winter heating allowance

[Jimbo in the near of Hawick ..]

never having claimed any allowances from the gov WHY do they make the rules for winter heating SO unfathomable ? ...

[harry]

What rules? I think you have to be 60. Or is it 65? Mine just appeared.

[Broadback]

+1

[Jimbo in the near of Hawick ..]

so....why do they say over 60 then have a date of 5th may 1953 ?????? etc etc

[Robin]

Who are the "they" who "say over 60"? That ain't true now. When you get it is linked to the state pension age for women.

As usual, best to look at the official gov.uk site rather than a bloke-in-the-pub site.

[newshound]

I was pleased when my wife just got £100. Until I realised I had dropped from £200 to 100.

[charles]

presumably you'll ask her to pay some of the fuel bill?

[Brian Gaff]

In what way? Brian

[Jimbo in the near of Hawick ..]

still don't understand all the conditions....

[charles]

you won't get if you are in prison - seems pretty easy to understand

[Jimbo in the near of Hawick ..]

that bit is anyway ......

[Adrian Caspersz]

So less people claim?

There is one civil servant, who is knowingly well paid, tasked to make the claim forms and regulations difficult. He saves the country millions, and keeps the undertakers employed.

Yet, because he is so good at that, there isn't a monetary found need yet to worry about the winter fuel payments that yearly go to aged folks living outside the UK in hotter climates, or to employ means testing.

Him: "It costs too much to implement the necessary checks"

So, do we not wander through passport control and leave a UK in/out flag on a computer somewhere? Does another computer track locations of payments when claimed? Hmm.

I guess in the end this is a subsidy that (well, most of it) eventually passes to energy companies who probably expect it as/for the Christmas bonus.

Some of it could instead be better refocused for more grant improvements for properties to keep heating bills down, emergency fund support, and the rest for proper funding of NHS services that are particularly stressed during winter.

[Bob Eager]

The qualifying date is back in September. At that time my elderly mother- in-law was living with us. So the allowance would be shared between us.

She died this month, and her bank account was closed. I bet my share is still reduced!

[Andrew]

No it doesn't.

HMG sent me a letter when I was 60 inviting me to claim it, and I have just ignored it.

maybe next year when I am 65 it will 'appear'.

Since you are elevating your neighbours electricity bills, shouldn't *they* be getting your 'winter heating allowance' ?.

[Andrew]

So fewer people claim? ..

1. Outbound passport checks were scrapped by Phony Liar.
2. Many folks keep a flat in the UK and use it as their real address even though they actually live abroad.

That's what the green deal for solid walled properties was about. The Luftwaffe did the most effective job at improving Britains rubbishy housing stock, but then the socialist planners of the 50's simply rebuilt the same old rubbish.

The NHS costs £117 *Billion* a year. In what way could it ever be described as underfunded ?. try watching C5 The GP practise, and after only one or two episodes you will see a pattern - most of the people clogging up GP practises have absolutely nothing wrong with them.

[Bob Eager]

*fewer.

But anyway...if you get a state pension, no need to claim. It just happens.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Well, if they're paying council tax etc while not using any of the services, a 200 quid payment for winter fuel is likely very good value for the country.

Far better to have those nice timber properties that fall down after a few years?

You could compare the health spend per head in similar countries. That generally shows the NHS to be excellent value for money.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

ISTR having to claim it the first time. After that, it just arrives.

[GB]

I claimed it last year for the first time, as I'm not yet on pension. I checked with them this year, to see whether they needed a new form, but they confirmed that's not necessary.

[Adrian Caspersz]

try watching C5 The GP practise, and

Good wholesome C5 editing. Bit like BBC watchdog, and your choice of newspaper.

OK, lets have a reporting camera crew 24/7 in every surgery, and a "per visit" 2 page application form to fill.

That will surely get things unclogged. You can stand there handing out pens.