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

Nevermind cutting WFA for pensioners how about cutting MPs expenses and the fossils in the House of Lords on £300 plus a day just for turning up, disgraceful, then they probably go to the subsidised restaurant and have a slap dinner and a subsidised gin and tonic.

You should be ashamed of yourself Rachel Thieves. The Labour Party, the new Nasty Party.

How on earth will the government implement the cancellation of the WFA in just a few weeks. It was due to be paid in November/December of this year and it is August tomorrow.

Surely they could have waited until next year to implement it and given the people that will be affected time to adjust their way of living by cutting down on their expenses a few pounds per month.

Since I reached 80 years of age (now mid 80's) I have lost the TV licence, our buses have been taken off so the bus pass is of no use to me now, they have stopped the rise of the personal tax allowance until 2028 so I now pay tax on my income and now the cancellation of the WFA.

There is a definitely a name for it for targetting the pensioners it is called elderly abuse.

It’s time people started getting it in their heads that Liebour do not care about them at all.

Winter Fuel Payment gone, Cost of Living Payment gone and that’s just in the first few weeks but will affect millions of older people.

WASPI women can kiss goodbye to any help from Liebour now despite working hard, paying their dues for all those years. They can find £84 million to send to other countries but have no interest in spending any on its own people.

You were all warned!

I would urge anyone in the slightest doubt about their eligibility for pension credit to apply. It’s a very straightforward application form. I have applied 3 times in the past 2 years “just in case” I might find myself eligible. Unfortunately, I’m not eligible despite living alone and my sole income being the new state pension. That’s the cut off point for eligibility.

I have already cut everything back to the bare bones in recent years . Last winter I only had the heating on for one hour in the morning and another in the evening on the coldest of days. The WFA was a very welcome help in those very cold months.

annsixty

All I object to is the suddenness of the withdrawal.
It should have been paid this year to give time to get used to the idea and maybe start to make economies where possible for the winter after this.

I could not agree more. It was hastily done by a new Chancellor who keeps extolling the virtues of budgeting and how the government must act within its means but has not given individuals notice to do before the cold weather arrives.

And acknowledging what HattieTopper says - losing one's spouse, oce doesn't just have to deal with bereavement but the sudden loss of income. This is very apparent from the graphs I linked to above.

On average, couples are considerably better off than singles and single women are considerably worse off than single men not least because a generation of working women who are now old were often paid less than men for doing the same work so did not build up the same entitlement to works pensions or have the same capacity to save.

We know too that the lion's share of caring for children or other older family members falls to women who end up penalised in older age for it.

It's striking that the cost saving from removing WFA from pensioners other than those on Pension Credit has been estimated at 1.5 bn is actually less than the 1.8 bn set aside in 2022/23 for women (mostly) who were being underpaid state pension. I'm hoping that most of those women have now been identified and paid and await with interest what the head of HMRC, Jim Harra has to say about that in his annual report.

Many of us didn't vote Labour because we knew that Labour would not be good for us and have been proved right.
The abrupt stoppage of WFA is cruel to many pensioners. They have alienated a huge group of people some of whom are the most vulnerable in society.

Presumably all the hotels in Rwanda have been paid for already. Cannot we Pensioners have a year of Free living over there?

BTW it's interesting all those people saying they will have to reduce their heating. I currently do not have any heating and I was turned down for a grant to upgrade my heating as house in not energy efficient.

Might have to go and live with Mr Linekar. Eugh!!

This is just the first step from the new regime. It is a worrying time for anyone who doesn’t have savings.
For the first time ever, one of my sons is wondering how to make substantial amounts of money to support us into old age. I managed not to laugh… but he has his own little ones to support. What is happening to this country?

There were many on here claiming that they were voting Labour because they were voting for the poor. I wonder who those people thought the poor are, because it’s clear from this site that many of the poor are pensioners, particularly female pensioners. Even now we’ve got posters proclaiming they’re happy that much money is going abroad to help poor people abroad, forgetting that poor pensioners need our help too. Personally I think we should help poor people abroad, but absolutely not at the cost of people who have worked and paid taxes all their lives and will now suffer the cold this coming winter. We had stopped seeing news reports of elderly people dying of hyperthermia many years ago, but this is what we will be seeing again very soon. We were told by Labour that there would be hard choices, but up to now it seems to me, that the only group who have been singled out to suffer any hard choices are the pensioners. I don’t need to wait till the budget to see what Labour are like, I’ve seen it this week.

I have found a way of saving money to account for the loss of the WFA. I now am going to spend £6 less per week on my weekly grocery shopping, that will give me a yearly saving of £312 which will more than cover the loss of the WFA. Of course it won't cover the loss of this years WFA as it has been so sudden, but starting from January 2025 it will cover it.

This is what is has come to in our old age.

Actually, maddyone most of the poor are working age people with families. Government statistics show that, after housing costs and direct taxation, they are, on average, poorer than the average pensioner.

ronib

This is just the first step from the new regime. It is a worrying time for anyone who doesn’t have savings.
For the first time ever, one of my sons is wondering how to make substantial amounts of money to support us into old age. I managed not to laugh… but he has his own little ones to support. What is happening to this country?

That's scare-mongering.

HattieTopper do you look out for price reductions on supermarket food? I was surprised to see a loaf of bread reduced to 35p recently.

Callistemon213

growstuff

Even after pension contributions have been checked and all those eligible for Pension Credit have applied, there will still be many people who won't be eligible. After direct taxes and housing costs, I receive £13 a week more than the amount for guaranteed Pension Credit (which is less than the average for all single female pensioners). I've had my entitlement to Pension Credit checked a number of times and I'm just not eligible.

