observer Posted October 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 If your refering to nationalisation Asp - yeah. The Gas Co provided Gas, the Electric Co provided electricity etc etc - all fairly straight forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 are you allowed to claim you are in fuel poverty if you have the latest plasma TV, Iphone and computer games I wonder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Kije Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 Plasma screens now come with their own wind generator Baz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 are you allowed to claim you are in fuel poverty if you have the latest plasma TV, Iphone and computer games I wonder? Well think of it this way Baz. If something drastic happened in your life that forced you to rely on sate handouts for your very survival, would you sell off all your possessions before you’d put a claim in? There’s a slightly unhealthy underlying flavour to this thread that stated with the original post. Nobody has said a word about people going cold and instead it's all about how "they" would spend “your” handout. As a society, we should be focused on why we have people in this awful state of affairs. If there’s a genuine concern for their welfare, then don’t mess about, just give them free electricity and have done with it. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted October 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 Now your getting it Bill; no cash, just free energy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 No Observer there wasn’t anything for me to get and I certainly have nothing to learn from you thank you very much. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 Bill, I was asking the question because you see it every year.... the very same people who claim to be skint, broke etc. and living on benefits always seem to be the ones spending a fortune of the latest gadgets and huge amounts of presents for the kids ettc. but then moaning at the price of heating and food..... but never moaning at the £45.00 for the latest PS3 game for little Johnny I know of a guy who lives opposite my mum in a council flat..... doesn't want to work (his words not mine) and has just got the latest IPhone 4 on a contract at over £40.00 a month at least. With regards to selling off my assets if circumstances changed, then yes and have done so in the past without hesitation when needs dictated. All about priorities I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 As a society, we should be focused on why we have people in this awful state of affairs. If there’s a genuine concern for their welfare, then don’t mess about, just give them free electricity and have done with it. Bill They could always nip to St Rocco's and get themselves a new jumper! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 Baz I seem to remember a survey not too long ago that looked at the giving process and it showed that people with lower incomes and on benefit tended to spend a far higher percentage of their free income on gifts for family members than those earning a typical average wage. So little Johnny’s present might seem excessive but it’s not for us to judge. I have a very good friend that’s on benefits and very probably in fuel poverty. I watched a £10 top up go into the meter just the other day and she said that’s got to last the week. She has a car, a mobile phone and a telly. She even has an Internet connection so maybe I should invite her here so we can tell her where she going wrong. I know for a fact that being out of work for over ten years now and with very little income, most of her cloths already do come from the charity shop but none the less I’ll pass on the tip Inky. Providing free energy is fine but there has to be a limit unless you want a handout society. People need money and they need to be able choose their own priorities are without criticism from others. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Kije Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 Good post Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 If they are living on money that I've paid into the system, then I reserve the right to criticise their spending choices. If they don't like that they can always fund their lifestyles in another fashion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Kije Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 As it was my taxes that paid for your uni education inky, then I reserve that right to criticise it :wink : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 Inky You know in all the years on this forum that has to rate as one of the most insensitive statements I've ever come across. You should be bloody well ashamed of yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 If they are living on money that I've paid into the system, then I reserve the right to criticise their spending choices. If they don't like that they can always fund their lifestyles in another fashion. How can you reserve something which was never yours? Being a taxpayer gives you NO RIGHTS over another person regardless of their present circumstances. I agree with Bill regarding your post but would probably have put it stronger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 I see the dog collars are out in force today. Cherry-picking on minority cases doesn't alter the fact that a lot of people do screw the system. There will always be individual bad scenarios, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Will someone define what the poverty level is??? Mobile phones and all the other gizmos doesn't read like poverty to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 I have a very good friend that’s on benefits and very probably in fuel poverty. I watched a £10 top up go into the meter just the other day and she said that’s got to last the week. Is that really being in fuel poverty though? Only asking (and I know I shouldn't)but based on our last quarterly elec bill received a few weeks ago we have been using an average of just under £12 elec a week. That's for three of us and as I work at home every day at the moment there are always lights on, one tv (cos the dog likes watching it) not to mention the computer and all it's accessories being on for on average 15 hours every day etc. Once the other two come in it really goes up with additional TV's, lights, xbox, phone chargers, oven, guitar amps and god knows what else until the early hours. Our gas was an average of £5.60 a week but that will shoot up once the cold weather hits again so I will class us as being in the 'fuel poverty' bracket then OUCH !