The Annual UK Winter Fuel Allowance for the Over-60s

I think the winter allowance should be paid in form of vouchers which are redeemable only through the appropriate energy supplier.

If you knew me Shirley you would realise that I am not a person to lie back and wait for things to happen. I have spent a great part of my life having to deal professionally and take the initiative with many difficult, obstructive people working in the public employ. However if you register a death or birth with a consulate maybe some sort of information pack would be useful! After all EVERY FRENCH FAMILY GETS ONE! You have after all to pay quite large sums to do the registrations. Infact I think that you will find that it IS in government's duties to inform the public by any reasonable means. I personally don't have the time to spend all my time as you seem to do looking at all these websites as I am busy bringing up a young family. Have a great day. If it's nice I'll be outside! You seem to have trouble sleeping so I'd have a rest if I were you!

It's of course clear that as "Tootingtonians" or "Becingers" we are entitled to a special allowance due to the social misadventure endured by having to live there. My dear late mother who had never worked during her life other than as a driver in the war and a guide at Chartwell was absolutely horrified when I told her I was going to live there and said she would never visit. She did eventually relent. The soaring ruin of a house I bought as 10 bedsits and "gentrified" is I am told today worth in excess of £2 million! Unfortunately it went with the end of the 80's and my divorce. When IDS was made head boy at the Tories I was introduced to him as at the time I had some involvement in various bodies. He was most unimpressive then and I see no reason to change my opinion. There will no doubt be some clever person (spotty faced intern lately out of shorts) at the ministry charged with finding a way to modify the entitlement criteria in such a way as to deprive the maximum number of pensioners. There will probably be a compulsory assessment of the applicants premises including climate, insulation, other income etc. Those living abroad obviously have more fun so the "E Factor" (where E=Envy Cote d'Azur 10, Roubaix 1) will be applied. However we may be sure that the pensions of former MPs living in their Cotswolds manors remain as unctuous as possible. Interestingly I have just returned from my dog walk where I had a chat with a local who told me that he thought that all the English in France had something to hide. From my knowledge of those here I don't think it's money they are hiding. I didn't offer any opinions on the local population (resisteance 1943 no members 1944 hundreds) as I thought that they may be taken unkindly. I do know that expats have saved the financial bacon of many a local when it came to selling a decrepit creche. As to the Tooting Club may I recommend a visit to the Bow Tie Club of the USA who do wonderful bow ties and could knock up something for us. Green for envy, Blue for Sadness, Spicy Brown for Chicken Madras might do the trick.

David. I believe anybody who ever lived in Tooting Bec should have extra allowances. That now includes Nick Ord, mere 42 yesterday, but who lived opposite the Wheatsheafe on the corner of Trinity Road. Definitely pensionable! As for hasbeens who never were anybodies like Ian Duncan-Smith, their snivels are mere toadying to the rightwing of the ruling party that is presiding over the last death throes of 'empire' which the Olympics fanfared and Alex Salmond, as little I care for him, will see middle finger lifted to great heights.

Now I am whingeing some, to justify Simon's claims, given that my punishment for paying only very few months less than required for a full (whatever that means) pension is that I shall be receiving 40 something quids per week in just over one year. For my working life in Germany spread over 18 years, I have accumulated the equivalent of just under six full years for which I am entitled to more than the UK is giving. People wonder why some people appear to have a grudge after a long working life, always employed and then kicked fully in the nether regions in honour of that contribution.

Too right, the UK does not inform by any available means nor, IMHO, does it feel inclined to.

Forgive me but the basis of the JUDGEMENT was that taxpayers who could prove that they had a long time connection with the UK were ENTITLED to it. I have yet to receive any, although I have applied for it on several occasions. I have not yet received any convincing answer to my question why it should not be BACKDATED to the date of eligibility as suggested by the judgement. My late wife received it until her death and at that time I was 62. By my reading it should have been paid to me since. I am now 67. The POINT of the judgement surely was that it is part of an overall pension entitlement. State pensions in France for instance are generally much higher than in the (former?) UK.One certain Ian Duncan-Smith has been snivelling that those living in "warmer" climates should not be eligible even in the UK. I hope that he has informed his own Chingford pensioners as I have researched the climate there and found it to be WARMER AND DRIER in the winter months than my own in the Monts d'Arree. At NO TIME has the UK governement kept expats informed as to their rights, leaving the onus on them to claim. Ditto the widower benefit which I only discovered late (despite my wife's death being registered with HM Consulate) and ditto Child Benefit. The politicians have made it pretty clear that they are NOT INTERESTED in expats unless they can get some tax off them (without representation). I write as an Equitable Life sufferer where my principal private pension pot was reduced following maladministration by 58%. Closely excused as we are from the cloying patriotism of the summer of sport, Jubilee, Murray etc we are nevertheless at the end of the day British. The last night of the Proms was fine, but not enough. Ever so 'umbly etc......

