OAPs miss out on heating cash (From Daily Echo)

Who's willing to bet that there are plenty of homes out there full of immigrants that are nice & toasty thanks to the government..?

It's a national disgrace how we treat our old people in this country. If things don't change I hope I never get old.

I nearly fell off my chair when I heard a govt. spokesperson on the radio proudly boost that it wasn't a problem because you could apply online.
You couldn't make it up!
I expect every poor pensioner in Southampton and Eastleigh has broadband as their top priority...not.

Shoong wrote:
Who's willing to bet that there are plenty of homes out there full of immigrants that are nice & toasty thanks to the government..?

It's a national disgrace how we treat our old people in this country. If things don't change I hope I never get old.

All the immigrants I know work very long and hard hours doing all the jobs that no one else wants to do.
(including elderly care)
If they were to leave, half our basic services would collapse.
Don't use them as the scapegoats - It's the govt. that signed up to all the EU agreements and didn't think to regulate the numbers that would come in. It's all a result of incompetence.

Slightly separate issue, but still concerning the elderly. Just returned from West End surgery and the snow/ice/slush is making it very difficult for older people on foot. There's been no grit put down or attempt to clear it at all. I was able to assist one person to the reception, but I would guess many more will struggle today. Anyone know who is responsible for gritting/clearing? Would be willing to do it myself (with any local help welcome) but imagine it's likely to be against the laws of the land – any ideas?

SW your-slip! Ha

I am a pensioner myself and when the heating allowance was paid, automatically to those on pension, I heard a number saying that it would help to pay for their grand-children's christmas presents.
I have since heard a few of them complaining that they have been cold because they were worried how high their heating bills will be.
The Government does its best to help those in need. The help is there, but where some people look on it as 'charity', which it is not, there are others that just abuse it, and for Shoong's information, it is not just immigrants!

Well, Shoong, I have no quarrel with 'other immigrants' if they are cold, hungry and in need of care - after all, maybe its the EU at fault. We are a society of care for the sick and fragile BUT I do have reservations as to the culture of 'playing the game of poverty' which most of us, the indigenous, are capable of so why not the immigrant? - two can play at this game. May I say that if our MPs and Government can bring in an under the carpet expenses with travelling and home enhancers then THEY cannot question the rest of us. If there is no control of all things essential to mankind - then what the hell we must survive with the Government's ethics which is not beyond questioning. If their quangos are lining their own purses, indeed, so called academic/managerial entrepaneur to manage a completely new area of management - then accept we humans are not so daft - like quangos we are here to survive.
We are NOT laying down. If we are cold we are COLD.

goard

Time to stop for your lunch Goard

stuartjebbitt wrote:

Shoong wrote:
Who's willing to bet that there are plenty of homes out there full of immigrants that are nice & toasty thanks to the government..?

It's a national disgrace how we treat our old people in this country. If things don't change I hope I never get old.

All the immigrants I know work very long and hard hours doing all the jobs that no one else wants to do.
(including elderly care)
If they were to leave, half our basic services would collapse.
Don't use them as the scapegoats - It's the govt. that signed up to all the EU agreements and didn't think to regulate the numbers that would come in. It's all a result of incompetence.

I AM having a go at the government.

You can always judge a country on how they treat their elderly.

Poorly unfortunately, like a burden who require charity in the country they were born, raised in & worked in. And they can't even get that right.

Shoong wrote:

stuartjebbitt wrote:

Shoong wrote: Who's willing to bet that there are plenty of homes out there full of immigrants that are nice & toasty thanks to the government..? It's a national disgrace how we treat our old people in this country. If things don't change I hope I never get old.

All the immigrants I know work very long and hard hours doing all the jobs that no one else wants to do. (including elderly care) If they were to leave, half our basic services would collapse. Don't use them as the scapegoats - It's the govt. that signed up to all the EU agreements and didn't think to regulate the numbers that would come in. It's all a result of incompetence.

I AM having a go at the government. You can always judge a country on how they treat their elderly. Poorly unfortunately, like a burden who require charity in the country they were born, raised in & worked in. And they can't even get that right.

I read a report yesterday that the UK had fallen to 25th in the Quality of Life league tables.

It would be interesting to know how many of the elderly wont claim rather tham cant claim...pride etc.
.
Interestingly the winter fuel of £250 allowance is available at the age of 60 onwards, brought in by Labour...perhaps it should be means tested ?. Lets face it 60 is not the retirement age for most and you wont cosider yourself an OAP when you reach it
.

