What Will You Do With 10 Million Frozen Pensioners, Rachel?

I would like to see energy companies' being forced to reduce the standing charges. Over the summer months about a third of my charges were made up of the standing charges. No matter how little fuel low users use, they will always be disproportionately affected because everybody pays the same, however much fuel they actually use.

Just checked. I'm currently paying 77.06p a day for standing charges (and I expect most people are paying about the same). That's £281.27 a year, which is almost as much as the WFA would have been.

Excellent conference speech by Sir Keir Starmer👏👏👏 This country will be fine under a Labour government

MissAdventure

There are lots single occupancies, so it's hardly going to just affect pensioners.

I never said it would only affect pensioners although it will affect many of them.

BevSec

Susz take no notice, you are absolutely spot on with your post.

Oh go on! Sock to us about Reform. Who do they care about?

Yes, all MP's all have their wages and claim expenses for doing the job, regulated independently by IPSA.

Separate from gifts, and I might add, a check of gifts to some Tories - Jenrick a prime example - amount to the same or more than Starmer, we just dont hear about it.

Personally I think gifts should be regulated or banned.

There are lots single occupancies, so it's hardly going to just affect pensioners.

WASPI women are all pensioners, if we were compensated for our lost years before we all die then none of us would be cold this winter. There might be a few cold men though.

Susz take no notice, you are absolutely spot on with your post.

This labour lot are determined to cull the pensioners. Some now having to pay tax on their meagre pension and now they want to get rid of the 25% council tax reduction for single households and our bus passes. I never voted them in nor did I vote conservative but of the 2 I think I would be better off under the conservatives!

I don't think it is just those you mention, susz. I believe all M.P.s pay for their energy and then can claim it back

Bloody hell, we've all paid tax!!
The politics of envy?

Starmer is envious of people who are well off, then?

It isn't anyone here who bought in the latest measures, it's the government.
Envy.... pfffft!

Susz it certainly does beggar belief but try getting some on here to see it that way!

Why do Rachel Reeves, Keir Starmer et al on salaries over £100k pa, still feel its ok for them to claim their heating etc., on their (non-taxable) expenses, receive numerous freebies while expecting the majority of pensions to manage on an annual income below £20k (taxable) and then 'steal' the measly £300 winter fuel allowance? It truly beggars belief.

When it comes to pensioners heating their homes it's as well to remember not all homes are created equal. I live in a very old, very small house, but it's a cold house. It takes a lot more to heat than my friend's much larger, modern, well insulated house. I have single skin walls so no possibility of cavity insulation, my loft is insulated, I have double glazing, there's nothing else I can do. I won't freeze, and I'm not complaining about my loss of WFA, I'll manage to heat my home but I do spend a bigger proportion of my income on heating than many others have to. For two pensioners on the same state pension there could be very marked differences between their fuel needs. Just something to consider when people are saying they manage why can't others.

I haven’t ignored your question about Starmer BevSec, I’ve said I already posted what I think about his actions on at least two other threads which are still live, and frankly it gets boring repeating the same things on multiple threads.
I wouldn’t argue that your views are completely different to mine, but I wish you wouldn’t make assumptions about other people just because they don’t agree with you.

BevSec

Casdon and Growstuff, its all very well but neither of you have answered my question about Starmer accepting LARGE amounts of freebies whilst stopping the WFA ? I stand totally unapologetic about my views, which are probably the complete opposite of yours. starmer will leave this country in a complete mess. I voted Reform as it is the only party which seems to care a fig about us. I will not argue against either of you any longer, you have your views, I have mine and we are all entitled to how we feel.

What is the main thrust of Reforms policies please and how does that appeal to you?

How do they care?

