Forum Topic

Winter Fuel Payment Petition

The good people at Age UK,have a petition on their website to sign for all those borderline, vulnerable older people who are about to lose this payment.So, if you are borderline and not eligible for Pension credit, Or have a loved one who is about to lose this payment.Or even some one with a Heart of Gold.Please sign and pass on the word.Thank you.

PATRICK MULHALL ● 111d59 Comments

What are Labour on…….cant remember any government taking so many freebies  in their first few weeks and think its OK, surreal meantime talking down the UK when most of the population is working hard and paying taxes so they can party, reward themselves and attack pensioners over their WFA, shocking doesn’t some close to it. If they continue along this road there will be protests, strikes and many people will be much poorer under this lot. They are creating a massive divide which even Blair aimed to reduce. Left wing socialists who look after themselves no clue how to lead and run a country.

Jayne Thorburn ● 59d

Greedy unions, having had their pay demands met after holding the country to ransom are now seen protesting outside Labour's conference centre while inside, Sharon Graham, General Sec for  Unite is demanding the reversal of the cruel reversal of the Winter Fuel Allowance.This callow government is quickly realising how tough it is to run a country when beholden to its paymasters.

Denis I. Fox ● 59d

It’s what the working class Nouveau riche do. No class. Did you know his father was a tool maker and his mother worked for the NHS?  Just a simple and nice working class lad.

Steve Taylor ● 59d

Indeed Julian and Clyde has just trousered a twenty thousand donation so that his spog can study for its exams peacefully.Well, I hope it fails the lot!

Adrian Irving ● 59d

So the motion vote at conference goes against Bonnie and Clyde and the withdrawl of WFP.

Julian Pavey ● 59d

By the time I draw a pension these bloodsuckers will have been kicked out of office and the WFP will be reinstated.  Can’t wait because according to Philippa one can book lavish holidays and flights abroad with all the money one gets for the WFP

Steve Taylor ● 59d

Well perhaps all 13 million pensioners  should go on line and apply for it and see what happens to the website.

Steve Taylor ● 59d

It's a dog's dinner of a policy.

Keith Iddon ● 59d

If everyone who is entitled to pension credit applied it is said the burden would be twice the £s they are taking away in wfp. Oh i wish everyone emtitled claimed just to stick it up someones backside where the answers come from.

Julian Pavey ● 59d

There is a lot of help out there including this:"If someone is having problem filling in the Pension Credit form one can apparently call the DWP on 0800 99 1234. (Yes, I was suspicious of that number but it's in the gov. uk link below. No idea how long it takes to answer.)https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pension-credit-what-you-need-to-know--2"There is help for more than just the WFP which wasn't actually needed but was just a bonus for a lot of people.It would be more constructive to get those who need extra help with heating their homes the extra help - and contrary to your statements there IS extra help.

Philippa Bond ● 59d

Under the conservatives, pensioners have for many years been entitled to the WFP.  Within a few weeks the Labour Administration removed that entitlement and now expect all those who on the poverty line to answer endless questions to prove their ‘entitlement’.  Ie beg for it. So what was once an automatic (cost effective) payment will now be bogged down in costly Labour style bureaucracy.

Steve Taylor ● 59d

I find it abhorrent that anyone should consider suggesting to pensioners that asking for what they are now entitled to is begging.What will happen now is that those charities which used to receive donations from those who felt they were able to give will probably no longer get them - and those who just spent the money on things other than heating and eating won't necessarily be able to splash out on them.

Philippa Bond ● 59d

“It baffles me even more that Labour could not have chosen a better target”. What really baffles most people, is why anybody voted Labour? Perhaps someone who did could explain why?

Brian Coyle ● 59d

No they would get half (£150) each

Steve Taylor ● 59d

Married "friends" of mine each  received the payments even though they live in the same house.Is this normal as it seems to me paying twice for the same home is a little daft?

Adrian Irving ● 59d

“I I don't think that is the case at all.”Oh, so you think it’s morally right for the government to expect old people to BEG do you?

Steve Taylor ● 59d

I don't think that is the case at all.  And don't go blaming this Govt for using charities when it is the last Govt which spent so much time and money actually employing charities to take over what used to be the state's responsibilities.