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 Peter, google is your friend. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_poverty not a mention of mobile phones or plasmas Fuel poverty has been directly linked to excess winter mortality of the elderly, perhaps they should have burned their iphones eh Peter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 Reading the wiki page PJ, there are an awful lot of variations and ideas as to what is classed as fuel poverty. The figure of 10% is also open to interpretation too.... My mum gets a pension of £130 ish a week but currently pays £90 a month for gas and £20 for electric.... both on DD. so about 25% of her income goes on fuel.... yes she is in Fuel poverty according to the stats, but because she doesn't spend much else on anything else, she still has money left at the end of the month Fuel poverty maybe, but certainly not skint because of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 Reading the wiki page PJ, there are an awful lot of variations and ideas as to what is classed as fuel poverty. The figure of 10% is also open to interpretation too.... My mum gets a pension of £130 ish a week but currently pays £90 a month for gas and £20 for electric.... both on DD. so about 25% of her income goes on fuel.... yes she is in Fuel poverty according to the stats, but because she doesn't spend much else on anything else, she still has money left at the end of the month Fuel poverty maybe, but certainly not skint because of it Then she is more fortunate than my parents. What I resent is statements like Inkys inferring that anyone in fuel poverty has an option not to be, that they are shirkers or feckless scroungers when in fact a large amount of the folk suffering from this problem worked for many years, paying in, and now in their dotage they find they can not afford to heat the house and put food on the table and pay the rent etc. Fuel prices, if you hadn't noticed, have rocketed recently, do you not think that this may affect people on the lowest incomes the hardest? p.s. it good that you realise that folk such as your Mum can be in fuel poverty without blowing all their dosh on iphones, plasmas, ps3's and pit bull terriers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sha Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 If they are living on money that I've paid into the system, then I reserve the right to criticise their spending choices. That comment Inky, isn't just as Bill says "insensitive" it's also incorrect. You obviously do not have enough knowledge of the tax system to be aware that benefits are not funded from the taxes of ordinary earners. You are not funding anyone. In fact it's hardly likely that you (in common with the majority of the population)are even funding yourself in this system! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted October 23, 2011 Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 A household is said to be in fuel poverty when they cannot afford to keep adequately warm at reasonable cost. That would apply to the majority of ordinary folk in private houses. Certainly applies to my Mother. When I took over her affairs, I discovered that their last electric bill was £3600 for the year.(No gas). I tried to change suppliers, but couldn't because they have two meters, but did discover that she had been charged incorrectly. Since being aware of this huge amount, the cutbacks on outgoing costs have kicked in, but it is still very tight. Starting to look for a plan B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted October 23, 2011 Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 £3,600 for a year!? That's more than £62 per week! Don't the morons at the electricity company ever read what they are sending out!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted October 23, 2011 Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 p.s. it good that you realise that folk such as your Mum can be in fuel poverty without blowing all their dosh on iphones, plasmas, ps3's and pit bull terriers She was in "fuel poverty" mainly because of the fact she had a 30 odd year old central heating boiler that just kept firing all the time it was on. We have replaced this with a fancy new one which should bring the monthly bills down...... When dad was alive, he had the loft insulated, double glazing fitted and cavity walls done too, it was just the boiler which was wasting all the cash! oh, and she has a plasma too!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Kije Posted October 23, 2011 Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 Cleo, sadly I do not think they do, that would take common sense Peter, Age Concern give out good advise on energy for pensioners, might be worth a look at their web site, good look with plan B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted October 23, 2011 Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 Kije, one of the problems with energy advice for pensioners is that it is all run by "Warmfront".... they will send out an assessor to check what they can do for you.... which is fine in theory. A lad I went to school with is a "Gas safe" engineer and he had issues with Warmfront and his mum. They were told that she had been awarded a grant of £3,500 but the money MUST be spent with their approved contractors. Now he tells me for that sort of money, he should have had loft insulation, cavity insulation a new boiler and a few new double glazed windows...... she got the first two. No boiler, no windows..... before the grant ran out! As for my mum, when they found out she already had insulation to the loft, cavity walls and had double glazing, they said they could only fit a boiler if the one she had was completely non-functional and the turn around time for installs was about 6 months!! So they expected me to leave a housebound 88 year old without heat and hot water for 6 months just to satisfy their criteria...... That is why we fitted a new one at our expense (done by my mate) for a few hundred pounds. We were lucky enough to have the funds to do it, however some aren't ....Warmfront another rip-off that needs looking into! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.