I read the news today oh boy! Page 1,203

Stop being mean to the poor lady.

So should pensioners voluntairly return their winter fuel allowance and bus passes if they don't need them?

I reckon if they do they should get a tax rebate or something and a voucher to give to a charity.

Don't take the benefits away but enable people to give the money back if they so wish,

Quote: sootyj @ April 28 2013, 7:43 PM BST

So should pensioners voluntairly return their winter fuel allowance and bus passes if they don't need them?

I reckon if they do they should get a tax rebate or something and a voucher to give to a charity.

Don't take the benefits away but enable people to give the money back if they so wish,

View original

It would be easier & less paperwork for said pensioner to just pay the fuel and freebie TV money direct to said favourite charity.

Bus pass trips are charged by the bus company to the local council, so unused bus passes don't cost the council anything, so they can devote that saved money to other benefits such as care for disabled & ancients.

as for this bit:

Eligible older people are entitled to free off-peak travel on local buses anywhere in England when they reach the state pension age. Schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland allow people aged over 60 to apply for free bus travel.

It's downright silly to include that .. see that bit apply for that already means that those who don't need it don't get one anyway and even if one was given free they would not necessarily use it, they could pay the fare if they want to.

so that leaves:

those aged over 60 can get free NHS prescriptions.

As the only really debatable item.

Why should rich pensioners be given a choice to give up a benefit ?

Yet people who are already on the bread line are having certain benefits taken from them whether they like it or not

Seems unfair

Bus passes are the killer the council has to pay so it comes in at£3500 approximately.

Also where as the government should encourage charitable donations, the two aren't a substitute.

Are millionaires still getting child benefit? Or has that changed?

I think it is now, very unpopular move.

Winter fuel allowance is the battle field.

JSA 3% of the welfare bill WFA 2%

a blog I wrote on the subject ages ago which of course nobody read.

http://www.londoncomedywriters.com/blog/Dr_Sardonicus/youre-being-bribed/

I know pensioners have 'paid in' all their lives

But a benefit is a benefit

It shouldn't be just a gift

A benefit should be purely something that helps a person that is in need

Its obscene that a wealthy person gets help to pay their fuel bills etc

Especially those living in the Costa De Sol

Pensions are diferent you paid into those all your life and unless the money really runs out....

Quote: sootyj @ April 28 2013, 8:08 PM BST

Bus passes are the killer the council has to pay so it comes in at£3500 approximately.

Also where as the government should encourage charitable donations, the two aren't a substitute.

View original

What is that £3500 ? That is more than an annual travelcard for all of London out as far as Watford Junction.

Real pensioners don't travel anywhere near as much as that anyway. But lets suppose they are still working (which is why they don't 'deserve' a free pass) so they do a to and from trip 5 days a week with 2 weeks holiday, so that's 250 return trips. They are likely to live in a suburb, so lets say they need Zone 1-4 that's £3.80 single or £7.60 for two trips. So the annual Oyster fees would be at most £1900. The off-peak daily cap on price is £7.70 so a night out for said pensioner would cost the council £0.10 (ten p).

So anyone saying £3500 is just inflating the figure drastically.

The biggest one is £3,168 but that doesn't account for being able to use Greenline buses, overground trains and other coach services/.

And with a lot of people working till 70 then yeh it gets used a lot.
But either way its 2-3 grand for someone who may be potentially in work.

But then I guessthat's more deserved than someone whose never worked.

I dunno

Arhgh. my long reply got lost... so I have to type it again..

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The last time I went on a long coach ride, it was a concessionary fare by the coach company and nothing to do with pus passes or Govt/Council Funds. The Coach company simply got a tenner for a seat that would otherwise be empty.

The same really applies on off-peak use of London buses, but the bus companies probably charge full fare to the councils.

However on those 'other council areas' cases where a pensioner just flashes his/her pass, the driver & bus company don't know which council to charge it to, it may be done by quid-pro-quo to the local council, but I suspect in many cases it is simply not recorded; the bus company just absorbs the marginal cost of carrying a bit of extra weight and so there is no charge to council/govt funds.

I'm a twirly.

Quote: Oldrocker @ April 28 2013, 9:26 PM BST

I'm a twirly.

View original

There aren't any twirlys in London any more, methinx, because Pensioners passes are not constrained to off-peak travel.

One thing I wouldn't want to see is people spending tax money on charity