Travel passes, TV licences etc - is this fair?

Maizie It is actually true that there are fewer (as a percentage) of pensioners in poverty than working age people. I'm going out or I'd find you a link. It's not just wealth, but they receive higher benefits and many have paid off mortgages, so have much lower housing costs.

Nonetheless, as I know you know, averages are misleading. I don't believe there should be differentiation by age because some pensioners certainly do have a higher income than some working age people. Differentiation should be by income/wealth.

Jabberwok When I'm 66, I'll receive my state pension and three occupational pensions, which will be taxed. I won't be eligible for pension credit. However, for reasons I won't go into, I lost my house and am now paying rent, which I'll have to do until I die. I'll have a disposable income just over about £100pw, unless I carry on working. The winter fuel allowance, etc wouldn't push me over any threshold because I'll already be over it, but I'd be losing 20% of it - the same percentage as somebody with a disposable income ten times mine.

If the pension were raised to compensate for the lost allowances, I'd still pay tax but would, at least, benefit from a higher pension. People with higher incomes would pay more tax.

Free prescriptions for the over 60’s. Should this be reviewed and moved in line to state pension age?

Why not just end free bus passes and, instead, have a cheap/affordable system that didn't have a large admin' overhead. e.g. "show your card" and you buy an "all day ticket" for a fixed price of £2 for the whole day/anywhere - or, say, £5 for a 7 day ticket.

If you can’t afford to run a car and are on a limited income the travel pass for older people is a way of getting out and about. I couldn’t have my pass until I reached retirement age but these days I use it when the weather is inclement or I need to go further than walking distance.

If public transport was more efficient maybe more people would get out of their cars, thus decreasing pollution and improving their health at the same time.

Means testing - the levels of this are set very low and many of us would be stuck indoors for a large proportion of our lives without our bus pass.

Growstuff, there are many of us in the same boat as you.

I think all public transport should be subsidised and the health benefits of bus passes have been shown to outweigh the costs.

The winter fuel allowance should most definitely stay. The elderly people I work with do use it to enable them to keep warm - and as has been said upthread, the admin costs of means testing are sometimes more costly than giving the benefit to all.

Yes, I know ayse. I wasn't looking for sympathy. I was just using my own example to illustrate the problem that many people face/will face.

Dee1012 That sounds like an excellent idea!

I have paid into the system since I was 16 years old and feel quite entitled to my winter fuel payment and free bus pass.

Lavenderzen, me too and as I don't drive, worked very hard until I was lucky enough to retire but am still not eligeable for my state pension for another 6 months and am living off my meagre savings I would be b*****y furious if my bus pass was taken off me.

I'd actually like some buses! That's why I'd like to see cheaper fares - so that more people (not just the elderly) are encouraged to use them. If bus travel were actually viable in semi-rural areas such as mine, the routes wouldn't keep closing, it would be better for the environment and, in the long run, there would be more buses for everybody to use.

I’m 60 in January any suggestions of any freebies I might get ha ha still working still juggling home and childcare duties but I’m ok as ling as I’m fit and healthy will never be wealthy!,,

Fresh air? You can get a Senior Railcard and prescriptions. If you have a chronic illness and make frequent rail journeys, you'll be quids in!

The subject of benefits for pensioners will always be debatable.

I possibly am one of the lucky ones who received both bus pass and winter fuel allowance at the age of 60. At the time I felt that it was a waste of national finances as I worked until 65 with a decent salary and felt it should have been means tested.

My views have changed little since then but what I do object to are the outright lies from DWP, that the state pension is tax free. It is not. The devious HMRC **** deduct the pension from your tax allowance therefore if you have additional income (i.e. a small pension) your tax allowance is reduced by over 50% and a small company pension can quickly take you into a taxable bracket.

FlexibleFriend, as a Londoner, why have you not applied for the 60+ card?

I agree prestbury. When I receive my state pension in 16 months, I will have to pay tax on a small portion of the total. I don't object to that because my income will, after all, be above the threshold. I must admit I'm miffed that I will never be able to claim pension credit, which means that some people with a lower income than mine will be able to claim additional benefits.

When the state pension was first introduced people were expected to only live 5 -10 years beyond retirement. Now we are living 20 or 30 years longer. Someone has to pay for our 'freebies' and the cost for providing them for so long is getting too much.

We have no choice but increase retirement age and increase the age we qualify for any incidental extras.

We still pay for our tv licence, even though we are both over 75. I do not have a bus pass because, as discussed on another thread, I get travel sick on buses, so avoid them.

The best and most efficient way to deal with all the government sourced bells and whistles is to abolish every one, including free prescriptions and then raise the Pension credit Basic level by a substantial amount. That will bring a lot of lower income pensioners currently just above that limit, within it. It will also help those just above the Pension Credit Savings level as well.

Then all the better off pensioners like us will effectively be taxed more because we will lose our winter fuel payment, start paying for our prescriptions and tv licences etc. and still be paying income tax as well.

A very simple wayof dealing with the whole problem and not one extra civil servant will be required to manage it.

If commercial companies still want to offer incentives, as many may still want to, that is fine. It will be a straight forward commercial decision.

We bought this house for a few different reasons one being that the buses run every 15 minutes (it used to be every 10 minutes). At 61 1/2 I got a free travel pass that covers buses, trains and the tram (though it’s rarely working) through out the Midlands. Very helpful as I don’t drive. DD’s in laws live a couple of miles away but in a different county and get a travel vouchers that can be used for taxis or the bus. There is only one small bus that runs once a week so very limiting.

We met another couple on holiday who lived in Essex and we were in Kent. We both had our first baby at almost the same time, They got free baby milk, cereal, fruit juice, risks, marmite and we got zero help.

I agree with you MOnica, although I suspect it wouldn't be politically popular. Governments will carry on tinkering around the edges, offering sweeteners here and there and taking a little bit away, if they think they can get away with it.

You're right about pensions. When they were first introduced, people didn't even think they would automatically live beyond retirement. Quite literally, it was an insurance against living into old age.

I think it should definitely be tied to pension eligibility. Everywhere else, it seems, bus passes are not available until you reach state pension age, and I can see no reason why Londoners should qualify earlier. I’ve always been a bit miffed puzzled by this.

There are plenty of places where people still get bus passes at 60, Bathsheba. The whole of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for starters. And some areas of England, a few of which are mentioned on this thread.

As bus passes have been proved to be cost effective, what would be the point of getting rid of them?

greenerjourneys.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/6.pdf

Lots of places other than London offer free transport passes at 60.

Riverwalk I just googled it because I didn't think I was eligible and I was right I'm not, I can apply in June 2020 so that would tie in with when I can claim my pension.
I think I could claim a disability freedom pass but I can't in all honesty face travelling on public transport.
So I will not be applying even when I can. I have a blue badge and get exemption from the Congestion charge and the Dartford crossing toll.