Meteorological Comparisons London and Monts d’Arrée, Brittany, France

August 2012

For discussion in connection with UK Winter Fuel Payment

LONDON

MONTS D’ARREE

Scrignac Alt 280m

CHINGFORD

Constituency of Ian Duncan-Smith

BELSTONE Devon Alt 300mm

JANUARY

Highest average temp 0C

7.9

8.7

9

8

Lowest average temp 0C

2.4

5.1

5

5

Rainfall mm

51.9

81

54

FEBRUARY

Highest average temp 0C

8.2

8.8

10

8

Lowest average temp 0C

2.2

4.8

5

5

Rainfall mm

34

70

39

MARCH

Highest average temp 0C

10.9

10.8

12

10

Lowest average temp 0C

3.8

5.6

6

6

Rainfall mm

42

60

36

OCTOBER

Highest average temp 0C

15.2

14.8

16

14

Lowest average temp 0C

8

10.3

10

10

Rainfall mm

61.5

77

65

NOVEMBER

Highest average temp 0C

10.9

11.4

12

11

Lowest average temp 0C

4.8

7.6

7

7

Rainfall mm

52.3

86

62

DECEMBER

Highest average temp 0C

8.8

8.9

9

8

Lowest average temp 0C

3.3

5

5

5

Rainfall mm

54

92

54

Roger, we are 20kms north of Pau and 35 north of the Pyrenees, 120 from Biarritz so we get Atlantic weather systems. Weather historically is 10c above London but with twice the number of hours of sunshine. We are in a similar position as yourself re pensions and heat by oil and wood as well. We have a five bedroom house with an aprtment which we retreat to December to March but have to heat the house once or twice a week. I can understand our government trying to stop the payment, but as I said, they drew up the legislation, using highly paid lawyers and they have been trying to wriggle out of their responsibilities ever since. If you are entitled to payments from the government, whatever they are, you should receive them.

Errrr, yes, also it is only £200 or thereabouts, hardly heating for the entire mansion house. Maybe a small part of our wood and electricity costs all in all. There are perhaps four weeks difference between much of SW France and the southern half of England and the winters can be harder here than there. Just to emphasise what Carol is saying. I certainly do not get th solar energy you do in the Dordogne.

Neil Whitehead and Simon Oliver you both touch raw nerves! I now only have my state pension and two very small private pensions for income. I've used all my savings to ensure our house is very well insulated - new roof, insulated to a high standard, and new double glazed windows and doors. This year I will have spent 2280€ on oil (by monthly direct debit), and have just paid out 420€ for wood for the winter, quite apart from the electricity we use for water heating. Our first order of oil after arriving here cost just 0.36€ per litre - my next order in a few weeks' time will cost in excess of 1€ a litre!! The Winter Fuel Payment is the only 'benefit' I receive over and above my pension. We need the payment - look at today, the temperature dropped 12 degrees as against yesterday, and we know that from now until the end of May we will need heating of some kind. This isn't a whinge, but an answer to you both - and by the way Simon we live 450 miles south from Calais, and our winters are pretty bad - at least we had some real heat this summer. Don't know where you both live, but you can't get away with the idea that the 'south' is always hot. We were fortunate enough to spend three weeks near Cannes in late May early June - I have to tell you we needed some heating on several evenings! Finally as postscript - both my wife and I suffered life threatening illnesses before we decided to opt out of the daily rat race, and move to rural France to improve our health, I'm delighted to say, that apart from the usual niggles associated with ageing, our health is better now than it was ten years ago! Please don't attack us as if you think we are spongers.

The UK a lot milder where I live anyway....Newbury is a warm zone...minus 5 is unusual...whereas the Dordogne is freezing all winter...and we lived in the Languedoc on the med coast our first winter and had minus temps and snow on the beach..remember my OH saying he had never been so cold and why was the med so freezing in winter!

Perhaps it was brought in by civil servants as most retire at 60 or before

I agree Carol. Living in the centre the winters are colder than the UK and our heating is normally on Sept-May. I too started work at 15 and worked until ill health at 55 stopped that; so 40 years of payments to them too.

I find it strange though that the age is 60; you would have thought they would have tied it in with retirement but I am not complaining every little helps. Would love solar panels but could not afford them.

