Hunt's scaling back energy cost help already!

rosie1959

The problem I can see is how do they target the help.
For instance quite a few pensioners I know can easily afford the extra

Quite a few people you know just implies that you move in a circle of relatively affluent pensioners, not that there won’t be millions of pensioners who live on the state pension alone or have very small private pensions who will be unable to live in any degree of comfort. By spending more money on fuel, even better off pensioners will have less spending power to keep the rest of the economy afloat, which will also make the recession worse than it would otherwise be.

growstuff

rosie1959

The problem I can see is how do they target the help.
For instance quite a few pensioners I know can easily afford the extra

I'd like to know how they'd target it too.

My pensions take me above the threshold for Pension Credit, but my rent means I'm eligible for Housing Benefit. Housing Benefit doesn't qualify as a benefit for extra help, so presumably I wouldn't receive targeted support. £4347 is about 2/3 of my income after housing costs and there are many others in the same (or worse) situation. It's more than a single person receives for Universal Credit.

That is exactly the issue.

The elderly have particular issues. As we age our ability to retain heat deteriorates. My mother had her flat at a higher temperature than I found comfortable, but she died at 101.

My DH has heart issues and feels uncomfortably cold at atemperature less than 21c.

Most pensioners won’t be receiving benefits, but they are going to find it a real struggle/impossible to afford.

My circle of friends are very varied Casdon a few are very affluent but several have benefited from final salary pensions and inherited wealth.
It was just an observation I am not yet a pensioner myself so will just get the £400

rosie1959

My circle of friends are very varied Casdon a few are very affluent but several have benefited from final salary pensions and inherited wealth.
It was just an observation I am not yet a pensioner myself so will just get the £400

Exactly! Not every pensioner has benefited from good final salary pensions and/or inherited wealth and/or owns their own homes. The ones you know are obviously in the wealthier bracket.

Growstuff
The announcement re pension triple lock is on the BBC news app on my tablet.

Really? The BBC main news site says Truss won't commit to it, but it hasn't been confirmed that it's abandoned.

The CPI figure is due to be announced tomorrow. My guess is that an official announcement will made then.

If the triple lock is abandoned, who exactly is going to be left to vote Conservative? Just about everybody else has been alienated already.

Wondering how all this is worked out? My friend has had a couple of letters telling her she will receive £600 towards her costs & a while ago talked about the £150 from our Council! I had the £150 paid into my account but what & where is this £600? I have heard nothing apart from one letter telling me that as I get DLA I do not qualify for some of these amounts! Why is this? Being disabled is no joke! Meant I had to medically retire & live on benefits which was not what I had envisioned for my future! Is this nit picking or means testing or what?

I think the rumour about pensions has been spread around to divert attention away from other things and so we would all be relieved to be told the triple lock would stay. That’s what Johnson used to do anyway.

…dead cat strategy…

MayBee70

I think the rumour about pensions has been spread around to divert attention away from other things and so we would all be relieved to be told the triple lock would stay. That’s what Johnson used to do anyway.

?. I wonder what?

I’m worried about the NHS. Hunt has always been intent on privatising it.

There have been so many u-turns I don’t know what is or isn’t on the table. Hunt is looking at triple lock ‘nothing is off the table’Today at PMQ Truss said she would absolutely stand by the pledge.

This does not surprise me at all. Forget what Truss promised, the country can't afford to pay for everyone's utilities increase. I realise government monies go to various institutions / groups that some of us do not agree with, but this was never going to be a promise she could keep.

Prentice

MawtheMerrier

I may be flamed for this, but Hunt’s address today was the first time in weeks I have felt anybody in the Conservative government had the slightest scooby about what they were talking about!
He projects well - let’s hope he can put his money (oops our money) where his mouth is.

I agree, and it is a relief to hear that somebody has a grip on this matter.
Politics are even more volatile than usual just lately.

What ever happens don’t mention Hunt: Culture and Sport
Spiraling costs 2012 Olympics - security contract with Serco failed and the army had to be called in

Hunt: Health Minister Jnr Doctors fiasco

Don’t hold your breath for Chancellor performance…

SillyNanny321

Wondering how all this is worked out? My friend has had a couple of letters telling her she will receive £600 towards her costs & a while ago talked about the £150 from our Council! I had the £150 paid into my account but what & where is this £600? I have heard nothing apart from one letter telling me that as I get DLA I do not qualify for some of these amounts! Why is this? Being disabled is no joke! Meant I had to medically retire & live on benefits which was not what I had envisioned for my future! Is this nit picking or means testing or what?

