WINTER FUEL PAYMENT

[cobden28]

A couple of days ago I received the official letter from the DWP telling me I'm not going to receive the Winter Fuel payment this year because, although I am within the required age group, I'm not in receipt of the listed benefits. I am 69 years of age.
On the same day I also received notifiication from my energy supplier of the amount of my next Direct Debit monthly payment and a request to submit my meter readings. I've contacted the energy supplier and arranged for them to send round a meter reader, so they can't be in a position to dispute the readings oobtained.
Then once I get my billing sorted i'm going to have to work out how to cut my energy bill. My proposed method is to turn off the central heating and only use the gas fire in the living room for heating - I feel uncomfortable if a room is too warm and the gas fire chucks out lots of heat anyway.

Exactly. I know some people are struggling, but a lot of complaining about CoL is people moaning that they're unable to afford to spend wastefully any more.

I'm sure 90% of the 'what have you cut back on due to CoL' things, we never did anyway, because it's just throwing money away unnecessarily.

I mean, OK. I have three very young children including through multiple birth, so it isn't that we sat down and planned three. Our heating bills alone are more than I would recieve if I was a SAHP so instead we pay the best part of £4k per month in childcare costs and I work 110 miles away three days a week.

We have never heated a room unnecessarily.

My dad WAS freezing He had prostate cancer so felt the cold. He died on 6 October.

"Pensioners" is not a group you can lump together as a category of people requiring benefits. Categorising "pensioners" alongside carers or those with a disability is in bad faith. Aside from the fact that some people on a pension, the ones who most need it, are still getting the allowance. This is not a benefit that has been wholesale stripped away. It is being means tested - like all other benefits! The horror!

EXACTLY The hypocrisy is stark

Do you think the threshold is ok and Age UK have it wrong about 2.5m in hardship due to this policy?

I'm very sorry to hear you've lost your father. That's very hard for you.

The WFP is not linked though as it doesn't come into payment until November or December each year. It's not been cold enough yet to trigger a Cold Weather Payment anywhere across the UK.

You do realise that some people aren't as tech savvy and that this particular issue is a source of great distress for some people who have limited means of income. Have some empathy.

If it bothers you that much, rather than snark, ask for the thread to be moved to chat.

@cobden28 Your plan sounds very sensible. I do hope that this winter is not too harsh and that you are able to keep warm.

There are resources available to people who are thinking heat or eat. If you are one of them, please do use them. Your Local Authority / Library / AgeUK can help.

You've just said that you will be OK to heat your home this winter so why do you need the £300 WFA?

The government hasn't robbed you, because that would be taking away something you already had. You aren't even a pensioner yet.

You do realise that some people aren't as tech savvy and that this particular issue is a source of great distress for some people who have limited means of income. Have some empathy.

You do realise that some people aren’t as good as others at inferring meaning from a post without relevant context? OP didn’t seem to be asking a question so how are people meant to respond?

It's a benefit not an acquired asset so he's not really robbing you of anything.

How do you feel about the 2 child cap?

You can’t be robbed of something you never had.

You've just said that you don't need the WFA and would give it away so why are you so angry at not getting it? Also, why won't you be claiming your pension or disability benefits? There is money that you are entitled to claim but won't but you are getting angry about a much smaller benefit that you have never been entitled to and don't need anyway.

Your situation sounds difficult but you aren't really making sense.

Please bear in mind that not heating your home adequately might well cause disrepair. Keeping the heating on low, at least for part of the day, so that the whole house is warm might save you money when it comes to disrepair, particularly if you are cooking without ventilation or attempting to dry clothes in the house, you could end up with condensation and mould.

Are you eligible for the listed benefits that you are currently not receiving?

Why all the arsey responses on this thread?!

I can't really understand what the op wants to discuss here.

Yes.
If you don't get pension credit you're not entitled to WFP.

You should check with the pension credit department. You'd be surprised how many people don't claim it because they believe they're not entitled to it.

If you're disabled you should also claim Attendance Allowance.

Nothing at all!

The OP has thrown a grenade in the room and we are getting the usual answers.

Absolutely.

You don't need someone to come round to read your meters. Take photos and log them online

She seemingly didn't need the handout she got. And when she reaches pension age she'll be someone who doesn't need a WFA either. I'm tired of hearing the whinging from well off pensioners (and I do think there should be more effective tapering to support pensioners near the threshold) who are cross because they think they have been denied some money they feel entitled to. I'm more concerned about children and vulnerable families in poverty.

Why should hard working families have to subsidise the fuel bills of non- working pensioners who have more disposable income than they do?

I think this just may be another post from Tory Central Office.

I get my pension next year and am appalled at the greed of many pensioners who acknowledge they don't need this, know there are younger people in far greater need yet still feel entitled to complain at the withdrawal of this payment