UK Winter Fuel Payment

[quebin]

Just spent half of mine on the electric duvet from the other post,it might arrive in time for Christmas.

[katy]

They should have paid it in 3 metre satellite dish vouchers ............logs will take second fiddle to that catastrophe

Triples all round and a trip to Lidls

[morlandg]

our "first payment" arrived yesterday.............woo hooooooo

Ditto> our "first payment" arrived yesterday.............woo hooooooo"
G

[Parilla]

Just need to work out a strategy now, to recover payment for all those years when they they would not accept claims !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Parilla

[katy]

Re: Spring is coming

by Free at Last on Fri Dec 21, 2012 1:47 pm

The weather really is unbelievably good at the moment - I read a quote from someone at the Malaga Weather Centre in Sur in English this morning which said it had been 24 degrees in Velez-Malaga on Tuesday, the hottest temperature recorded that day in mainland Spain. Looks set to continue over Xmas too, which will be nice for all those arriving for holidays.

Hmmm. Fuel allowance for the xmas dinner then

[morlandg]

"Hmmm. Fuel allowance for the xmas dinner then"

But don't burn the turkey!!!

[rafiki]

I have been receiving the WFP here for a couple of years since moving as I was getting it in UK before the move. This year it hasn't arrived yet although I was paid the £10 Christmas bonus in early December. Was I supposed to make a fresh application for it now or is it just being paid late?

[peteroldracer]

I would imagine there is a bit of a deluge of forms from new applicants for them to handle: we were a bit later than some others here applying and are still waiting for the payment. Maybe they are doing them alphabetically, or they could of course have run out of cash?

[rafiki]

I would imagine there is a bit of a deluge of forms from new applicants for them to handle: we were a bit later than some others here applying and are still waiting for the payment. Maybe they are doing them alphabetically, or they could of course have run out of cash?

perhaps they have to await Starbucks' generous 'donation' before they can pay any more....

[lizzie.w.]

Hi Rafiki

If i were you i would give the pension service a ring , as I got my winter payment a month ago and my surname begins with W so even if they paying alphabetically you should have received by now..
Lizzie.w.

[rafiki]

Hi Rafiki

If i were you i would give the pension service a ring , as I got my winter payment a month ago and my surname begins with W so even if they paying alphabetically you should have received by now..
Lizzie.w.

Don't suppose I'll get anybody to talk to now until the new year so if it's not here by then I will phone Newcastle. Odd though, it had been paid regularly in previous years.

[viudez]

I spoke to the Overseas Pension people earlier this week and was told that due to a computer problem some WFP were not made. Hopefully they should be made fairly soon.

Ray

[rafiki]

Thanks for the info.

[Free at Last]

Re: Spring is coming

by Free at Last on Fri Dec 21, 2012 1:47 pm

The weather really is unbelievably good at the moment - I read a quote from someone at the Malaga Weather Centre in Sur in English this morning which said it had been 24 degrees in Velez-Malaga on Tuesday, the hottest temperature recorded that day in mainland Spain. Looks set to continue over Xmas too, which will be nice for all those arriving for holidays.

Hmmm. Fuel allowance for the xmas dinner then

What are you having for your Christmas dinner - sour grapes, by any chance?

[anyroads]

Don't spend it all at once folks !.

This could be the last one. I did hear one suggestion, that paying it to "ex-pats" was the straw that broke the camels back.

anyroads

[El Cid]

Yes but they have said that if they do start limiting these benefits then it won't apply to people who already have them.

Sid

[anyroads]

"Yes but they have said that if they do start limiting these benefits then it won't apply to people who already have them"

Can't see how that would work. It is supposed to be a universal benefit. You can't discriminate between sets of pensioners. Besides, I believe the £200 was £250 a few years back. Getting rid of it would save the government £2 billion a year, which will hardly scratch the surface of the £120 billion they will have to borrow this tax year to fill the gap between income and expenditure. However, they have to start somewhere !

anyroads

[Free at Last]

Can't discriminate between two sets of pensioners? But that's exactly what the Government is proposing to do - if they ever get the chance to introduce the new flat rate pension, they have always said that it would only be paid to those who retire after the date of it's introduction, not to existing pensioners.

I am not a bit surprised that they have now said that all the "extras" like WFA would be scrapped for those who would be receiving the new higher rate pension, I always thought that was absolutely predictable as soon as I heard about it. Nor that such universal benefits are likely to become taxable after the next election - after all, David Cameron was careful to say that he would not touch them "for the life of this Parliament". That's polspeak for "watch this space".

Nothing to do with having had to pay out to expats at all.

[Lyric]

On Teletext this morning it was suggesting that IDS was considering a "warmth measure" so that ex-pats in perceived warmer climes would not receive the WFA.
He needs to spend the winter nights in my bedroom first !

[rafiki]

On Teletext this morning it was suggesting that IDS was considering a "warmth measure" so that ex-pats in perceived warmer climes would not receive the WFA.

Will they ever stop tinkering over trifling amounts!