Philippa Bond ● 60d

This is just a meaningless political motion which is actually abhorrent because it removes all dignity from less well off old people. Why should these old folk have to resort to begging from charities. Has this government no morals?

Steve Taylor ● 60d

“ No it means you are wrong”What! So you don’t think it’s wrong to cancel the WFP for 13 million old folk at EXACTLY the time when it starts to get really cold and when energy prices are increasing by 10%?  You don’t think it’s WRONG that Reeves made this announcement with obscene haste after being in office for only a few weeks when she clearly didn’t have a grip on the finances?  You don’t think it’s WRONG that she has picked on the most vulnerable people in the country? Not only is it morally wrong, it’s surely politically wrong because the majority of pensioners vote whilst younger generations just couldn’t be bothered.  You seriously don’t think this decision will bite Reeves in the arse - as if it isn’t already hitting her hard at the Labour Conference. You offer no explanation to mitigate your assertion that I and millions of others are WRONG in believing this cancellation of the WFP is just wrong on every level.

Steve Taylor ● 60d

See also front page article:https://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=community&link=https://neighbournet.com/server/common/hounscoun728.htm

Philippa Bond ● 60d

Have you ever tried persuading any older person to do something they don't want to do?  Living in one's own home with one's own things around one is what most people want to do for as long as they can.  Their relations, neighbours and friends may also find it easier to keep an eye on them there too and be willing and able to keep in touch with the extended family.  Please be aware that UTIs, anaesthetics, painkillers and drug interactions can also give people "funny turns" and have to be taken into account.  You'll sometimes find hospital wards with keycodes to stop those who wander - which can just be a temporary thing but is difficult to deal with in hospitals with staff shortages.The utility companies have vulnerable registers on which those who are at risk should be added so that they get preferential treatment when there is a problem.  There are also various easy precautions you can make such as automatic light sensitive night lights you can consider adding to hall ways and routes around a house so you can find your way at night or in a powercut.  Age UK and the various specific charities can be a great help.  It can be hard to keep  on keeping in touch with changing technology as you age.  It is difficult to guess ahead which will be successful and survive time.

Philippa Bond ● 60d

No it means you are wrong and repeating it over and over doesn't make it right.

Keith Iddon ● 61d

I'm sure she has care but that was the decision they made last year that they were better off at home.

Janice Evans ● 61d

Dementia is a different level, they need care

Jayne Thorburn ● 61d

They actually want them to stay in their own home rather than go into care.

Janice Evans ● 61d

Totally agree it would be so easy to access through self assessment, the way Labour have attacked so many pensioners who have little over the pension credit limit is shocking. The unions are trying to get it reversed. Many pensioners are very capable. 95 years old with dementia living on their own is unbelievable sounds like an amazing lady. The nurses have rejected their pay deal so here we go everyone with their handout after Labour agreed crazy pay deals so predictable so the ‘black hole’ they are creating gets larger and larger so much for managing the economy 😂😂😂😂 they haven’t got a clue…

Jayne Thorburn ● 61d

“I think you have already made your point several times”Indeed I have but somehow you are still “baffled” so I thought I’d better spell it out for you again.

Steve Taylor ● 61d

I think you have already made your point several times over,Steve.

Keith Iddon ● 61d

“It baffles me even more that Labour could not have chosen a better target”Rachel Thieves has blown it with this one. She simply didn’t think it through. In her power hungry craze she thought she was demonstrating firm leadership by announcing this cut with obscene haste after only being in government for a few weeks. This will come back to haunt her and her party. And Stammer was too much of a coward to step in. It’s almost a replica of the Kwarteng / Truss blunder. It shows their true colours.

Steve Taylor ● 61d

Yes Patrick,very many older people live in a state of confusion,fear  and near penury.Couple all that with failing mental and physical health,it baffles me even more that Labour could not have chosen a better target or at leat make the changes more forgiving.

Keith Iddon ● 61d

As per the Unions “ The problem with means testing is that it makes people ashamed to claim what they’re entitled to. Make it universal, and if you want to reclaim it from people like Richard Branson, do that through tax.”

