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?

My gran is getting hers too and she's going to buy a load of stuff for the food bank with it.

It is a bit mental to be giving free money to people who truly don't need it when there's families struggling to feed their children.

Exactly this

It's a £600 bung from the Tories to the people most likely to vote for them at the next election.

I generally think non means tested benefits are a good thing. But 'pensioners' are a very heterogenous group.

My father, who is still in excellent health, has enjoyed over a third of his life on a very healthy final salary pension. He certainly doesn't need extra money from taxpayers who will have to work a lot longer and get a lot less money in their retirement.

I don’t think you’d save much money if you limited fuel allowance to those whose pension exceeded £50k

It's not ageist to question whether it makes sense to hand out winter fuel payments to what is the single wealthiest demographic in the UK unconditionally. There are people out there who do not need that money, and there are people out there who do need it but don't get it, or don't get enough. This is a fact.

Lots of people are coming out with the standard "it costs too much to means test" excuse but nobody has actually produced any figures around why that might be the case.

All the people moaning about this and the state pension etc , I take it you have plans in place to ensure you don't get old? That is the only reason I can see for the desperation to make your future lives less pleasant.

AutumIsOrange · Today 13:35

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

First post nailed it. No need for further discussion. I think it’s appalling.

I don't see why you couldn't apply the same process as is applied for the high earners claiming child benefit. If you earn over X per year then you are expected to complete a self assessment tax return (even if you have no other income that would require you to do this eg rental income) and to include your child benefit details in that so that you return the amount that you are expected to return. Why could the same process not be applied to high earning pensioners? You could put in place the same process also as child benefit where you have to actively choose to claim it such that those people who didn't want to have to do a tax return and didn't want the money anyway could avoid the hassle.

If pensioners don’t want the money they can give it to charity, friends, neighbours, family who they believe are in greater need.
Perhaps OP yours could do the same.

Or maybe back to the Government, although I seem to remember someone on MN before said giving it back wasn’t possible.

Another reason we are leaving. The hate to the elderly in this country. I can’t believe people can start a threat like this. Others wishing them to freeze so that they can get their houses. All because this stupid narrative that they vote for the tories. Even more concerning people saying that their own parents and family should not get it as more well off than themselves. Disgusting!

She could ask her pension provider if they offer a single lump sum buy out for this small pension and then do the maths on what they offer. They probably will, most do. Then she won't have it as "income" and can reapply for pension credit.

It won't be much I shouldn't think, and there's nothing to stop her just spending it. I expect she needs a new washing machine anyway!

Winter Fuel Allowance has been around since the late 1990s , introduced by Labour .

Possibly more 50+

'Wrong thinking' For being a home owner? My parents and their generation were encouraged to buy their homes by the government. They scraped through the massive interest rate increases, strikes and civil unrest of the 70s and 80s. And now they are 'asset rich' because they own their £90K home? So what should they do? Sell it and rent? In todays rental market, how long would that last? So take that £90k house they worked hard for, rent a flat and pay it to a profiteering landlord?
Give it a rest. I don't know what lifestyle you posters think the majority of pensioners are living. You should try spending a few days in the community centres round here and see pensioners coming for OAP lunch lunch, to keep warm. Come and tell the home owners in their ex council houses and bungalows, that they are asset rich, so don't deserve a bit of money towards their heating.

Also higher heating costs as they can’t tolerate lower temperatures or compensate by vigorous activity.

And lots of extra costs because of being unable to do things for theirselves as they would have done when younger.

It's always possible to give money to the government, voluntary taxes have always been a thing.

Because then it would become even more apparent that the “savings” in means testing child benefit are actually outweighed by the cost of doing so, even taking into account that lots of people don’t claim.

No-one has produced any figures at all on the costs of means testing winter fuel allowance - just vague assertions.

The over 65s are only the wealthiest because they are sitting in houses that have inflated massively in value and they have pension savings that they will draw down to survive on until they die, although many more are having to return to work as they have no pension savings and state pension isn’t enough.

It is normal that the older you are, the more assets you have because that is what you work for and save up for your entire work life.

Exactly. There are some really clueless comments on this thread.

We have the same discussion every year !

If you are in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s in good health & able to work

Could you really say to someone in their 80s, 90, 100s that they should not have this money?

Society is supposed to be how we treat our children, sick & elderly !

@Fightyouforthatpie

No-one has produced any figures at all on the costs of means testing winter fuel allowance - just vague assertions.

Exactly. And people are acting as if it costs nothing to pay it to all pensioners. There will be small armies of administrators, managers, etc., managing and administering the payment of the winter fuel allowance. It doesn't happen by magic. Yes, obviously there'd be a admin/management cost to means testing (or limiting in other ways), but if it was paid to only half the existing recepients, there'd be a saving in admin/mgmt (less people to pay), to offset the costs of means testing.

Exactly.
Its very sad to read comments on this post.

I shall look forward to receiving my £600 next year then.