Lisa Nandy ‘No pensioner will be worse off this year’

[IwantToRetire]

So many threads this could have been added to, but on one level you have to admire the sheer bravado on LN making this statement. So thought I would acknowledge her grasp on facts by giving her a headline!

The culture secretary has defended Labour’s winter fuel payment cut, insisting “No pensioner will be worse off this winter”.

Lisa Nandy insisted the government is taking “tough decisions to stabilize the economy”, when she appeared on ITV’s Peston show on Wednesday evening (9 October).

Ms Nandy insisted: “We haven’t taken £300 from pensioners

“There are many hundreds of families paying hundreds of pounds more in rent or mortgages because of the economic chaos caused by the previous government.”

Ms Nandy said the government is working hard to ensure the poorest pensioners are on pensioner credit.

She said: “No pensioner will be worse off this winter than the last winter.”

Culture secretary defends winter fuel payment cut: ‘No pensioner will be worse off this year’ (yahoo.com)

“We have to accept - you have to accept - there will be hundreds of thousands of the poorest pensioners under the £11,400 income you will not reach this year,” Lewis said passionately.

“You are taking money out of their hands. Do you accept the truth, the reality is that's what will practically happen. I'm saying it, Age UK are saying it, others are saying it.

"So let's be honest, you're willing to accept the collateral damage of hundreds of thousands of the poorest pensioners, many on dementia, not getting the winter fuel payment."

Nandy, visibly taken aback, responded that she was “not willing to accept that” (clip of exchangevia link below).

https://www.thenational.scot/news/24640552.labour-minister-squirms-martin-lewis-grills-live-tv/

Remember when Labour attacked the Conservatives about the rumour they planned to remove the WFP ?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/winter-fuel-payment-cut-labour-deaths-b2609340.html

This basically! Announce that it will kick in in 2025 and spend a year ensuring that all the pensioners entitled to pension credit who are not claiming it, start to claim it. It was a cack handed politically inept way to handle it

id also add in attendance allowance as a qualifying benefit as purchasing care is very expensive

Anyone know for certain if it is fact that the basic pension is increasing for all pensioners by 300 or more? And if so, from when?

The next increase is due in April but remember that is the annual amount .

Can't be very hard to do. It's already done for most every other benefit.

The headline was an increase of £460 per year. But that was for a full new state pension. The older one isnt as high, so i assume the increase won't be either.

The problem pensioners have is that its isnt that individual pensioners get a lot of money - up to around £220 a week each, its that there are a lot of them, so collectively cost a lot. Theres a lot of savings to be made by taking the WFA off them.

£460 is the expected increase next April, the state pension has gone up by £900 in the last year.

Thanks, so there’s a time issue for this winter, when ineligible pensioners will, factually, be 300 down on income, that they can use before April. After next April the annual income will be no less by losing WFA. But the timing and the payment being needed for THIS winter is relevant.

Basic state pension isn’t high

Of course taking stuff off people saves but what’s the outcome?

See Age UK below

It could be that she knows something that be announced in the budget. So no wfa but no pensioner will be worse off because of something else coming in.

Is £900 not the increase for those on the New State Pension ? As it was only introduced in 2016 ( I think) no one yet has the full NSP only . I have a few years NSP but mainly old SP and mine certainly didn’t go up by £900 !

I think those that retired after 2016 get the NSP.

The threshold for pension credit has gone up by a similar amount (£900) over the last year so I assume all state pensions have gone up by that amount

No that’s not correct . Your years up to the introduction of NSP are ringfenced then you start contributing to the NSP . My State Pension consists of mainly old SP and a few years of NSP.

My SP definitely didn’t go up by £900

I've never understood why there are two different State pensions, and what the justification is for some pensioners getting more than others.

As for LN, every time she opens her mouth... 😡Does she think the public are idiots?

Possibly you didn't have the full 35 years as you opted out of SERPs years ago?

I can't stand this fool.

It will go up by £300 from April 2025. So pensioners who survive the winter will get additional money which more or less covers the loss of WFA from next year.

That's just not true though, is it? My mum got Winter Fuel Allowance and this winter will not get it. She doesn't get pension credit. She is therefore down the amount of the allowance.

The fact that she has plenty of money is neither here nor there, saying she is "not worse off" is basic maths.

She’s worded that badly. Those pensioners who don’t qualify for pension credit will be £300 worse off. They may be fortunate and don’t need that £300 but I’m sure there will be pensioners who are both worse off and will struggle to afford their heating bills.

For those unsure about old SP and new SP

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/pensions/state-pension/new-state-pension/

Pensions must be losing out somewhere down the line, otherwise there wouldnt be a saving for the government.

Its also something going forward every year. The tipple lock is based on inflation in general or wages increases on average, not thr increase in fuel costs.

winter fuel payment should be means tested.

At this level? so 2.5m are in hardship?

Thanks, @Mylovelygreendress , but I'm not much the wiser after reading that, I felt my brane rapidly turning to jelly! But it's hard to see how they can pick an arbitrary date, and say, if you were born before this date, you'll get less than someone born after it. I was born on a date that qualifies me for the New State Pension. I just checked by bank balance, I was actually paid today. £871.76. Multiplying that by 12 and dividing by 52 gives £201.18. That figure hasn't changed in recent months.