Oil Burner Grants

babss

Hi all
I have a problem that Im hoping somebody out there can help with. My elderly parents (mum 73 dad 75) bought their housing executive home about ten years ago, they are both getting pension and dad is getting diability benefit at the higher rate as he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, they have applied for the oil burner replacement grant but were turned down because they get housing benefit (this is about £6 which pays the rates) so they tried Warmfront but they no longer offering this grant because the housing executive have taken it over. They had applied to warm front last year and would have got it only warmfront had run out of funding.
Could somebody please explain to me if this grant is suppose to be available for those who need it, how come you can't get it if your on housing benefit?
Thanks Babss

quintwins

i'm maybe beings really blonde but for the sake of £6 could they not cancel there cliam for housing benefit and apply for the grant? it might not be that easy i don't know the in's and outs but it could be worth looking into

and for what it's worth i think one of the best use of tax's is to help the elderly and ill enjoy some heat and comfort in there later years

Old_Git

have they savings ? perhaps that is the problem rather than housing benefit .
contact your local MLA and see if they can help .

babss

Thanks for the suggestions quinntwinns and oldgit, i'm not sure how the housing benefit works but I will ask them and as for savings I think they have very little.
babss

Flower-power22

babss wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestions quinntwinns and oldgit, i'm not sure how the housing benefit works but I will ask them and as for savings I think they have very little.
babss

The whole system is a joke for the elderly. There whole lives they worked and saved, took out pensions etc so they could enjoy their retirement. Then when there is something they need available to the elderly the honest hardworking ones can't get it!!!! It totally baffels me??? My mums on the same boat, she saw something about the replacement boiler thingy but she can't get it cause she gets rate relief (prob what ur parents get too) and has a decent pension from her 1st employer . It makes her mad she says she would have been better off sponging off the government all her life and she have it all. Now she did get her loft insulated last year free. It was run by NIE. It might be worth checking out there website to see if that is still ongoing.:o

babss

Yep you are so right, I was talking to them about the rates relief they get, Dad said that it was all a joke, seemingly it says on the forms to apply for the grant that you can get it if your on benefits but when you apply your not entitled to it as your getting housing benefit (i think thats it!) which they're not as they are getting rates relief, its all very confusing!
Babss