My SisIL was only a few £ per annum over the limit.
The pension age couple next door received every benefit going and seemed to lead a luxurious lifestyle in comparison. A caravan, lovely clothes, a trip planned to New Zealand.

Maybe the neighbours should be Chancellor because I'd find it very tough to afford all that if receiving benefits. They're obviously whizzkids with money.

growstuff my son is perfectly serious regarding his concerns for us. He’s allowed to worry about us.
Why not be scared?

growstuff

Actually, maddyone most of the poor are working age people with families. Government statistics show that, after housing costs and direct taxation, they are, on average, poorer than the average pensioner.

But we aren't talking about the average person or family.

We're talking about those who Theresa May referred to as Just About Managing, ie those who have just enough income which means they aren't able to claim anything but not enough to live very comfortably without penny-pinching somewhere.

Working people are doing just that - working. They will be outside of the home fod part of the day, not home all the time like many pensioners.

The WFA was brought in because of steep rises in the cost of fuel. This is not discouraged by Governments, we are supposed to use less because we are supposed to become less reliant on fossil fuels. Taking away the WFA will force us to use even less.

Sticks, not carrots.
Carrots work better imo.

Considering the Labour movement partly came out of the non conformist Christian way of life I am saddened that the first people they go for are the elderly widows and the elderly in general.

AGAA4

Many of us didn't vote Labour because we knew that Labour would not be good for us and have been proved right.
The abrupt stoppage of WFA is cruel to many pensioners. They have alienated a huge group of people some of whom are the most vulnerable in society.

Many of us did vote Labour because we knew that they would be good for others, even if it meant taking a financial hit ourselves.

The government did not lie to anyone. They were criticised throughout the election campaign for not committing to spending plans, and they repeatedly said that they would have to roll back the financial mismanagement they inherited from the Tories before they could do many of the things they would like to do.

I do not approve of means-testing, and never have - in fact I have had jibes on here about how it is my 'hobby horse'. In RR's shoes I would not have done this the way she has done it, and I have every sympathy with people who do not qualify for PC and will miss out on a payment they need.

All the same (and not in any way to minimise that sympathy) there are many on here claiming outrage who have often said that they would happily scrap the WFP, free prescriptions, bus passes etc, and fully understand why people should have to pay for social care, even when it wipes out their savings and equity. They usually cite Mick Jagger as an example of someone who does't need a bus pass or a WFP, and point out that 'we' can't afford to pay for things that many people 'don't need'. Now that there is a Labour government, the same people are up in arms when what they have often advocated has come to pass. I wonder how many people now claiming to be angry were perfectly happy when the Tories cut benefits for families with more than two children, froze housing benefit and vowed to force the disabled into work on pain of losing benefits?

www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/13/tory-welfare-reform-cost-working-age-families-thousands-while-pensioners-benefited-report

There will be a budget before the winter. Obviously we don't know what will be in it, but there may be measures that will help those affected by the withdrawal of the WFP. I hope so.

Whenever I got the WFP in my account I wondered what’s that for? I donated it to charity. Surely best to target those that actually need it.

Many people with disabilities were/are happy to work and had employers who are sympathetic to the needs they may have. Employers have a duty to facilitate their needs in the workplace.
Remploy factories were excellent, where people could work in a safe and caring environment for people with disabilities.
The Coalition Government commissioned a report by a Disability Rights charity and acted on her recommendations, but many disagreed with her views.

The coalition government commissioned a report on the future of disability employment and training from a review team led by Liz Sayce, chief executive of disability charity Radar (now Disability Rights UK) and a known critic of sheltered factories. The report recommended winding down support for segregated employment, saying that each of the 2,800 Remploy factory workers was subsidised by an average £25,000 a year that could be better spent.

Jerry Nelson, national officer for Remploy at the GMB trade union, says: "This is devastating for the people involved, some of the most disadvantaged in society. For many, the factory has been their whole life – and their lives are being destroyed."

ronib

HattieTopper do you look out for price reductions on supermarket food? I was surprised to see a loaf of bread reduced to 35p recently.

I do online shopping as it would cost me £25 return to get to my nearest supermarket. I am also in my mid 80's so there is no-way I could carry shopping on a bus even if I had a bus service that took me to the supermarket.

I do look for bargains, always have done but I am now going to double concentrate on saving money by cutting down and changing the brands of food I buy.

Callistemon213

growstuff

Actually, maddyone most of the poor are working age people with families. Government statistics show that, after housing costs and direct taxation, they are, on average, poorer than the average pensioner.

But we aren't talking about the average person or family.

We're talking about those who Theresa May referred to as Just About Managing, ie those who have just enough income which means they aren't able to claim anything but not enough to live very comfortably without penny-pinching somewhere.

Working people are doing just that - working. They will be outside of the home fod part of the day, not home all the time like many pensioners.

The WFA was brought in because of steep rises in the cost of fuel. This is not discouraged by Governments, we are supposed to use less because we are supposed to become less reliant on fossil fuels. Taking away the WFA will force us to use even less.

Sticks, not carrots.
Carrots work better imo.

Hmmm...I have a feeling that the "average" and "just about managing" might be the same group.

ronib

growstuff my son is perfectly serious regarding his concerns for us. He’s allowed to worry about us.
Why not be scared?

Buy him a copy of "Henny Penny".

... 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!

growstuff is that the best you can come up with?