Winter fuel allowance result

BigBopper

There is one thing that I cannot understand. Rachel Reeves has cancelled the WFA for all pensioners not on Pension Credit as she says it will save the government over 1 billion pounds. She wants the 180,000 pensioners that are eligible for Pension Credit to claim it thus enabling them to receive the winter fuel allowance, and other benefits.

Do Reeves and Starmer not realise that if these 180,000 pensioners who are not on pension credit start claiming it and other benefits, it will cost the government a heck of a lot more money than if they gave the pensioners the winter fuel allowance.

I think every single pensioner in the UK should ask Age Uk or other companies like them to help them fill in the forms for income support, can you imagine, 180,000 pensioners claiming it all at once, the mind boggles.

The extra money for those eligible but not claiming is already included in the budget

You’re right mazzie66. I thought you were talking about all property rented or owned. Sorry.
I was only addressing privately owned property.

Edwardo

But something needed to be done. Apparently £237,000,000 was paid last year to ex-pats living in Spain and other warm countries. Maybe this wasn't the fairest way to change the allowance but it was a pretty daft way of setting it in the first place.

That is not true Edwardo British migrants in France and Spain had the WFA taken away ten years ago. The average winter temperature in France was carefully calculated to include French territories in the Carribean and Pacific. It also, of course, excluded the majority of migrant pensioners.

Edwardo

But something needed to be done. Apparently £237,000,000 was paid last year to ex-pats living in Spain and other warm countries. Maybe this wasn't the fairest way to change the allowance but it was a pretty daft way of setting it in the first place.

Spain and France are two of countries who don’t qualify for WFA I believe, there may be more. WFA will continue to be paid to British overseas pensioners until April 2025, aa per the Brexit agreement

I'm not that clever no degree so could anyone explain the purpose of MPs abstaining I want to abstain from paying the TV licence

Anecdotally many maintaining a UK bank account and a UK brass plate address have continued to receive the payment. HMRC are aware but understaffed a nd demoralised means it's a bit of a long term job.

No worries, Mollygo.

Me too Pippa

mazzie66 11 Sept 13.29

^”he had been to assess a 78 year old lady now living alone in a four bedroom parlour type local authority property. She was having difficulty in managing the stairs and was requesting the installation of a stair lift and a wet room. As he is required to do, he asked whether she would consider moving explaining that practical help would be provided with the moving process and that she would have priority for a one bedroom bungalow as she would be freeing up a large family property which are as rare as hens teeth,.The answer was a resounding no, out of the question^”.

I thought there was such a thing as a bedroom tax to stop the ‘bedroom blocking.’
It is only fair that if owners of properties cannot manage for one reason or another they have to move.

mokryna

mazzie66 11 Sept 13.29

^”he had been to assess a 78 year old lady now living alone in a four bedroom parlour type local authority property. She was having difficulty in managing the stairs and was requesting the installation of a stair lift and a wet room. As he is required to do, he asked whether she would consider moving explaining that practical help would be provided with the moving process and that she would have priority for a one bedroom bungalow as she would be freeing up a large family property which are as rare as hens teeth,.The answer was a resounding no, out of the question^”.

I thought there was such a thing as a bedroom tax to stop the ‘bedroom blocking.’
It is only fair that if owners of properties cannot manage for one reason or another they have to move.

I don’t think the bedroom tax applies to pensioners.
It does strike me that has the lady rented privately the landlord could have taken the property back, making her homeless. ( I know the law will change soon) She would then have to move to the bungalow.

Cossy

Edwardo

But something needed to be done. Apparently £237,000,000 was paid last year to ex-pats living in Spain and other warm countries. Maybe this wasn't the fairest way to change the allowance but it was a pretty daft way of setting it in the first place.

Spain and France are two of countries who don’t qualify for WFA I believe, there may be more. WFA will continue to be paid to British overseas pensioners until April 2025, aa per the Brexit agreement

Also Cyprus, Gibralter, Greece, Portugal and Malta.

Has anybody mentioned that Starmer and Reeves will still get their fuel allowances?

Lisaangel10

Has anybody mentioned that Starmer and Reeves will still get their fuel allowances?

IMO, ALL MPs should forfeit their fuel allowances.

Lisaangel10

Has anybody mentioned that Starmer and Reeves will still get their fuel allowances?

Oh yes. Fuel allowances and subsidised meals etc. etc.

BigBopper Your Islamaphobic and racist remarks have been reported. This is not the place for hate speech!🤬

Just seen the government have given a subsidy of £500 million pounds to Tata steel. No money? Black hole!?

Cossy

Lisaangel10

Has anybody mentioned that Starmer and Reeves will still get their fuel allowances?

IMO, ALL MPs should forfeit their fuel allowances.

IMO, ALL MPs should forfeit their fuel allowances.

They should, as a matter of principle at least. They can make up the loss by eating their subsidised food at Westminster when at work. A perk not available to pensioners on a low income.

Those "difficult decisions" should involve them, too.

Good post. Thank you Dickens.
(I’d better not use emoticons as they’re now frowned upon.)

What?

Bamm

Couldn't the help given during those long lockdowns during the pandemic then the Ukraine war have quite a lot to do with this so called ' black hole'?

All that seems to have been forgotten doesn’t it? In any case I’m already sick of hearing Starmer use the expression ‘black hole ‘ it’s being done to death.DP says he wishes anyone else saying it should be dropped into it, with or without parachute.

Nannycl what racist and Islamophobic remarks?

Ann29

Just seen the government have given a subsidy of £500 million pounds to Tata steel. No money? Black hole!?

Wasn't that decision taken by the last government? I can't remember.

Anyway, without that subsidy, I think it would be the end of British steelmaking - and we'd have to be reliant on yet more foreign imports, not to mention the job losses, which there are going to be anyway as the last of the blast furnaces is going to be closed down.

We do need to hang on to what is left of our industry.

Oreo

Bamm

Couldn't the help given during those long lockdowns during the pandemic then the Ukraine war have quite a lot to do with this so called ' black hole'?

All that seems to have been forgotten doesn’t it? In any case I’m already sick of hearing Starmer use the expression ‘black hole ‘ it’s being done to death.DP says he wishes anyone else saying it should be dropped into it, with or without parachute.

In any case I’m already sick of hearing Starmer use the expression ‘black hole ‘ it’s being done to death.DP says he wishes anyone else saying it should be dropped into it, with or without parachute.

😂😂

Mollygo

Good post. Thank you Dickens.
(I’d better not use emoticons as they’re now frowned upon.)

(I’d better not use emoticons as they’re now frowned upon.)

Oh

I've just used one (two in fact)

When were they officially frowned upon then? I missed the memo!

gentleshores

The House of Lords debates from today are on Parliament TV at 7.30pm tonight. So I will be watching to see how Baroness Altmann got on with her motion to annul the Gov decision on winter fuel payments.

Thanks for that gentleshores. I'll have a look at that.