Steve Taylor ● 61d

“Who are you helping with it Steve?“I’m not in government Philippa. It’s up to the government to help the pensioners in exactly the same way as the Conservative government helped them with the WFP.  Surely you don’t expect 95 year olds to use the link you provided to see if they are eligible for any discount. Why is this government reducing old people to begging?  It’s just wrong on so many levels. Disgusting! While these government bloodsuckers parade around in donated designer clothes and glasses and today we hear that the taxpayer is to fund the £68000 salary to be paid to the personal photographer of the deputy prime minister to ‘make her look good’!!No conservative deputy PM has ever taken the p£&s like that. Disgraceful.

Steve Taylor ● 61d

Jayne, there are about 20,000 hypothermia related deaths in Britain each year, info from google.

Janice Evans ● 61d

Jayne, many die from hypothermia.

Janice Evans ● 61d

Steve, I think supermarkets are so cold, I'm shivering when I leave the store but then I am very anaemic.

Janice Evans ● 61d

' Think you will find our wonderful older generation are far more resourceful than we give them credit for'.Jayne, you are wrong to paint such a rosy picture of older people.My 95 year old mum with dementia doesn't know what day of the week it is.She doesn't have central heating, so it's electric fires for her, but she does know when she is cold.Her feet and lower legs are often blue such is her vascular disease and extremely poor circulation.Indeed the Paramedic who did her recent home visit has put her as clinical scale level 7 , Severely frail, (Google next level !).I agree that not all wealthy pensioners should receive this payment, The Tax office knows who has wealth. Certainly not my frail mum.I did email the MP before the Parliamentary vote, he has not responded yet!.Shame on Labour for doing this to the frail elderly people.

PATRICK MULHALL ● 61d

Who are you helping with it Steve?https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-help-paying-your-bills/grants-and-benefits-to-help-you-pay-your-energy-bills/

Philippa Bond ● 62d

If you expect old people to work through all the complicated online documentation to see if they can qualify for assistance with WFP why can’t they google to see  which appliances are safest and cheapest to use?  It’s simple. What is wrong with old people?  They expect everything on a plate don’t they Philippa?

Steve Taylor ● 62d

Jayne. Many older people still switch everything off as they may not know/have/realise which things are cheapest and safest to use.  You've forgotten the importance of hats!

Philippa Bond ● 62d

Think you will find our wonderful older generation are far more resourceful than we give them credit for. Many would have been brought up with no central heating as youngsters. Appreciate as we age we feel the cold more so more layers, socks etc. plus blankets on their beds. They will find ways to keep warm.

Jayne Thorburn ● 62d

Strange that you say that because last autumn I wrote to M&S and Sainsbury’s and complained about their stores being far too hot because they were overheating the stores when it actually wasn’t even cold outside. I reminded them that there was an energy crisis and they should act responsibly. Strangely they gave me the cold shoulder and said they had a duty of care towards their staff who had to work in ‘comfortable’ conditions. But assume that meant that staff expected to work in summer clothes rather than wear warm clothes or jumpers. It seems that customers concerns are not important and neither is reducing energy consumption.

Steve Taylor ● 62d

There is nowhere for them to go during the day to keep warm, shops don't have heating, a lot of restaurants don't have heating on the only warmplace is a hospital so maybe call an ambulance, don't be cold.

Janice Evans ● 62d

“It would be far better if more of our homes were better insulated and ventilated to suit the changes in the weather”Yeah, but they aren’t, and this government has no plans to fund home insulation so the worst thing they could do to pensioners is cancel the WFP. There is of course a radical shortage of builders and tradespeople since Brexit and this government has no plans to fix the problem.

Steve Taylor ● 63d

As for builders it really has become a problem for many to find anyoneso many of the older genuine ones retired during Covid,  if you cannot do the job yourself you are well and truly stuck.

