Rachel Reeves has announced that winter fuel payments will only be paid to those on Pension Credit.nsion Credit

If a you g couple both work full time onion mum wage they'd be on far more than that. Then they'd get help towards child care. I suppose they'll get only get £31k.on.one salary but then that would be their choice for one parent not to work. A couple both working on mi imum wage 40 hours a week would be on over £40k they might also get UC if they rent a house.

Maybe the Tories weren’t so bad after all…

labour are breaking tax promises left right and centre, they told a lot of lies, to be voted into government. Only 6 weeks ago they said that wfa would not be taken away. Watch them pounce on isas and savings of all types next

pensioners will be paying for wind power

What we need to do GNs is make a list of Labour's election campaign promises, mark each one as either lies or truth, and send it to all the papers with a clear message that the voting public is not happy. Also confront the Labour MPs who were happily voted in on the wave of euphoria prevalent before the election. Point out that it is now possible to give them the sack if they don't do as they promised.
It's not good enough to blame the Tories leaving a secret hole in the finances - if the new Government was totally unaware of the situation appertaining to government, they should not have taken it on. The Opposition has a Shadow Cabinet which is supposed to be clued up enough to be effective as the opposition. These lies were planned before the voting took place. It's time to tell them we disapprove.

I agree . We have good occupational pensions - not wealthy but comfortable and I would rather the money goes to people who need it more, and savings from this are used for other worthwhile services such as the NHS.

You wer warned before election that RR would hit pensioners hard. She's got her eye on CHT and inheritance tax too I think.

Public sector pay rises double inflation.

I had read yesterday the figures quoted above for a comfortable retirement income.
I think it was £31, 000 for a single person.
I thought that was a remarkable amount and now that I read that is after tax deductions I am gobsmacked.
Many young couples are bringing up families on that amount.

rowyn

My post was referring to the question - where is the money going - i.e. winter payments, but somehow I didn't include the other person;s post

The money isn't going anywhere. It's money which isn't going to be created.

Thought I was voting for a Socialist Government, only to find the first thing they do is hit pensioners. The very people that have been loyal to this country all their lives, paying their taxes sticking to the rules contributing to the Universities that helped MP’s gain their degrees for free to enable them to grow & succeed and enjoy a better life. I’m trying hard not to go down the immigrant path but this kind of thing breeds resentment in those you have made significant financial contributions to this country all of their lives. This is such a smack in the face. My heart goes out to those of us who are ‘borderline’ sufferers who will feel abandoned by this Socialist Government within so short of time in power. Shame on Labour Party. Party of the Working Class, don’t make me laugh !!

EEJit

Better still, stop all the money going abroad, and all the money being given to the illegals

But it isn't.

Better still, stop all the money going abroad, and all the money being given to the illegals

My post was referring to the question - where is the money going - i.e. winter payments, but somehow I didn't include the other person;s post

Well that's blinking obvious - the money is going/has gone to the unions to ensure that they continue to support the Labour party. All those junior doctors, who did not become doctors because they wanted to help others, but knew that it was a highly paid and secure job for a lifetime willl be feeling very smug.

Meanwhile , as I suspect that i wont qualify for the heating payment, I'd better start trying to save - not easy when all prices seem to be rising.

I haven't read all the comments, so someone else may have said this.
Why hasn't the WFP been a taxable benefit? Those on really low incomes wouldn't have paid tax on it. Maybe fiscal drag would have changed that.
But the Chancellor would have got a fair bit back without penalising the poorest.

It's unbelievable how smug some people are on this site. "I'm all right Jack, pull up the ladder" springs to mind!

I haven’t read the whole thread, but I felt like crying when I heard this. I worked out that if I’m widowed I will be £1 over the limit. Even though married this money meant that we could put the heating on when we needed it and had the money to pay for it. This coming winter we won’t. The Pension Credit limit is far too low and many of us who are just outside it will suffer. Let’s hope nobody dies from cold thanks to this government.

I appreciate that I'm very lucky in not needing this payment and I've always been in favour of only issuing it to those in need. However only giving it to those on benefits is very unfair as some of the above posters have said and I think it will mean a lot of worry and hardship for many people. It's a substantial sum that can make a lot of difference.
I also think a lot of the charities will now lose out as like many others I have always donated my fuel allowance to a couple of charities. I just wonder what will come next.

It must be awful to miss out on a benefit by a small amount of money. The Winter Fuel Allowance must have made a big difference for some.

I agree!

Anybody who feels this is wrong or are going to struggle financially because of this new policy could e-mail their MP stating their reasons why and politely put how disappointed they are and it could influence their voting next election. If enough people do this all over the country it may be raised in Parliament and repealed. We have a lot of new young MPs who are wanting to make a name for themselves and want a long stay as MP.

Labour promised over the years never to cut Pensioner benefits… didn’t take long to break that promise. It will cause real problems for some who Theresa May called ‘just about managing’ It would be really good to get some politicians with integrity for a change. Every party always claims that the previous Government leaves finances in a mess.

I agree with those who know Labour is not a party for the poor. They are very much like the Tories. The Labour party did look after those in society who were struggling but that was long ago.

Apologies, didn’t know that a single person got £200.

Just trying to look for solutions🤷‍♀️

Blinko

Callistemon213

... you need an after tax (net) income of £49,700 in order to live comfortably in the UK as a couple, or £67,554 for a family with 2 parents and 2 children. This figure is based on studies conducted by the Pensions & Lifetime Savings Association and the Child Poverty Action Group.
3 Mar 2024

I was feeling comfortable, after a lifetime of working, bringing up children and penny-pinching, until I read that!

Same here. DH and I live very comfortably on a lot less than £49k. Who on earth are they including in their survey, you have to wonder!

Agreed.

I wonder what percentage of pensioners have nearly £50k after tax? Maybe it depends on where you set the level of 'comfort'? My yacht could do with a makeover, but we've decided to make do this year and reline the moat instead.