I hate this system - everyone on a state pension should qualify. It annoys me that MPs can claim thousands for unnecessary work to their houses and employ cleaners yet we can't look after our eldlerly.

My Nan has recently been connected to the internet via her new laptop which I spent 2 hours setting up for her.

She doesn't know how to turn it on yet, so applying on-line for her heating benefit thing might prove a little difficult.

Oh, and, she is disabled and the council wont give her a mobility car because she's too old so she cant get to the relevant office. She has a scooter which she had to pay for with her savings but the battery wont take her to where she needs to go without needing a recharge.

Lone Ranger wrote:
It would be interesting to know how many of the elderly wont claim rather tham cant claim...pride etc. . Interestingly the winter fuel of £250 allowance is available at the age of 60 onwards, brought in by Labour...perhaps it should be means tested ?. Lets face it 60 is not the retirement age for most and you wont cosider yourself an OAP when you reach it .

You are right Lone Ranger. There are some that think they would be 'begging for charity', and cannot understand that it has been paid for by the taxes paid by them or their partner during their working lives.

The old saying, 'you can take a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink' is appropriate. The help is there, but you cannot force the people that need it, claim it. It does not stop them moaning though!

jimbobbo wrote:
My Nan has recently been connected to the internet via her new laptop which I spent 2 hours setting up for her.

She doesn't know how to turn it on yet, so applying on-line for her heating benefit thing might prove a little difficult.

Oh, and, she is disabled and the council wont give her a mobility car because she's too old so she cant get to the relevant office. She has a scooter which she had to pay for with her savings but the battery wont take her to where she needs to go without needing a recharge.

I forgot to mention, she's dyslexic with numbers too so she cannot use a phone to call the claims office.

jimbobbo wrote:

jimbobbo wrote: My Nan has recently been connected to the internet via her new laptop which I spent 2 hours setting up for her. She doesn't know how to turn it on yet, so applying on-line for her heating benefit thing might prove a little difficult. Oh, and, she is disabled and the council wont give her a mobility car because she's too old so she cant get to the relevant office. She has a scooter which she had to pay for with her savings but the battery wont take her to where she needs to go without needing a recharge.

I forgot to mention, she's dyslexic with numbers too so she cannot use a phone to call the claims office.

And everyone says that you have inherited all of your Nan's skills!

Linesman wrote:

jimbobbo wrote:

jimbobbo wrote: My Nan has recently been connected to the internet via her new laptop which I spent 2 hours setting up for her. She doesn't know how to turn it on yet, so applying on-line for her heating benefit thing might prove a little difficult. Oh, and, she is disabled and the council wont give her a mobility car because she's too old so she cant get to the relevant office. She has a scooter which she had to pay for with her savings but the battery wont take her to where she needs to go without needing a recharge.

I forgot to mention, she's dyslexic with numbers too so she cannot use a phone to call the claims office.

And everyone says that you have inherited all of your Nan's skills!

Your wit makes me go weak at the knees

jimbobbo wrote:

Linesman wrote:

jimbobbo wrote:

jimbobbo wrote: My Nan has recently been connected to the internet via her new laptop which I spent 2 hours setting up for her. She doesn't know how to turn it on yet, so applying on-line for her heating benefit thing might prove a little difficult. Oh, and, she is disabled and the council wont give her a mobility car because she's too old so she cant get to the relevant office. She has a scooter which she had to pay for with her savings but the battery wont take her to where she needs to go without needing a recharge.

I forgot to mention, she's dyslexic with numbers too so she cannot use a phone to call the claims office.

And everyone says that you have inherited all of your Nan's skills!

Your wit makes me go weak at the knees

And what exactly is stopping you dialling the number for her, or going online whilst she is there, or taking her to the office?
Why do you expect the government/local authority/social services to do everything for you?

jimbobbo wrote:

Linesman wrote:

jimbobbo wrote:

jimbobbo wrote: My Nan has recently been connected to the internet via her new laptop which I spent 2 hours setting up for her. She doesn't know how to turn it on yet, so applying on-line for her heating benefit thing might prove a little difficult. Oh, and, she is disabled and the council wont give her a mobility car because she's too old so she cant get to the relevant office. She has a scooter which she had to pay for with her savings but the battery wont take her to where she needs to go without needing a recharge.

I forgot to mention, she's dyslexic with numbers too so she cannot use a phone to call the claims office.

And everyone says that you have inherited all of your Nan's skills!

Your wit makes me go weak at the knees

Was that a problem that your Nan had to contend with as well?