Janice Evans ● 63d

WFP used to just be paid into your bank account.  You could use it for whatever you wanted.  It would be far better if more of our homes were better insulated and ventilated to suit the changes in the weather so that we didn't need to use so much electricity and gas to keep warm or cool.Unfortunately there have been so many cowboys and stories about cowboys that the elderly in particular are frightened of being scammed.Utility companies should be able to tell where they think the residents could do with help with this.  They have been paid money by Govt to do this.  It is always better to tell your utility company if you are having problems paying a bill rather than letting what has become an automatic system taking over sending final reminders and threats.

Philippa Bond ● 63d

they only have to check accounts to see if the WFP went to utilitycompanies surely.

Janice Evans ● 63d

“I’ve heard so many stories of people who have used their WFP for parties or flights or holidays “But that’s just nonsense isn’t it!  Labour spin. £150 will hardly make for a good party and certainly won’t pay for flights and holidays. You won’t even get a night in a B&B in Cornwall!  As for Charities, tens of thousands have opted out of donating to charities as its  been revealed how much the fat cats at the head of charities pay themselves for their lavish lifestyles and how little money filters through to the people in need. It’s disgraceful. Rachael Thieves has acted appallingly and she will get her comeuppance. Good will prevail over evil. Meanwhile Stammer can blink away like a frightened deer caught in headlights in his £2000 designer glasses while millions of pensioners struggle to heat their homes.

Steve Taylor ● 63d

Some of us have given to the charities we support when we felt that we did not need the handouts - because we felt uncomfortable in accepting them.  So that works both ways Steve.  I suspect a lot of people making such a big fuss are doing this simply for a political point.  We've felt more comfortable giving to charity whatever the colour of the Govt or Council who has decided to patronise us. I've heard so many stories of people who have used their WFP for parties or flights or holidays and for giving to their grandchildren rather than actually using it for heating their homes or for food.

Philippa Bond ● 64d

If someone is having problem filling in the Pension Credit form one can apparently call the DWP on 0800 99 1234. (Yes, I was suspicious of that number but it's in the gov. uk link below. No idea how long it takes to answer.)https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pension-credit-what-you-need-to-know--2

Philippa Bond ● 64d

Perhaps Dreer Starmer would like to donate his free clothing 'allowance' to one of the many charities struggling to support pensioners.

N V Brooks ● 64d

Elderly people who are struggling shouldn’t have to be begging the utility companies and Councils for help. It’s undignified and quite appalling. Under the Conservatives people could maintain some dignity. Labour is intent on demoralising people and forcing them to beg for handouts. Disgusting!

Steve Taylor ● 64d

https://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=community&link=https://neighbournet.com/server/common/hounscoun728.htmFront page article.  There are also other benefits such as Attendance Allowance which you do not have to have carers for in order to be eligible for despite its name.  The idea of this one is to help you keep some independence.  The utility companies get Govt money too to help those having difficulties with paying their bills and there are other schemes/grants that the Councils are aware of.

Philippa Bond ● 64d

She won't climb down and is likely to turn the screw on pensioners more in the budget - eg limiting or removing the tax free pension lump sum, higher rate pension tax relief and making pensioners pay NI on earnings.

Claire Moran ● 110d

Rachel Reeves won’t climb down on this. She is determined to screw people who aren’t working and are on benefits. Pensioners are of little concern to her and to back down on this after only a few weeks in office will make her look weak and rather stupid. She is more concerned in maintaining foreign aid of £12.5 billion to fund corrupt foreign governments in Africa because she naively thinks that if she improves people’s lives in Africa they won’t take to the boats to come here. She is so totally out of touch if she thinks a penny of the aid will filter through to the people who need it and that it will stop them from coming here.

Steve Taylor ● 111d

Not to mention the social care cap scrapped which for some would have been a big help.

Julian Pavey ● 111d

I think Rachel Reeves will climb down on this and tweak the new rules.I think of my late father, who had 1k a month to live on, so above the Pension Credit threshold. Sounds okay but he was in sheltered housing with service charges of £200+ and a similar amount of Council Tax each month. Didn't leave much for food and utilities.

Susan Kelly ● 111d

Done

Julian Pavey ● 111d

Cheers Nigel 👍

PATRICK MULHALL ● 111d

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/our-impact/campaigning/save-the-winter-fuel-payment/

N V Brooks ● 111d