When will THEY listen to US??

You get my Vote on that Paul, without a shadow of a doubt.

Jim.
Lincoln .7

Its a bloody disgrace and the Government(and the previous one) should hang their heads in shame then make it their number one priority to fix the problem!

Yes it is, Paul, and your honesty is humbling. What more can one say?

Just to add to my last post. The government pay us £226 per week as our pension pot was a couple of quid short of that figure so it was made up to the above figure(£226 a week is the amount they think pensioners can live on) but it also opens other doors. Rates you don’t have to pay them(some authorities make a small charge though) Free Dental work and glasses.
HMG has forced the power companies to credit your account with £135 pa towards your bill( this is nothing to do with the winter fuel allowance all pensioners get) and thats it if you are healthy!

My wife and I have permanent health problems and these are means tested and some forms are 29-32 pages long but thanks to the CAB we got our entitlement and I say entitlement it is not charity but I am sure the system is designed to put the elderly off claiming! So after much form filling and more forms and questions we get attendance and carers allowance. So the sum total of the above comes to about £24,000 pa I want to make it quite clear that the above are entitlements NOT CHARITY so if you are like me or know some one who is get claiming and help those who might be put off by all the aggravation involved to do what I did. CAB or Age UK (formally Age Concern) will help or even fill the forms in for you. Do I want to live on benefits? No both my wife and I would rather be fit and out of constant pain. I would rather have a little job but tell me where I could take home that money after tax at 68 with no formal qualifications? I am against anyone who fiddles the system but there is money out there for the genuine claimant and I hope this energy hike gives some people who are in need the shove they require to do something about it. Its 2013 for god sake no one in this country should have to make the decision whether to heat or eat rely on food banks or die of hypothermia. Its a bloody disgrace and the Government(and the previous one) should hang their heads in shame then make it their number one priority to fix the problem not only for the old but the young who live in poverty and go off to school each day with empty stomachs. No money? scrap HS2, overseas aid, Quangos and every other Government gravy train!

Well, I think that the money we give away could be put to far better use here at home.for those in need.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Your proposal assumes that foreign aid saved will be fed into the pockets of the needy. I wonder……:(

Thats the problem,you need proof that pound for pound the money will be transferred to people we want it to go to.

Your signature is as optimistic as mine!!:rolleyes:

As my signature states Chas!!
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Your proposal assumes that foreign aid saved will be fed into the pockets of the needy. I wonder……:(

No, But the MORE money we have in OUR melting Pot, the more such as Paul, we can help.and others who just cannot afford to eat
Have you realised, God forbid Chas, WE NOW HAVE FOOD BANKS, in THIS Country, surly even you can see where I am coming from, when we have to supply our own population, why should we support others?.
This is a retrograde step back to the end of WW2 rationing nearly.
C’mon, if we can’t afford to help those who cannot eat or heat, we are in a worse state than I thought.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Linc, I did read Paul’s post, as I do all of his contributions. But I still fail to make the connection.

Paul was able, with some help, to make use of a government funded scheme which has helped him towards savings on his energy costs. Great, I am very pleased for him. And others could do the same.

“Cap in hand” is an odd phrase to use because it denigrates the right people have to obtain any sort of benefit to which they are entitled, as are Paul and his wife. It is nothing to be ashamed of. So, the foreign aid budget is not preventing people like Paul from help.

Chas, You only have to read Paul178s thread to see what I mean. No disrespect to Paul, but why should he have to go cap in hand for a new boiler, go through the indignation no doubt of a means test, just to get a boiler that will keep him and his wife warm in the winter?.What return do we get from all the Countries we give money to?.India has openly stated they don’t want our money, but we are tied into “Giving it to them on a plate” until 2015.At least Paul, and many others, have paid into the system.
And don’t forget, it has been stated that at least, if past trends continue, 30.000 elderly will die of hypothermia this Winter.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Linc – you seem to be making some connection between how the energy companies operate and your oft-repeated disapproval of our foreign aid budget. I don’t see any connection at all, although, as you know, I am in general agreement with your views on both.

Well done Paul, If everyone took the same stance as you, perhaps things may be a lot better for (Some) folks with disabilities, or a poorly off Pensioner.
The trouble, as I have said elsewhere, is that all the Red Tape and paper work, confuses most Pensioners, and also, many are too proud to ask.
We seem to have plenty to give away to some Countries who in essence don’t need our help, and they don’t have to go, “Cap in hand” to get it either. I am aware we are tied in until 2015 with some of them, but it should be stopped after that. India, is a prime example.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

My Story with Scottish Power. I pay by direct debit and supply my meter readings by computer. What with everything else going on in my life I did not check my payments or bills(yes stupid I know) Last month I did £682 in credit for the year. Turns out they had increased my variable D/D from £95 per month to £125 in dribs and drabs. So when I finally got hold of them(thats another saga in itself) They were mystified but said they would immediately refund £282 which they did(10 days later) and look into the other £400 and get back to me,well I am still waiting. They also said they would reduce my payments (duel fuel) to £72 per month which they have done. On checking my account and as a pensioner HMG told them to credit me with £135 which they have done(this is nothing to do with the winter fuel allowance BTW) my account stands at £531 in credit now. I have written to them saying I have cancelled my DD to them until my £531 is nearly used up which is 6+ months including their price hike. Lets see what they say about that.

What has changed in the last 12 months? new central heating system free courtesy of warm front a government scheme.
The house has been fully double glazed(not free) and loft insulation(free) Silly Cow at Scottish power said that would not have made that much difference!!!!!I also have cavity wall insulation the house was built with that 23 years ago.

I would not like to get any ones hopes up but my wife and I are disabled and live on pension credit and allowances for our health so some of these schemes may not be available to all pensioners but it does no harm to enquire.

I nearly forgot If you income is below a certain level(excluding allowances)you can kick your rates bill into touch I did and that saved me £1600pa.

This post may make me look cleaver but I take no credit I did not have a clue it was the CAB that did it for me.

20%. Really. I would like to some figures to back that up. 7 to 9% at most.

I guess not. “Almost 10%” is one quote. “Nearly 4%” is another. “6 to 11%” from Ofgen themselves. Nowhere near 20% though.

On what grounds?

I see the BIG 6, are asking for a Public Enquiry, which will no doubt be concluded well into late NEXT year. All they are doing, is stopping any action NOW which, will not stop their rises in prices.
I say, make them stop their proposed rise NOW, until after the enquiry.
Like a Snowball in hells chance of that happening.
Jim
Lincoln .7

20%. Really. I would like to some figures to back that up. 7 to 9% at most.

Yesterday achieved nothing apart from displaying a growing sense that these committees are simply there to allow members with egos to aggressively interrogate to no effect. It was certainly not a good example of incisive and knowledgeable interrogation getting at the facts. What it singularly failed to do was to address the nub of the problem which is the increasing percentage of the costs loaded by government driven “green” policies. Take away all of those and you will see a reduction of at least 20%, and more over the next 5/10 years.

It’s a Cartell, by any other name by the BIG 6.
Lincoln .7