lynnxa

I don't get the payment & never will

but I have to say I have never felt as cold indoors the UK in the winter as I do every winter here in Spain - I have never had to wrap myself in a blanket to watch TV in the UK, as just about everyone I know does in Spain

it costs far more to heat a Spanish house than it does a house in the UK - to the extent that most people I know simply can't afford to do it

and it DOES get cold - even in temperate areas such as mine - we see snow on the mountain just about every winter

in other areas - & believe it or not, not ALL Brits live on the 'sunny coasts' - the snow starts falling in October - first snow last year was on Oct 25th - just four days after the first snow in the UK - in Aberdeen

if British pensioners, who are entitled to the payment are keeping warm in the winter in Spain because of it, then it is doing what it was intended for



oh - & if you hadn't mentioned that you are a new member I wouldn't have noticed....................not that it makes a jot of difference (although 7 months is hardly new)

Rosemary

As Concierges for the Spanish section of BE we would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let us know if you need any further help.

Rosemary and Graham

scampicat

Whether we like it or not, the qualification for initially claiming the WFP depends upon being habitually resident in the UK. If you've qualified for it, you can then export it to Europe. It is nothing to do with how much you have paid in, it is residency-based.

If you are resident in the UK in the 3rd week of September, you'll get it the following winter.

Fred James

There is always the possibility that the government could reduce/scrap WFA but they cannot take it away from those expats that qualify for it.

They tried this once and it went to the EU courts. They lost the case and ultimately agreed to a compromise that said that it had to be an exportable benefit.

I can't see the government wanting to take it back to the EU court as they will almost certainly lose again.

megmet

ABSOLUTLEY!
They seem to forget that there are in fact ski slopes just a short distance inland, it goes without saying that we must get cold weather here!

It is very wrong in my opinion that pensioners here in Spain who have worked in the UK, paid taxes there... and often are still paying them are so discriminated against because they live in Spain, where apparently it's 40c all year round.
How come it is OK for the pensioner resident in the UK and getting the winter fuel payment to spend the three coldest months of the winter in a nice warm hotel on the CDS?.....
Should they still get the payment when it's not being used for the intended purpose?

It seems that double standards apply when it comes to expats, they are very happy to demand in some instances that we still pay UK tax, but they are very reluctant to pay any benefits.
But then there just aren't the votes in it for them!

I don't get any benefits and would prefer not to have them, but would like to be allowed to pay all of my taxes here in Spain, at least that way I would benefit in some small way for my contributions to the state.

jdr

It was designed for anyone over 60 that new about claiming for it.
I paid into the system for 45 years where the money for it comes from, anybody moving to the UK can apply and get it if they are in the UK on a certain date in September, regardless if they have contributed to the system, surely this must be unfair.

Lynn R

IMO the winter fuel payment will disappear altogether, along with free bus travel for pensioners, if and when the proposed £140 per week flat rate pension is introduced - no way will the Government be so munificent as to pay all of them!

And a flat rate increased pension would not be means tested, either, and so would go both to rich people to whom it would be almost irrelevant, and to those who may never have worked and paid taxes in their lives.

What about child benefit being paid to millionaires, or the fact that some parents may choose to spend it on cheap lager and cigarettes instead of what it was intended for?

The argument for paying universal non-means tested benefits is that it is cheaper to pay everyone the same rather than administer a complex system to decide who qualifies and who does not, it would be impossible to keep everybody who receives some type of benefit under surveillance to check what they are spending the money on!

Bigger Jim

You dont get pension increases in Canada, Australia or most commonwealth countries. The European Court of Human Rights rejected an appeal from a group of UK pensioners by an 11 to 6 majority to allow it.

So its hardly likely the UK government will sanction the winter fuel allowance for all and sundry.

Jim

mannytoo

this used to be the case but there seems to have been a recent ECJ ruling on the 21 July 2011 which if I understand it correctly, makes it possible for expats. to claim it when living in Spain. though I very much doubt if the powers that be will cooperate easily with any claim that is made.

licinius

I can't believe people complain about the cold in Spain. Yes the temp does drop but the difference is in Spain you can put a jumper on or climb under the duvet to be snug as a bug, but in the UK you can still freeze to death even with a jumper on under the quilt!

I really didn't realise we had so many freeloaders in Spain

Mitzyboy

What on earth do you mean?????
Winter fuel allowance is an allowable payment for pensioners in Spain under current rules. It isn't freeloading or bucking the system ..... having paid into the system all your life it's one of the payments that is allowable to you.

Next you'll be saying getting a state pension is freeloading

licinius

Under current rules murderers & serial pedophiles are allowed back into society after just a few years in prison!

I think everyone will agree the current rules are why Britain is becoming a 3rd world country.

Mitzyboy

Oh ... so you think that paying into the system for the whole of your life and getting what you are entitled to when you retire is the reason that the UK is (as you say) becoming a third world country????

What on earth does the winter fuel payment have to do with peds and murders getting out of prison early

DENISE WALTERS

similar discussion about this last year people really got annoyed about it including myself as i consider i am entitled to it after working all those years and paid into the system

megmet

I agree that where you live in Alhaurin el Grande it's not that cold as it's near the coast, but you should try further inland in the winter months to see just how cold it does get....
Granada or Madrid would be a good starting point for you, then come back and tell us you were not cold in the midst of all that snow.

As for those who are lucky enough to get winter fuel allowance being "freeloaders" .... don't be stupid, they have earned the right to it having paid into the system for fifty years!

I wait with interest to see what you're going to call expats next, you have already in other threads called them "blaggers" and "trailer trash" and said "the worst thing about Spain is British expats".
You don't appear to like your fellow countrymen very much do you.