To not understand the uproar over winter fuel allowance being cut?

[virgocatlover]

It's not being cut. The poorest pensioners on pension credit will still get it. It's only being changed so it's no longer a universal payment anymore.

The energy price cap was £1834 October 2023. This October it's £1717. So it's £117 cheaper than it was last winter for average use.

In April 2024 the state pension rose by 8.5% - a rise of around £900 for those on full state pension. It's expected to rise another £400 next April.

Many energy companies still have schemes for those in genuine need. Plus the warm home discount exists for those on a low income.

I understand pensions who receive just state pension and no other income may be annoyed but there has to be a cut somewhere. But pensioners are unlikely to have the expense of rent/ mortgages in retirement which is the biggest expense to those of working age.

However most of the moans I've heard and seen seem to be from the well off pensioners who are cross about losing something. I know a woman who rents out three houses and spends the winter in the Caribbean who is spitting feathers about losing the payment. Another who spent the money on their Christmas booze.

There is so much uproar about this which didn't happen when there were so many other cuts affecting young people/workers/families. All other benefits are means tested, so should WFA.

People still see pensioners as those who fought in the war and counting pennies at the till to pay for their bread and milk. But that's just not the case these days.

I agree it should be means tested however a household with income up to 100k per annum is still able to claim subsidised child care. Madness.

They may not have families to help, the form is quite onerous apparently with well over 200 questions, one of them was something like does your partner agree with you claiming.

Completely agree with you OP in fact I'd like to see far more benefits means tested and the savings given to people of all ages and abilities who are really struggling to pay essential bills because it's impossible for them to work - or work longer hours. Parents looking after seriously disabled children 24/7 spring immediately to mind.
The number of people I've known who've been automatically entitled to non means tested benefits for one reason or another even though they've plenty of money coming in from other sources, is, in my view a scandal.

Many pensioners do not also have big private pensions. I believe the idea that a large number spend the winter fuel allowance on champagne or other luxuries questionable.

That sounds dreadfully worrying for your parents longtom

My DP's are the opposite - when my mum had a moan about it this morning I pointed out that they take 2 all-inclusive, 5* holidays every year, have very comfortable public sector pensions on top of their state pensions so in fact don't need the WFA at all and are just cross with Labour for taking money away from them "to give to the train drivers" in her words 🙄Pensioners like them absolutely do not need it but I feel there could have been a better way to cover those that sit right at the boundary and will really struggle.

If a pensioner is only receiving £219 a week they would receive housing benefit to pay the rent and full council tax reduction so no council tax to pay either

It is also worth noting that with specific over 55 accommodation, or even many housing estates across england (not idea about wales, NI or scotland), even if it was a bought property with no mortgage, they could very well be hefty estate fees still to pay.

I don't think pensioners who are comfortably off, should receive money that could go to the vulnerable. We have millions of people using foodbanks and millions of children living in absolute poverty. The money those pensioners won't miss, should go towards people like them.

Daily Mail translation: you don't like the elderly!

@easylikeasundaymorn £12 k for a single person is very different to £24 k for a couple.

Not everyone has a partner to share bills with.

Over 55 accommodation is a scam, you are better off renting it than buying it.

If pension credit tops up to the amount of the full state pension then what is the point of making sure we have our NI years? People often get the option of making a one off payment to gain an extra years NI contribution - why would someone do this if they could just claim pension credit?

Well to be fair a good number of people on MN don't like anyone.

Can you imagine the uproar if the Tories had proposed it? We'd get all the "nasty, evil, poor-hating" narrative.

But under Labour it's a sensible targeting of resources...

Exactly.

No one on higher rate tax should be able to claim childcare, if you cannot support children without having to go out to work, don't have them until you can.

After all, whats the point of having them if someone else brings them up.

Your post is naive and unrealistic.

Have you not seen the stories in the right wing press over this? The papers usually against benefits are in uproar over it.

Lol no, i think if you read the comments on MN and the media, its all nasty evil labour.......

I don’t vote Labour and I view most Labour politicians with great contempt. But I can’t object to this policy. We need to cut back state expenditure. Streeting’s shaping up to take a hammer to the NHS too. So far so good.

What’s so amusing about it all, though, is that as recently as last November Labour were publicly calling the Tories appalling for supposedly considering cutting WFA for OAPs. Oh, how entertaining is Labour hypocrisy! You want to say you’re ‘better’, then act ‘better’. Benefit bashing by Labour supporters on here is great comedy.

I reckon Starmer’s long term game plan (if he can survive) is to go down in history as a Blairified Harold Wilson: a ‘true’ Labour PM but with the trappings of a moderniser. The Israel arms announcement was another bit of pointless, unprincipled positioning.

He’ll fail of course, just as Wilson did. The Labour left and the unions will have him for breakfast whatever he does.

Absolutely this!

There has been a big push recently to do this, Martin Lewis has pushed it nearly every week, not such a good idea now is it.

Are you including the continuing support for Ukraine in your outlook?

Mortgage free is not cost-free housing. Houses need maintaining. Some of the most vulnerable elderly I have known live in small properties they own outright that they cannot afford to maintain; sometimes retreating to live in a single room as the house falls apart around them. Roof repairs, replacing rotten windows or broken boiler, dealing with damp, repointing, etc all costs thousands or tens of thousands and if you have no savings you have no way to finance the repair. And selling up won’t release enough to buy another smaller place.

Wow, how clueless can you be? I've never had a home to sell, not got kids to give my imaginary money to and don't live in a council property. I live in a privately rented studio flat as that's all I can afford on my own. Not quite retired yet, but will be in a few years and will no doubt still be living in the same place.

Exactly. It's very unfair.
My dad paid extra pension so that my mum would have a little more to make up her full pension and she's now getting less than her friends who didn't contribute and who also get lots of other benefits because once you're on PC you are eligible for more.

The people disagreeing with me - do you not have anything to say about the £900 increase to full state pension last April, and the likely £400 rise next April? That was a rise well above inflation, due to the triple lock.

And the price cap is £117 less than last Oct-Dec.

So for a pensioner ONLY on full state pension they are £900 up on income this year compared to last winter. Minus the £200 WFA, they are still £700 up on last year. £800+ if you include the price cap being lower than last winter.