Winter Fuel Payments Cut For Many Pensioners

[barry1010]

Labour is not messing about.  From this year only pensioners in reciept of Pension Credit or other means tested benefits will not the £100 - £300 annual payment to help with fuel bills.

Those just above the cut off for pension credit will really struggle

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c3g9yy73l77t#:~:text=The%20chancellor%20confirms%20she%20is,to%20make%2C%22%20she%20says.

I think this is very wrong.  Too many pensioners with no savings and just a pound or two over the limit are struggling. 

[barry1010]

My aunt was never in a position to, lb.  Widowed relatively young, had children to raise, low paid jobs to make ends meet.

[douglas9401]

It does seem very early in their term of office to be campaigning for the Tories.

[ladybirder]

Same as me Barry, 4 children, but I gave up my office job and instead worked on the factory floor which was 2.5 times the wages paid for the office job. Managed to pay into SERPS for 18 years.

[bednobs]

It makes sense to me that only pensioners in means tested benefits get it. But I am neither. Ask me in 20 years and I'll probably feel differently. 

[naomi24]

Not easy, LB, but commendable.  Who cared for the children?

[cashier]

Thanks Barry.

[ladybirder]

The eldest Naomi.  I feel guilty about that to this day.  The youngest was 5 years old.  

Funny thing is we laugh about stuff now.  Like when I was in the bath one evening and my daughter knocked on the bathroom door to tell me a policeman was at the door.  It turned out my youngest had dialled 999 and when I asked why she said because the eldest had turned the TV over to another channel which he didn't want to watch.  The kind policeman was amused.

[naomi24]

Oh my goodness!  That reminds me of a story I heard about a child dialling 999, telling the operator his mother was being cruel to him and asking her to order him McDonalds.  The police rang back and spoke to the mum.  They had a sense of humour too.  😂

[cashier]

Yes Ladybirder, I did save but only low paid jobs out of social hours. Most didn't have pension schemes and women weren't allowed to pay in anyway. I got a pensionable job in 2001 which lasted until redundancy in 2015.

[zebo]

//Taking from the pensioners and giving to some wacky country so they can spend it on "climate change"//

 

Or so that their Leader and the Mrs Leader can add to their bling collection.  Very few poor leaders of the world's biggest recipients of aid.

[ladybirder]

Cashier if I remember correctly, I was one of the first women to pay into a Pension Scheme and so glad I did.  I also paid into a works one as well in the early days once my children were earning or had left home.

[jourdain2]

That includes us - and the fuel allowance did give us peace of mind.

We seem to be always a fraction above/not eligible for any benefits.  OH is 91 now and we need to heat the house. I can't get carer's allowance.  Applied for Attendance Allowance and was told not enough. He needs eye-drops, bandages changing, medication doling out, leg dressing or washing in shower and then dressing (all down to me).  He would not be safe if left because he is deaf and cannot manage on the phone (even on speakerphone he needs me around to confirm etc.). No matter what - we don't qualify.  This is frightening.

[grumpy01]

She's only just begun.

[douglas9401]

Fear not they'll cave when the body count rises over the winter.

They do seem very frisky at the moment though, it can't last, I mean, look at them.

[Cloverjo]

I think it's fair enough. Husband gets it, but doesn't really need it. It was a nice little gift in the winter. Poorer pensioners will still get it. 

[ToraToraTora]

...carpenters?

[barry1010]

Cloverjo, depends on your definition of poor.  Those getting a pension on £218.15 a week will get it and many more benefits. Those getting £218.16 a week don't.

[THECORBYLOON]

Whatever limit you put on the amount of savings, there will always be folk with a penny too much.

[newmodarmy]

At least it'll mean we'll stop paying out winter fuel payments to those expat pension recipients overseas that have other income, eg they are landlords.  

[rockyracoon]

My parents just miss out on pension credits. This will slaughter, them having no help with fuel bills.

My brothers and I will pay it, but that's not really the point.