I’m 67, single (divorced) have already lost thousands due to the pension age increase, I’m a waspi woman, have been a nurse for almost 50 years and am still working because I can’t afford not to. It s a bit of a sweeping generalisation to say that pensioners all vote conservative, I’ve never voted conservative in my life and I’m certainly not going to start now, ( nor do I vote Labour but that’s another story) I do think sadly that Labour have shot themselves in the foot with this one but I also understand that to get our public services back on track there have to be cuts somewhere so I suspect they found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place, we need to see if things improve I guess over the next few years

Casdon and Growstuff, its all very well but neither of you have answered my question about Starmer accepting LARGE amounts of freebies whilst stopping the WFA ? I stand totally unapologetic about my views, which are probably the complete opposite of yours. starmer will leave this country in a complete mess. I voted Reform as it is the only party which seems to care a fig about us. I will not argue against either of you any longer, you have your views, I have mine and we are all entitled to how we feel.

Chocolatelovinggran

And I repeat , mine needed cover before school because I was a teacher and was expected to be in work at least one hour before the class arrived - there's some irony there, perhaps.

Exactly! I was a teacher too and it was always frowned upon that I couldn't possibly be at work at 7.30 because my children's schools weren't open for them. Oh the irony!

BevSec

Eggplant, its the LP mentality of envy that comes across strongly in some posts. I have paid a lot of tax in my working life and still now retired. Stamp duty for our last house was £17,000.

Its just spite to begrudge WFA to all pensioners after the amount of tax we have paid in. My question still stands, if its ok to take away WFA what about Starmer and his freebies?

Yes BevSec, I’ve also paid, and continue to pay, plenty of tax, and I know many others who are Labour supporters have, and do, too. We aren’t all on the breadline, nor do we pretend to be. However we want the WFA to go where it’s needed, not to those of us who can manage without it. It’s about social responsibility.

BevSec I've paid a lot of tax in my working life too, so don't hit us all with your moral superiority. And don't even try to accuse me of envy! I have never been happier in my life. To be perfectly honest, I feel a tad sorry for people who seem to think they need money to achieve contentment. They don't seem to have what I have, which no amount of money could ever buy.

PS. And why do you feel so defensive anyway? This started with my answer to a question, which was nothing about how people should spend their money, but about the definition of need.

Eggplant, in what way are you taking exception to my view that all state pensioners should be paid WFA?

ruthiek

Wyllow3
You are wrong that most pensioners can afford to heat without the WFA , most are just over the pension credit limit so can’t get help but they csnt do without help. I hsve one friend who sits in her coat hat and boots as she isn’t entitled to help, she had the heating and water on 1 hour a day at 64 degrees last winter .
Also as a previous council employee I dealt with many many pensioners who unlike the young of today won’t accept what they call charity and won’t go into debt as they call it by putting the heating on when they can’t afford to pay for it. I really think most people do not realise the possible catastrophe this will cause .

The WFA would have been worth about a £1 per day. How much do people spend on their fuel? My guess is over £100 a month on average over the year. The WFA is only a small percentage of that. Yes, people might have be a bit more careful with their fuel, but I do not accept that it's a case of having a straightforward choice between a "comfortable" temperature" 24/7 and not thinking about using fuel for cooking and not having those things at all.

As I've written before, I'm one of those people who has income just over the threshold for Pension Credit (and WFA), so I speak from experience. I'm conscious of my fuel usage, but there is absolutely no way I'll freeze.

PS. My personal view is that Reeves has made a big mistake, but that doesn't change the fact that I also think there is a lot of exaggeration and scare-mongering.

BevSec

Eggplant, its the LP mentality of envy that comes across strongly in some posts. I have paid a lot of tax in my working life and still now retired. Stamp duty for our last house was £17,000.

Its just spite to begrudge WFA to all pensioners after the amount of tax we have paid in. My question still stands, if its ok to take away WFA what about Starmer and his freebies?

I don't envy you or your views. Each to their own.

I'm not massively interested in either the LP or politics.

I feel sad and embarassed to be British.

And I repeat , mine needed cover before school because I was a teacher and was expected to be in work at least one hour before the class arrived - there's some irony there, perhaps.