Anyone one understand pensions - DWP?

[Dave2002]

I did not start claiming my State Pension until more than 5 years after I bercame eligible to do so. That notwithstanding, I have been receiving the top rate WFP since reaching 65. The WFP is in no way dependant on claiming the State Pension.

Thanks for the information. Up to now mrs d has been receiving the £200 - so I think she might be a bit miffed at the reduction now that DWP have noticed.

[Pulcinella]

Thanks for the information. Up to now mrs d has been receiving the £200 - so I think she might be a bit miffed at the reduction now that DWP have noticed.

We joke about me (the elder statesman!) keeping my part of the house toasty warm while my junior partner's study is cooler, and he has to beg for the thermostat to be turned up, using MY allowance.

I was quite surprised that when I started getting my state pension the WFP automatically got sent to the bank account my pension was sent to, rather than to the joint account that I had previously designated for it, without them telling me. So the first year I too wondered what the mystery £200 was!
It is a crazy bit of unnecessary bureaucracy to split it once my partner becomes eligible: why not simply 'per household'?

[Petrushka]

At about this time last year my ex-boss received the WFP on the basis, according to the Gov.UK website, that he was born before November 5 1953 https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment He was born in January 1953 and hadn't at that point even retired. I therefore expected the date to move up a year this winter to those born on or before November 5 1954 which would make me eligible but that's not happened so I feel somewhat disappointed.

The cost of winter fuel is by no means negligible and every little helps.

[Constantbee]

Slightly off-topic but not irrelevant, I caught a lively discussion on Radio 2 (first time I’d tuned in for a couple of years, ok) on Wednesday about proposals to abolish free TV licences for the over 75’s. BBC is threatening to cut channels and services if they can’t increase revenue. Maybe not so irrelevant now I come to think of it as BBC4, major purveyor of arts and culture, was mentioned as a possible target, and Radio 3 is presumably in the firing line, esp. minority musical interest programming. Anyway, an impassioned American lady media analyst was making the case for ‘maybe they could pay something towards it’. Lady from Age UK saying ‘16% of them can’t afford anything, you know’. Didn’t know what to think. Most of the over 75’s I meet can easily afford the licence fee if they want one – and don’t really need their winter fuel allowance either. Lower down the age I’m spotting a trend for people doing away with telly altogether.

If you missed the debate here’s as good a summary as anything:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/nov/20/bbc-says-channels-may-close-without-over-75s-licence-fee

[Dave2002]

One snag with cutting off the free TV licences is that it might affect more than just bank balances. I agree that many over 70s can quite easily afford the TV licence, but on the other hand as people get older they become much less mobile, and may not be able to get out - either for mobility reasons, or because they can't drive, or they don't have family and friends to support them. Then one gets into the business of "should it be means tested?", where one argument is that it's better for everyone to have the free licence, rather than to set up a regime of checking who's entitled, which might still not be helpful. Some older people who could/should benefit from some financial and other assistance won't, or can't, apply for it.

OTOH it might be bad for older people to spend so much time watching TV. For some it might be much better if they went out, got what exercise they could, and socialised, but for others that might actually be next to impossible. The social issues are considerable, and I suspect that some older people fall through the net and don't get the support which they need and should have.

Of course there are no doubt some commericial companies which would be very happy to see the TV licence fee abolished, so that we could all be put on expensive subscription contracts and have completely unwanted and irritating adverts to boot.

[teamsaint]

One snag with cutting off the free TV licences is that it might affect more than just bank balances. I agree that many over 70s can quite easily afford the TV licence, but on the other hand as people get older they become much less mobile, and may not be able to get out - either for mobility reasons, or because they can't drive, or they don't have family and friends to support them. Then one gets into the business of "should it be means tested?", where one argument is that it's better for everyone to have the free licence, rather than to set up a regime of checking who's entitled, which might still not be helpful. Some older people who could/should benefit from some financial and other assistance won't, or can't, apply for it.

OTOH it might be bad for older people to spend so much time watching TV. For some it might be much better if they went out, got what exercise they could, and socialised, but for others that might actually be next to impossible. The social issues are considerable, and I suspect that some older people fall through the net and don't get the support which they need and should have.

Of course there are no doubt some commericial companies which would be very happy to see the TV licence fee abolished, so that we could all be put on expensive subscription contracts and have completely unwanted and irritating adverts to boot.

I think you make a good point about participation, Dave.

As we face an ageing population, and a pensioner population that in say 20 years time will not enjoy the same level of personal pensions as today's 60 and 70 somethings, ( as final salary scheme reductions start to hit) I'd think that subsidising those things that enable healthy participation in society beyond mere subsistence , ( EG travel, communication, rights in the work place ) might be a good place to spend money. So free TV licence, ( and cheap basic internet access ?) good public transport subsidies, such as the bus pass, ought in my view to be priorities, since they probably cover costs that are relatively expensive and significant to the individual , but relatively cheap to fund out of the public purse.

[Dave2002]

As we face an ageing population, and a pensioner population that in say 20 years time will not enjoy the same level of personal pensions as today's 60 and 70 something, ( as final salary scheme reductions start to hit) I'd think that subsidising those things that enable healthy participation in society beyond mere subsistence , ( EG travel, communication, rights in the work place ) might be a good place to spend money. So free TV licence, ( and cheap basic internet access ?) good public transport subsidies, such as the bus pass, ought in my view to be priorities, since they probably cover costs that are relatively expensive but important to the individual , but relatively cheap to fund out of the public purse.

Not only good public transport subsidies, but also good (any?) public transport! Over the last few days I have had to drive my neighbour to hospital where her husband is currently ill. There are no buses from my current location, and it's about 20 miles to the hospital. Taxis (each way) are about £40. The one good thing is that she has a blue badge, so if I park my car in the hospital car park we don't have to pay. She has a bus pass too, so was able to return yesterday partly by bus, by a circuitous route, with the last leg provided by one of her friends with a car. So yes - there are problems for older people - though they are not the only ones - a lot of younger and even young people have problems too - and they don't get anything like enough support.

[Cockney Sparrow]

Not only good public transport subsidies, but also good (any?) public transport! Over the last few days I have had to drive my neighbour to hospital where here husband is currently ill. There are no buses from my current location, and it's about 20 miles to the hospital. Taxis (each way) are about £40. The one good thing is that she has a blue badge, so if I park my car in the hospital car park we don't have to pay. She has a bus pass too, so was able to return yesterday partly by bus, by a circuitous route, with the last leg provided by one of her friends with a car. So yes - there are problems for older people - though they are not the only ones - a lot of younger and even young people have problems too - and they don't get anything like enough support.

I very much agree - although I live in an urban area. The cuts to local authority budgets has re-inforced this trend to cut services out completely or to the bone. Increasing isolation and dividing our society. If you have no public transport, or prohibitively expensive public transport, then low wages or real poverty must impact harshly.

(I could easily be completely oblivious to this - I'm 2 miles from the centre of town, a car owner). Yet another example of "power" and "decision making" be "best taken at a local level - local democracy" - so that the our austerity promoting (lots still left to be implemented and bite hard) government escapes the responsibility and blame for laying waste to local government funding.

[Pulcinella]

As expected, £200 Winter Fuel Allowance appeared today along with my regular monthly state pension, duly transferred into the joint household account despite joshing my partner about it.

[Dave2002]

I think you'll also get a £10 Christmas bonus (for buying those little Christmas presents) - unless they've abolished that. I got it last year - Dec 4th.

This rolled in last night about 4 minutes past midnight. Code XB I think.