fortunately our DC and their partners all earn far more than we did and have offered to help us should we need it. So far we don’t.

I do know a few well heeled older people, but they aren’t in the majority here.

My parents (separated) each get it and send to me as I’m on UC

Means testing every pensioner cost more than £600 per person so it's cheaper to just give it to all of them. Some opt out of receiving it.

Point at a few deserving charities for fuel poverty or helping those in dire needs

Not all OAP’s indeed. My parents are staunch socialists. That said, the Tories need the ‘Grey Vote’. One does not equate to the other.

The idea that means testing would cost more than it would save is patently nonsense.

It’s really not ‘patently nonsense’. It’s fact.

It costs too much to means test
Anyone who wants to re-direct that money can give it to their local hospital's fundraising, or to their local food bank. Or anywhere they want.
I don't think you can complain about everyone getting it, for this reason - it's no effort to redirect that payment if someone deems it unnecessary and better spent elsewhere.

Also re the child benefit, as I understand it, you have to sort that out yourself if you earn too much. The govt. doesn't bother doing it - it's the responsibility of the person.
Plus in order to get CB in the first place, you actually have to make a claim. It doesn't just arrive with you.

My mum is exactly the same. She's widowed and thankfully owns her home but she survives on state pension despite working all her life. She gets a tiny little pension from a bank from the 60s & 70s which puts her £2.53 over the pension credit threshold. She cannot use her heating. At all. She uses battery lights and watches tv on her old iPad. Breaks my heart

Cheaper to give to all than to means test

OK , the majority of older people vote Conservative. 65% of 65+ in 2019 compared to 19% of 18-24 year olds How Britain voted in the 2019 election | Ipsos

Par for the course on Mumsnet @Eustaciavile sadly

It's £300 per person so it's only £600 because there's 2 of them

The amount you get also depends on your age

It should go to people on pension credit only.

It will not cost more to administer this, because people are already administered for pension credit. There is a means already in place to test who should get it and who shouldn't.

Of course if you suggest this the usual suspects will accuse you of being pensioner-ist or something.

Money should be directed at those who really need it, not splurged on massive demographics who have a huge variety of different financial positions.

The only reason this is being done is for politics. It is a £600 electoral bung.

Because as you get older you feel the cold more
Not everyone above the threshold for pension credits is rolling in it.

I begrudge this a lot less than some other benefits the government hand outs.

It's not £600 if there's only one of them in the house. It's £300 per person

Yes you can opt out, but honestly how many actually do?

For 2021-2022 there were 11.3 million winter fuel payments 99% of which went to UK residents which is roughly the same amount as pensioners in the UK for the same period. In the same year it was said that the amount of pensioners living in poverty hit the 2m mark. Even if we say another 6 million are on a low income or struggling, that is still a hell of a lot of payments being kept by those who do not need it, for no other reason than they are entitled to it

My Mum is getting £600, been only her in the house for 25+.

My inlaws have extremely generous pensions, own two properties. My partner and I have a nearly one year old baby, in a damp rental flat we break the bank trying to heat and have constant dehumidifiers on, and they get £600!!

they are Tory voters and I can see why. cushy to be them 😒