Carol we live 90 min from Toulouse, it may be well dorn sarf but it was bloody cold here last winter we saw minus 15 and dropped lower in the small hours, cold enough to freeze the washing machine for two weeks with clothes locked inside and we were snowed in for a few days which surprises lots of uk residents who believe the south of France has 12 months glorious sunshine even those that have suposedly above average intelligence, as for solar panels i would be under the soil a good few years before they repaid the cost of installation assuming of course i had the cost of installation in the first place, it surprises me tht so many feel they dont need WFA i on the other hand will greatfully except all donations from those that dont need it

No probs Simon.....and in fact I will be living in the UK from this winter...so of course will be getting my WFA when I am entitled in 2 years....!

Carol, believe it or not I borrowed every penny for the solar panels - over 60 and unemployed at the time - and the bank coughed up no problem. And it works! I've nearly paid it all back in 4 years.

Sorry about the old colonel jibe ... nothing personal.

hmm...not everyone is sufficiently rich to be able to afford solar panels.....a lot of expat pensioners couldnt afford those...and Toulouse...well...thats way down south...and just maybe the WFA was meant to be a Xmas bonus for the retired....dont have a problem with people who have been out of the UK for most of their lives feeling they dont deserve it and not taking it.....in the Dordogne the heating is often on by end of September and this year we have had a couple of fires already....and Spring didnt arrive till May...so maybe many of us are not enjoying 9 months of fine weather...

You are absolutely right Simon. People who have left the UK shouldn't be receiving the payment especially those in south where it is lovely and warm all the year round and don't need to heat their homes for the winter. Also all those rich people shouldn't get it either or their pensions, it should all go to the deserving poor workers. The government(s) drafted this law badly, as many other laws and bills are, and could have added in certain stipulations. It could be means tested as other benefits should be so that only those deserving should receive it....in a perfect world. If you do receive this benefit and don't think you should, give it to the poop old couple down the road or a charity like Help the Aged.

Just a point about who is entitled to benefits - the richest 1% of the earners in the UK pay nearly 25% of the tax. If you are married with 2 children and earn the median wage - £22,000 pa - you are not a net tax payer. Who should receive the most in benefits?

Point taken Brian, but er, do you think I would be able to get 17KW a day of electrical power off my roof in Belfast like I do here in Toulouse? Or be able to turn off the central heating from April through to December? I fear not. You forget about the DAMP in those northern parts of the British Isles: there's no equivalent here. Heureusement!

As someone who has paid sufficiently into the system to receive a full retirement pension (state) I guess that includes WFA. Different countries choose to work things differently, my brother and sister in law left the UK in the 60s lived in Australia most of their lives...working just the final 10 years in the UK then moving to France for 5 years. They are not able to access an Australian pension unless resident in Australia....

Oho, I think there was a certain amount of leg pulling.

There are interesting pros and contras. I suppose on the side of it being right to get the WFA is paying into the UK system until 60, but even being over 60 myself wonder why it wasn't 65 (??), and being entitled to something that is for ALL contributors. So it is there and allocated, give it. Like pension. Contra is the probability that a few people who will go out and spend that amount on a dinner, wine and so on will be there in line for the handout. I use the expensive dinner as an example, but I imagine you understand the point.

A broader point is that SFN is a pick and choose site and taking up your point about this being a UK related issue, why shouldn't those people of the nationalities you mentioned have an opinion on this too? They may strongly feel it is wrong. Climatically, SW France is not so enormously different to the UK or the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, some of the USA, New Zealand and parts of Germany amongst other countries, so why not have the possibility of debate about whether that is now a discrimination in favour of UK citizens? Could be interesting, or not? Of course you have your right to an opinion but others thus have the right to disagree and all to often, myself included, we neglect to shrug things off when we should.

old Colonel? really? ok...bottom line..I disagree with some of your sentiments. I started work at age 13 and was paying tax at 15....Ive worked full time my entire life...and at 58..having moved to France, I have no entitlement to health care at all; I live in an area where we had one of the hardest winters in history..with minus 15 for two weeks...and huge costs for wood and electric heating. In France I receive nothing....I pay out plenty in terms of housing taxes....so do I feel I should be entitled in 2 years to WFA....best your sweet **** I do...! and I think that as Europe seems to act so differently towards other Europeans...ie....as a european foreigner in the UK I would be receiving free health care....and any other benefit a Brit could receive....I intend to make sure that after paying taxes to the UK for 43 years...I will gratefully accept my WFA......