There are another bunch of forgotten people in this cold weather, the disabled. They do NOT automatically get the winter fuel allowance like the pensioners, but unlike quite a few pensioners are not in a position to warm themselves up, visit the library, pop round to a friend's house etc. As for pensioners spending their winter fuel allowance on presents for grandchildren, I heard one had a holiday with hers and then bitched when the weather got cold and moaned how she couldn't afford to turn on her heating. Priceless. Let's not just assume because some falls into the 'elderly' bracket they are necessarily in need of the help either.

It's time for all benefits to be means tested. My dad qualifies for this benefit but doesn't really need the money. It's like giving child benefit to the Beckhams, they don't need it. Instead use the money to target people who really need it, like that couple in Northampton who froze to death last week

Linesman wrote:

jimbobbo wrote:

Linesman wrote:

jimbobbo wrote:

jimbobbo wrote: My Nan has recently been connected to the internet via her new laptop which I spent 2 hours setting up for her. She doesn't know how to turn it on yet, so applying on-line for her heating benefit thing might prove a little difficult. Oh, and, she is disabled and the council wont give her a mobility car because she's too old so she cant get to the relevant office. She has a scooter which she had to pay for with her savings but the battery wont take her to where she needs to go without needing a recharge.

I forgot to mention, she's dyslexic with numbers too so she cannot use a phone to call the claims office.

And everyone says that you have inherited all of your Nan's skills!

Your wit makes me go weak at the knees

Was that a problem that your Nan had to contend with as well?

Well it has prevented me from being able to drive her to the claims office which is rather unfortunate.
Luckily however we've managed to sort the heating problem out by burning all your wit and wisdom as fuel. Thank you so much.

The reality here is that this story is nothing but stale bread. It's not a story, it's an excerpt from a pension claims leaflet, glorified into a story to make idiots like you start debating about system politics.

jimbobbo wrote:

Linesman wrote:

jimbobbo wrote:

Linesman wrote:

jimbobbo wrote:

jimbobbo wrote: My Nan has recently been connected to the internet via her new laptop which I spent 2 hours setting up for her. She doesn't know how to turn it on yet, so applying on-line for her heating benefit thing might prove a little difficult. Oh, and, she is disabled and the council wont give her a mobility car because she's too old so she cant get to the relevant office. She has a scooter which she had to pay for with her savings but the battery wont take her to where she needs to go without needing a recharge.

I forgot to mention, she's dyslexic with numbers too so she cannot use a phone to call the claims office.

And everyone says that you have inherited all of your Nan's skills!

Your wit makes me go weak at the knees

Was that a problem that your Nan had to contend with as well?

Well it has prevented me from being able to drive her to the claims office which is rather unfortunate. Luckily however we've managed to sort the heating problem out by burning all your wit and wisdom as fuel. Thank you so much. The reality here is that this story is nothing but stale bread. It's not a story, it's an excerpt from a pension claims leaflet, glorified into a story to make idiots like you start debating about system politics.

Or morons like yourself for bringing it to this board!
Perhaps your Nan should be your carer.

Many pensioners are a lot better off than the rest of us, but means testing is too cumbersome and liable to abuse. Just thank your lucky stars that we don't get earthquakes, there are many people out there in a lot worse situation than us. If you can afford it how about donating to the Haiti Relief Fund?

OSPREYSAINT, Southampton says...
7:20am Fri 15 Jan 10

Many pensioners are a lot better off than the rest of us, but means testing is too cumbersome and liable to abuse. Just thank your lucky stars that we don't get earthquakes, there are many people out there in a lot worse situation than us. If you can afford it how about donating to the Haiti Relief Fund?
That's the most sensible comment on this board today!

OSPREYSAINT, Southampton says...
7:20am Fri 15 Jan 10

Many pensioners are a lot better off than the rest of us, but means testing is too cumbersome and liable to abuse. Just thank your lucky stars that we don't get earthquakes, there are many people out there in a lot worse situation than us. If you can afford it how about donating to the Haiti Relief Fund?
That's the most sensible comment on this board today!

people on social security benefits get cold weather payments too unlike the people that work for a living and raise families, from the tuesday the snow started until this tuesday i put £45 on my gas to keep my children warm constantly as two of them are disabled, we are not entitled to any help with anything as we're £3 over the threshold the tax credit people say we need to live on, i think its a disgrace we dont get help maybe we should all give up our jobs and live a life of riley on the social, we dont take care of our own anymore whether they be elderly or young, britain isnt what it once was!!!
security word=know-mind!!!