Issue 777 26 October - 01 November 2012
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SUNSHINE BONUS! Pensioner Brits can claim £200 Winter Fuel Payment here THOUSANDS of Expat pensioners in Tenerife could be eligible for the UK Government’s annual £200 Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) - thanks to a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling. It spells good news for our old folk, plus the 100,000-plus Brits living in Spain. Many of them were unable to claim the payment under the old laws. Previously, Expats were able to receive the allowance only if they turned 60 before leaving Britain, and if they had left the country after the payment had been introduced in 1998. Some Tenerife Expats will already be receiving the payment as they own a property in the UK and are of pensionable age. Now, though, you need only have a “genuine and sufficient link to the UK” to qualify. That includes having “lived or worked in the UK for most of your working life” and paid into the Social Service system. The ECJ ruling came in following a landmark victory for Lucy Stewart and her family, who moved to Spain and as a result became ineligible for certain benefits. Her family contested the legislation and now the eligibility criteria has changed. The changes affect around 440,000 British OAPs, who live outside Britain but within the EU. Those born on or before 5th July 1951 can now go ahead and claim for the 2012 WFP, which ranges from £200 to £300 depending on your circumstances. Last winter, 72,840 Expats claimed winter fuel payments, at a cost of almost £16 million to the British Government. And that figure could rise to £100m if all the eligible Expats claim this year’s allowance. Opinion is divided on whether
or not those pensioners living in year-round sun merit this annual payment, which does NOT have to be put towards heating bills. And some say the rich should not receive it anyway, wherever they live, because they can well afford their heating bills. The main opposition to this handy preChristmas bonus comes from the Government’s Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith. He called the ECJ ruling “ludicrous” and pledged to introduce a “temperature test” to determine eligibility when it was introduced in August. “The winter fuel payment is about helping British pensioners with heating costs,” he said angrily. “It is ludicrous that we could have to pay more pensioners in hot countries.” People claiming a WFP for the first time from the EU/ Switzerland will need to complete a claim form. In the UK, newly-eligible pensioners who are not
in receipt of a benefit administered by Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) also need to make a claim. But, most UK people who qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment are paid automatically because their entitlement can be established from Department for Work and Pensions benefit records. Few British Pensioners in Tenerife will complain at the news. Edward Salisbury, 68, who took early retirement and moved to Las Chafiras nine years ago, lives in rented accommodation. He said: “I worked all my life in England, so why shouldn’t I benefit? It actually gets quite chilly around here in the winter, and I’ve got a small electric fire to keep me warm in the evening.” Mr Salisbury added: “I don’t see what difference it makes anyway. I get a UK pension and it’s paid into my bank there. But I withdraw enough to last each month - and I spend it over
here. “And this little surprise will certainly keep me in suntan lotion for a good while!” Los Cristianos resident Brian Andrews told Canarian Weekly, “My friend told me about it. I’ve lived here for over 15 years and we’ve not got a house in the UK. “I always thought I couldn’t get the payment, I’ve got my form in quickly - it’s 12 pages long though, so we’ll see what transpires.” Another Playa de Las Americas resident said: “It doesn’t matter to me because I get it anyway. “All my affairs are based in the UK and even though I rent here and spend the majority of my time here, I get it automatically.” Information is available on the Government’s website https://www.gov.uk/winterfuel-payment/how-to-claim and includes claim forms. And claims for winter 2012/13 need to be received by 31st March next year.
DON'T FORGET to change your clock back an hour on Sunday 28th October at 2am