U turn on winter fuel payments- is it a good move?

Allira

MaizieD

Making derogatory remarks about older generations does you no favours, and does tend to prove the point that younger people are making.

My 'derogatory remarks' apply to those Gnetters who refuse to accept that the post war generation (AKA the Baby Boomers) have had far better life chances than any generation before or since. If that is the face such people present to younger generations I don't blame the young for being antagonistic.

I still say it's all about economics and that Thatcher, on the whole, left a disastrous legacy for the UK.

Post-war generations. Post-war is from 1945 to present day.

Do you mean those fortunate to have been born in 1960 - 1980?

No. I mean those who were born 1945 - 1964, the cohort known as the Baby Boomers.

I have already said that the 1997 - 2010 Labour government just picked up Thatcher's economic baton, though they did manage to improve some areas, such as far higher investment in the NHS and in education. Then Osborne undid any good work they'd done. So whataboutery about student fees really doesn't mean a great deal.

Just Googled it. Non-repayable maintenance grants were removed from August 2016.

Allira

growstuff

Allira

I still say it's all about economics and that Thatcher, on the whole, left a disastrous legacy for the UK.
Although it was Tony Blair's government which introduced tuition fees and removed the maintenance grant.
🤔

Blair didn't remove the maintenance grant. The tuition fees he introduced were nothing like they are now.

No, I know.

Once introduced, though, it was a stepping stone to increases.

I thought he did remove the maintenance grant, perhaps I'm misremembering. I thought it was 2001

I'm not sure when the maintenance grant was removed, but my daughter started university in 2012 and received a means-tested, non-repayable maintenance grant, so it must have been after that.

Dream on Primrose53!! (I'll leave you your delusions.)

Individual circumstances vary and this has to be taken into account. Due to illness, I had to cease working, so now only have the £200 p.w. state pension. When broken down (after tax and NI & pension contribution), partner's salary is only just above minimum wage. We downsized in order to economise. The new house is heated using oil. We calculated that the entire of the WFA could put enough fuel in the tank to keep us going over the winter. Not having it was a blow. No oil. No heat. GNs can conclude.

growstuff

Primrose53

To be honest they are running scared! There was such anger and resentment when they stopped the WFA that they could do nothing else but reinstate it. They completely misread the situation like they do with pretty much everything else.

People are fed up with seeing them giving billions to other causes and ignoring British people who have worked, paid taxes etc all their lives.

We have 32,000 illegal immigrants put up in hotels at our expense and 70,000 in other forms of accommodation. It is costing us BILLIONS and if it wasn’t true would be laughable!

It is high time they put their own countryfolk first.

The government doesn't ignore British people. If you look about you, it is younger British people who are moaning about older people receiving a benefit. Illegal immigrants have nothing to do with it.

Illegal immigrants have very much to do with this! If we weren’t stupid enough to be forking out billions on people who should not even be here, we could comfortably look after our own people first. Other countries have realised this ….. eg The Scandinavian countries and are doing something about it.

growstuff

Allira

I still say it's all about economics and that Thatcher, on the whole, left a disastrous legacy for the UK.
Although it was Tony Blair's government which introduced tuition fees and removed the maintenance grant.
🤔

Blair didn't remove the maintenance grant. The tuition fees he introduced were nothing like they are now.

No, I know.

Once introduced, though, it was a stepping stone to increases.

I thought he did remove the maintenance grant, perhaps I'm misremembering. I thought it was 2001

Allira

^I still say it's all about economics and that Thatcher, on the whole, left a disastrous legacy for the UK.^
Although it was Tony Blair's government which introduced tuition fees and removed the maintenance grant.
🤔

Blair didn't remove the maintenance grant. The tuition fees he introduced were nothing like they are now.

LizzieDrip

^What do you think is the reason for the reinstatement ( more or less) of the WFA?
Interested to know, but please don’t say the government is being ever so ‘umble and wanting to be kind to pensioners^

Oreo how on earth can you ask someone a question and, in the same breath, tell them how they’re not allowed to answer it🤷‍♀️

Votes.

