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

Interesting to see the comments that say some pensioners don't need the WFA as they have sufficient income.
I wonder what Gransnetters regard as a sufficient income. What do you think about the State Pension in light of MPs' incomes and the receipt of personal 'gifts' to a number of Labour politicians, including Rachel Reeves?

Well said Greyisnotmycolour.

That’s why I voted for reform, the country needs a change a government who looks after the people

glammagran

Misadventure - my husband now coming up to 75 went to Bounds Green primary school.

Small world, isn't it?
Did he go to the breakfast club?

Another thing to consider is that there are many people who may be entitled to claim pension credit but who see it as receiving charity. An old fashioned idea perhaps but I would think there are a lot of very proud, elderly people who have never claimed any sort of benefit in their lives and don't want to start now and so they will suffer unnecessarily.

Nannapat1

Interesting to see the comments that say some pensioners don't need the WFA as they have sufficient income.
I wonder what Gransnetters regard as a sufficient income. What do you think about the State Pension in light of MPs' incomes and the receipt of personal 'gifts' to a number of Labour politicians, including Rachel Reeves?

How long is a piece of string?

"Sufficient" in its crudest sense means being enough to support life. Having read hundreds of posts on GN, it's obvious that, for some, "life" includes having expensive holidays and clothes, a newish car, a comfortable home owned mortgage-free and enough money to pay for meals out and entertainment.

Freespirit55

That’s why I voted for reform, the country needs a change a government who looks after the people

Interesting! How do you think Reform would look after the "people"? Which "people" anyway? All of them? I have never see any evidence that Reform would look after anybody but a very narrow group of people.

Growstuff, we have the lifestyle you describe, what is wrong with that?

knspol

Another thing to consider is that there are many people who may be entitled to claim pension credit but who see it as receiving charity. An old fashioned idea perhaps but I would think there are a lot of very proud, elderly people who have never claimed any sort of benefit in their lives and don't want to start now and so they will suffer unnecessarily.

I feel thoroughly ashamed of needing disability benefit, however, because I do actually need it to live, I have to claim it.

Talk is cheap, but I need money to sustain myself and pay my bills, so needs must.

Pensioners can't have it all their own way - can they manage, or not?

BevSec

Growstuff, we have the lifestyle you describe, what is wrong with that?

Nothing at all wrong with it! Where did I write that it was. I was merely answering a question. Why so defensive?

MissAdventure

knspol

Another thing to consider is that there are many people who may be entitled to claim pension credit but who see it as receiving charity. An old fashioned idea perhaps but I would think there are a lot of very proud, elderly people who have never claimed any sort of benefit in their lives and don't want to start now and so they will suffer unnecessarily.

I feel thoroughly ashamed of needing disability benefit, however, because I do actually need it to live, I have to claim it.

Talk is cheap, but I need money to sustain myself and pay my bills, so needs must.

Pensioners can't have it all their own way - can they manage, or not?

You shouldn't feel ashamed. I don't know what your disability is, but presumably you've needed the money when you weren't a pensioner. You're not receiving the money because you're "elderly".

PS. Just realised I don't know how old you are.

BevSec

Growstuff, we have the lifestyle you describe, what is wrong with that?

Nothing at all, so long as you don’t expect a freebie from the state in the form of a winter fuel allowance which you don’t need.

I'm just a spring chicken, growstuff (61)

There aren’t going to be 10 m frozen pensioners are there? The wfa was a ridiculous idea and it should have just been added onto the pension and be subject to tax, then the better off would pay. Yes a lot of pensioners do go on winter cruises and to their Spanish holiday homes, there is no one size fits all. I’d rather the money went to pay doctors and nurses

As I understand it, the heating allowance was a set amount given to all pensioners because it would cost as much to means test it and deal with all the discrepancies and complaints and queries which would naturally arise as it would to just keep it simple.

Many more pensioners are entitled to the Warm Home Discount from their energy company, it’s £150. You don’t necessarily have to be on Pension credit to get it, but if you’re on certain other benefits, including housing benefit, it’s worth enquiring about it to your energy company.

I can't understand why MP's will still be receiving help with their fuel bills. The income limit for pension credit needs to be raised.

Casdon, .I do not think of it as a “freebie”. All state pensioners should be entitled to it in my opinion. How about all MPs and Starmer not expecting “freebies”. Maybe you would like to give us your opinion on that as well?

M0nica

There will not be 10 million fozen pensioners. Those on pension credit will still receive the WFA.

In 2023 the median income for pensioner households (the value where half of all pensioners had an income less than that figure and half more was nearly £28,000. ifs.org.uk/publications/how-have-pensioner-incomes-and-poverty-changed-recent-years
Suggests that at least half of pensioner households will manage very well without the WFA and probable any pensioner household with an income abov £25,000 will also manage.

So I quite agree there will be several million pensioners struggling with fuel bills this winter, and this must be a concern, but a significant number, 5 million plus, will not.

I've got a (very nearly full) job pension on top of my (old-style) State Pension. So a NMW type job pension plus an old-style State Pension together for a single person (and there will be lots of widows and widowers - as well as those of us that have always been single) is going to be on a low income. I reckon my two incomes together come to about National Minimum Wage level. That would be "struggle level" if it wasn't for my savings. Then add on that health issues cost noticeably more, on average, the older one gets and I know I've had to spend what would probably be around £2,000 p.a. so far this year on what I call "NHS bills" and that is a lot to come out of a single persons NMW level pension (even for someone like myself that owns my house outright/has no pets/doesn't run a car/doesn't smoke/is good with money. So - yep....it will be millions of pensioners that are struggling...

BevSec

Casdon, .I do not think of it as a “freebie”. All state pensioners should be entitled to it in my opinion. How about all MPs and Starmer not expecting “freebies”. Maybe you would like to give us your opinion on that as well?

I already have BevSec. I do see WFA as a freebie. It’s not part of our taxable pension, so what else is it? I’ve already said that I think the personal allowance should be raised and that more people should be eligible for pension credit, so that those who are dependent on the WFA should not lose out at all.

BevSec

Growstuff, we have the lifestyle you describe, what is wrong with that?

Nothing, but a shred of humility and kindness is always handy.

growstuff

Secondly, (and I don't really know how many times this needs repeating) parents who use breakfast clubs for their children aren't feckless.

Governments wanted a flexible labour market - and people in work.

Well that flexibility comes at a cost - to parents with babies and school-age children, who have to manage and co-ordinate their working hours around school opening and closing times.

I cannot understand why anyone would object to breakfast clubs. It's a practical solution for those parents who need to be at work before the school opens, or for those with children who just won't eat breakfast the moment they get out of bed.

The world of work has changed, and that means that we have to adapt.

Parents, particularly mothers, really do get the stick sometimes. Educating the next generation is one of the most important things society can do. Why should we not make it easier, more comfortable - and more practical?

People seem to think this is something just started for "those" kinds, never mind the fact that they've been in use for ages, used by many, and for a variety of reasons.
Some days, every day, occasionally, or never.

I think scraping winter fuel allowance is a great idea. Far too many pensioners don’t need it and use it for holiday funds or towards Christmas and many give it to charity. I’m about to become a OAP I’d much prefer the money to go towards our NHS.

MissAdventure

There are people on here who say they do not need the money, so donate it, or give it to their family members...

A nice thought but the Government want to save money so giving it to those who don't need it and would pass it on elsewhere is missing their viewpoint somewhat. Means tested is the fairest way.