Many People are losing their Access to Pension Credit.

Pollycat

We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum. This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

I think this thread is at risk of being removed.
It would have been appropriate in 'the old days' before Discussion Time was closed.

Sea_Shell

Surely it's not political debate to discuss the financial impact of a government decision!!!

eskbanker

Sea_Shell said:

Surely it's not political debate to discuss the financial impact of a government decision!!!

But to extend that into contentious assertions about how different parties would do things differently could certainly be deemed to be crossing the line into political debate....

Pollycat

Sea_Shell said:

Surely it's not political debate to discuss the financial impact of a government decision!!!

That's not for me to decide.
I was just pointing out something that other members may not have read.

westv

Yes, I know it's the rules but it will be very difficult discussing any changes Labour might make to pensions without comparing them to other parties seeing as their term has just started.

MacMickster

As the government is planning above inflation pay rises for pretty much all of the public sector then the rise in average wages is likely to come in to play in the next couple of years when the triple lock is used to calculate state pension increases.  What they have taken away in fuel allowance is likely to come back through an increased pension amount.

molerat

What they have taken away in fuel allowance is likely to come back through an increased pension amount.

Unless they remove that particular metric from the calculation.

JoeCrystal

The_Green_Hornet said:

Reeves has just announced that the Winter Fuel Allowance will be restricted to pensioners claiming pension credit so the cliff edge is going to get steeper.

The devils in the detail. I read the documents and strictly speaking, it is the following rather than just "claiming pension credit": 

Winter Fuel Payments will be targeted from winter 2024-25 at households in England and Wales where someone over State Pension age receives Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, and income-related Employment and Support Allowance.

I understand that the government is still concerned that many pensioners are not claiming pension credits to which they are entitled, so they are looking at bringing together the administration of Pension Credit and Housing Benefits as soon as operationally possible so that pensioner households receiving Housing Benefits also receive any Pension Credit that they are entitled to.

I am not sure how useful that would be, though!

westv

MacMickster said:

As the government is planning above inflation pay rises for pretty much all of the public sector then the rise in average wages is likely to come in to play in the next couple of years when the triple lock is used to calculate state pension increases.  What they have taken away in fuel allowance is likely to come back through an increased pension amount.

It's not all, just a fraction of them.

sheramber

MacMickster said:

As the government is planning above inflation pay rises for pretty much all of the public sector then the rise in average wages is likely to come in to play in the next couple of years when the triple lock is used to calculate state pension increases.  What they have taken away in fuel allowance is likely to come back through an increased pension amount.

In a couple of years won’t help those who freeze next winter