I still say it's all about economics and that Thatcher, on the whole, left a disastrous legacy for the UK.
Although it was Tony Blair's government which introduced tuition fees and removed the maintenance grant.
🤔

MaizieD

^Making derogatory remarks about older generations does you no favours, and does tend to prove the point that younger people are making.^

My 'derogatory remarks' apply to those Gnetters who refuse to accept that the post war generation (AKA the Baby Boomers) have had far better life chances than any generation before or since. If that is the face such people present to younger generations I don't blame the young for being antagonistic.

I still say it's all about economics and that Thatcher, on the whole, left a disastrous legacy for the UK.

Post-war generations. Post-war is from 1945 to present day.

Do you mean those fortunate to have been born in 1960 - 1980?

There never was any black hole .the conservatives left this country in a good state financially for this idiot government to ruin .
Already ,unemployment is rising thanks to their small business changes .by 2029 we will really see a massive black hole where Rachel from accounts has handed all our taxes to unions and the public sector .

Delene100

I think £35k threshold is way too high. The threshold should be £20k per household. What it doesn't take into account, I read, is the total of a double pensioner household. For example, if both pensioners earn £35k each, totalling 70k p.a., they will both get a proportion of the WFA. I hope I have interpreted this wrongly, because this is wrong and hopefully, HMRC will see this and not award such an household WFA.

1 Apr 2025 — The average retirement income for a single pensioner in the UK is £13,884 annually, while couples have £29,172 a year.
Unbiased.co.uk

I don't know what would be a fair threshold, because whatever it is, it is bound to attract criticism.

^What do you think is the reason for the reinstatement ( more or less) of the WFA?
Interested to know, but please don’t say the government is being ever so ‘umble and wanting to be kind to pensioners^

Oreo how on earth can you ask someone a question and, in the same breath, tell them how they’re not allowed to answer it🤷‍♀️

I think £35k threshold is way too high. The threshold should be £20k per household. What it doesn't take into account, I read, is the total of a double pensioner household. For example, if both pensioners earn £35k each, totalling 70k p.a., they will both get a proportion of the WFA. I hope I have interpreted this wrongly, because this is wrong and hopefully, HMRC will see this and not award such an household WFA.

As a couple on a low income, we are relieved it’s coming back.

Oreo, I don't know what caused this decision, and I don't think that you do, either.
Giving your views - " I believe this.." is different from " people who disagree with my mindset are fools".

So you could have a million pound pension pot but you only draw £24k a year from it because you top up with savings if you need to, would that million pound pension pot holder get it?

Wrong thread?

Wyllow3

I say this particularly as the young woman, married to a bloke in the wheelchair was clearly new to the country as she had her lower face obscured by a scarf only, I managed to get some twinkly eyes back at me looking at pretty shoes part sign language.

What have your chatting to Muslims in a shop got to do with the subject on here?

Chocolatelovinggran

Forgive me returning,Poppyred, but I did ask for some evidence to support your assertion that this change was due to Reform,other than your beliefs that "you'd be a fool to think otherwise " and " don't be fooled by them".
These are your thoughts, to which you are, of course, entitled, but with no back up in fact, that is all they are.
I might think differently, but I'm not sure that defines me as a fool.

What do you think is the reason for the reinstatement ( more or less) of the WFA?
Interested to know, but please don’t say the government is being ever so ‘umble and wanting to be kind to pensioners.

Forgive me returning,Poppyred, but I did ask for some evidence to support your assertion that this change was due to Reform,other than your beliefs that "you'd be a fool to think otherwise " and " don't be fooled by them".
These are your thoughts, to which you are, of course, entitled, but with no back up in fact, that is all they are.
I might think differently, but I'm not sure that defines me as a fool.

I say this particularly as the young woman, married to a bloke in the wheelchair was clearly new to the country as she had her lower face obscured by a scarf only, I managed to get some twinkly eyes back at me looking at pretty shoes part sign language.

"I know life was not a materially easy as it is now, but it improved over the decades and there was an optimism about one's future, a belief in its improvement, that is very much lacking now"

I believe we can make improvements and it's possible just wish I could do more, but in little everyday ways we can Make a Difference. yesterday in a shoe store, chatting to a Muslim couple, had a laugh when the assistants were looking down their noses at them (why I cannot guess but still there was a frostiness with them not with me)

growstuff

Allira I've just seen that you've noticed the smugness too. I think we're singing from the same hymn sheet.

I think that, in some respects, I'm singing from the same hymn sheet as both of you, with respect to smug Baby Boomers, even though Allira took exception to what I was saying.