SillyNanny there are a lot of posts under Legal, pensions and money explaining about the benefits. If you still don't understand having read them, ask a question and others will try and help you.

My biggest worry is that they will hold the basic pension down and just increase the pension benefits. I can see the argument for that, but it will be one more brick in the wall of only having income related pensions and allowing basic pensions to whither on the vine.

Fed up with the phrase "most vulberable". This generalky neans anyone in receipt of a benefit of some kind. There are millions of pensioners, families and singletons who do not qualify for any benefit yet they are currently and will continue to struggle with full costs even with current assistance.people coukd be given the option to ppt out of any financial assustance with energy costs such as all the millionaires we are constantly reminded off. Yes, weatger shoukd be warmer in April but there has been nothing said that the increase in October charges will be reduced, hopefully we will be able to use less. Still feel those living in colder parts of the UK should be given a higher allowance.

Apologies for mistakes, in too much a hurry or fingers stiff with cold!

I think it is a terrible move, and one day they will dismantle the heating allowance which I think should NEVER be means tested. We have paid into the system and older people deserve some help. If they means test it then those who are just above the threshold will lose out. Hunt only cares about the rich

It doesn't surprise me, I'm wondering when those with solar panels are going to get payments x3 or 4... At least I can dream.

SillyNanny321

Wondering how all this is worked out? My friend has had a couple of letters telling her she will receive £600 towards her costs & a while ago talked about the £150 from our Council! I had the £150 paid into my account but what & where is this £600? I have heard nothing apart from one letter telling me that as I get DLA I do not qualify for some of these amounts! Why is this? Being disabled is no joke! Meant I had to medically retire & live on benefits which was not what I had envisioned for my future! Is this nit picking or means testing or what?

SillyNanny these are the amount we are getting in Cost-of-Living Payments is:

Pensioner Households will get
£400 Energy Support Bills Support Scheme (1)
£300 Pensioner Cost of Living (2)

Low-Income Pensioners will get
£400 Energy Support Bills Support Scheme (1)
£300 Pensioner Cost of Living (2)
£650 Cost of Living Payment (3)

Low-Income Disabled Pensioners will get
£400 Energy Support Bills Support Scheme (1)
£300 Pensioner Cost of Living (2)
£650 Cost of Living Payment (3)
£150 Disability Cost of Living Payment (4)

(1) Everyone gets this credited direct to their energy bill over six months from October.
(2) Paid automatically to households that already qualify for the Winter-Fuel Payment. The winter fuel payment will also be paid.
(3) Paid in two parts for those on means-tested benefits
(4) Paid directly to none means-tested disability recipients

Is your friend over 80 and living alone? If so, she may have been talking about the £600 that will come in the Winter Fuel Allowance which everyone on a pension, within the qualifying period, will get. This is not a cost-of-living payment.

Seems to be some confusion here - we will all still get the £400 (£66ish a month for the next six months) discount on our energy bills. The £2500 energy price cap for the average household is in place until April and, in the interim, the government will look at the predictions for the April price cap and decide who should get help with it. I do think Truss was wrong to promise the £2500ish cap for 2 years - who knows what will happen in the energy market over 2 years? However I think 6 months is too short - a year would have been a better compromise. Means testing anything always means people will slip through the cracks unfortunately. I have no idea why the current cap should encourage excessive energy use - the cap is still double what it was last year, even with all the government help.

UN Rapporteur has expressed concern at the level of poverty in the U.K. and the apparent intention of the government to cut even further.

When pressed he said that most other countries are ensuring that the income of the poorer members are at the very least kept in line with inflation.

He also criticised the government for reducing the tax burden on the wealthy and companies whilst doing nothing for the poor.

There's nothing wrong with a review as very often when new things are introduced it's hard to see who would benefit that really needs it against those who can manage without it.

But sadly there are always those who fall though the cracks - and it would seem that my OH and I will fall into that group at some point in the future - we will have to wait and see what transpires!

At the moment everything seems to be loaded in favour of certain groups of people. While stories in the news show the very people whose sad stories bear this out and they can't get extra help even though it's much needed.

I have no faith in this government. They say they will maintain the triple lock but as they are u turning daily we will just have to wait and see.