Andy Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Don't forget that those on pension credit also get extra cold weather payments, if it's especially cold for a week. I think they get an extra £25. Would it be better if the winter fuel payments and cold weather payments were scrapped and paid directly to the energy companies as a subsidy to allow them to cut prices for pensioners? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peer Gynt Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Don't forget that those on pension credit also get extra cold weather payments, if it's especially cold for a week. I think they get an extra £25. Would it be better if the winter fuel payments and cold weather payments were scrapped and paid directly to the energy companies as a subsidy to allow them to cut prices for pensioners? Exactly, then we wouldn't get most of 9 pensioners who die every hour during the winter months. ---------- Post added 13-10-2013 at 10:22 ---------- 5They make £100 net profit off every customer. I'm happy with paying £100 profit to a company that positively afffects something in my every day life (i.e. hot water and heating) (well, my heating is bust at the mo, but no fault of energy company!) Wonderful:loopy: We're now paying for these profits in companies that we used to own but were sold cheap to the people who owned them to pay for a fat tax cut for the upper echelon. Wasn't Maggie wonderful and a genius, to sell people something they already owned ---------- Post added 13-10-2013 at 10:23 ---------- 5% net for most. Show us the figures then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Cid Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 This just goes to show how serious things have become in the UK. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24487146 Perhaps Alex Shelbrooke had the right idea? In December 2012 Shelbrooke introduced a Ten Minute Rule bill under which UK welfare claimants would be issued with a cash card instead of receiving their benefits in cash. The card would only permit claimants to make purchases such as food, clothing, energy, travel and housing, and prevent them indulging in luxuries such as cigarettes, alcohol, satellite television, and gambling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peer Gynt Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Perhaps Alex Shelbrooke had the right idea? In December 2012 Shelbrooke introduced a Ten Minute Rule bill under which UK welfare claimants would be issued with a cash card instead of receiving their benefits in cash. The card would only permit claimants to make purchases such as food, clothing, energy, travel and housing, and prevent them indulging in luxuries such as cigarettes, alcohol, satellite television, and gambling. In Nashville we saw people using food coupons in the food stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfish1936 Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Aren't you capable of looking it up as I did. Well, I tried a few word combinations about UK pensioners, and didn't get the original. So I guess the answer is "No, I'm not" BTW, what search string did you enter to find it? Or did you read it in the Daily Mail? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Exactly, then we wouldn't get most of 9 pensioners who die every hour during the winter months. I realise that you're not going to accept that the statistic of 9 pensioners per hour freezing to death is made up. But can you explain please what those 9 pensioners per hour are spending their winter fuel allowance on? The government recognised years ago that the elderly struggled to pay their heating bills and needed extra help to keep warm, which is why this allowance was introduced. Why aren't these 9 pensioners an hour who are dying spending their allowance on keeping warm? And what more can the government do, given that they already send these pensioners £200 towards their bills? Now, when we get threads about other benefit claimants, they are accused of squandering their benefits on fags and beer. Are you suggesting that the pensioners are spending their heating allowance on these luxuries instead of using it to keep warm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassy Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Yes I'm fully aware of the elderly fuel allowance payments and various schemes for insulating their properties but if people are actually struggling or even dying because of the cold months/paying for heating then obviously it's not enough is it, and when some company's announce profits of x amount of billions then I think they could help people more, if the fatcat bonuses were scrapped and used to give pensioners even more discount instead there's a start that doesn't even eat into the profits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obelix Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Yes I'm fully aware of the elderly fuel allowance payments and various schemes for insulating their properties but if people are actually struggling or even dying because of the cold months/paying for heating then obviously it's not enough is it, and when some company's announce profits of x amount of billions then I think they could help people more, if the fatcat bonuses were scrapped and used to give pensioners even more discount instead there's a start that doesn't even eat into the profits I very much doubt that the gent you referenced is struggling. He's probably afraid that he will because he's scared of all the (inaccurate and scaremongering) media stories about the cost but the truth is almost certainly that with the winter fuel payment he will be OK unless he's got a huge house. ---------- Post added 13-10-2013 at 15:42 ---------- Well, I tried a few word combinations about UK pensioners, and didn't get the original. So I guess the answer is "No, I'm not" BTW, what search string did you enter to find it? Or did you read it in the Daily Mail? See mine above - the Wail got the story from the ONS, they then selectivly "reported" on it without giving the original reference and then people pick it up and treat it as real without doing any fact checking..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassy Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Well even disregarding the gentleman iv mentioned I'm sure there's quite a few who will struggle even with the help of a one off payment of 200 - 400, the last couple of winters with the snow hung around for months and months and I'm sure the elderly feel the cold more than u or I to a degree so therefore would need their heating on longer than I would for instance, so I still doubt the fuel allowance would cover the heating used over that period of time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Well even disregarding the gentleman iv mentioned I'm sure there's quite a few who will struggle even with the help of a one off payment of 200 - 400, the last couple of winters with the snow hung around for months and months and I'm sure the elderly feel the cold more than u or I to a degree so therefore would need their heating on longer than I would for instance, so I still doubt the fuel allowance would cover the heating used over that period of time There was a link on my last post showing average bills. £200 might not cover the whole bill but it will take a vast chunk out of it. Unemployed people don't get that btw and just freeze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.