There are over 500,000 UK Ex-pats living in France and Spain many of whom are retired old age pensioners.
About 10 years ago Iain Duncan Smith called for wealthy pensioners who do not need benefit payments such as winter fuel allowance and free bus passes benefit payments should voluntarily hand back the money to the government. I would enjoy reading the audited statistics of the money repaid.
Shock horror when all UK Ex-Pats living in France and Spain had their Winter Fuel Allowance cancelled.
The then Work and Pensions Secretary explained that calculations were made on official temperature figures for each country, based on a five month winter that represents the coldest time of the year in the UK, matching existing criteria used by the government for other forms of cold weather payment.
In response to questions about recognising the variance of temperatures depending on altitude and region, Mr Duncan Smith said the government had looked at a system of weighting temperatures for areas with heavy populations of British pensioners, as opposed to calculating using figures for each whole country. But as the highest concentrations of British pensioners were often found in the warmer parts of European countries, it would have meant at least as many countries would be excluded as under the adopted scheme, if not more.
On the complaint that warmer overseas territories of countries like France, Spain and Portugal had skewed the results for British pensioners in those countries, the Work Minister said that European law would have to be changed for France’s Caribbean islands, Spain’s Canary Islands and Portugal’s Atlantic islands not to be included in the calculations.
The changes implemented including the system of weighting meant that the measurement of temperature was altered to suit the new criteria thus denying UK Ex-Pat pensioners the Winter Fuel Allowance
For those of us UK Ex-pats that live full-time in France and Spain
we know just how cold the winter months may be.
Please view my UK government petition
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/647060
to try and reinstate our much needed benefit to keep warm in winter.
Hi, so pleased at long last someone has woken up to the fact that it does get cold in the winter in Spain. Most UK citizens think we have roaring temperatures all the year around??? I have forwarded your e-mail to ex-pat friends to hopefully they will do the same?
Long way to go for 10,000 signatures though?
Regards
J
Posted: Mon Nov 6, 2023 2:07pm
Jinxy wrote on Mon Nov 6, 2023 1:56pm:
Hi, so pleased at long last someone has woken up to the fact that it does get cold in the winter in Spain. Most UK citizens think we have roaring temperatures all the year around??? I have forwarded your e-mail to ex-pat friends to hopefully they will do the same?
Long way to go for 10,000 signatures though?...
Read more...
...
Regards
J
Many thanks for your opinion and message. The only way that the petition can succeed is exactly as you suggest by informing like minded folks to support the initiative.
A long way to go, yes, but the petition is active for 6 months until April 2024.
Best regards
Stu
Hi Stu, I am going to print out your e-mail and put it on the notice board at a Club I belong to in Manilva full of ex-pats so others can, hopefully, sign the petition
Regards J
Posted: Mon Nov 6, 2023 4:18pm
Jinxy wrote on Mon Nov 6, 2023 4:05pm:
Hi Stu, I am going to print out your e-mail and put it on the notice board at a Club I belong to in Manilva full of ex-pats so others can, hopefully, sign the petition
Regards J
That would be amazing and just what is needed to spread the word.
Kind regards
Stu
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StuBurt wrote on Mon Nov 6, 2023 4:18pm:
That would be amazing and just what is needed to spread the word.
Kind regards
Read more...
Stu
Those of us who come to the Costa del Sol for winter sun are amazed that you think you should qualify. We see you, in what we would call summer clothing , in the winter months , and wonder what your reasoning can possibly be.
Yes, I do see ex-pats still wearing flimsy clothing in the Spanish winter and wonder why? At the moment I am wearing 2 sweaters and have my thermals ready - that says it all.
J.
Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2023 12:08pm
gilly7 wrote on Tue Nov 7, 2023 4:44pm:
Those of us who come to the Costa del Sol for winter sun are amazed that you think you should qualify. We see you, in what we would call summer clothing , in the winter months , and wonder what your reasoning can possibly be.
Living here is completely different than vacationing here, even if that vacation is for 90 days. Summer weather is much hotter than UK and one becomes accustomed to the climate in which one lives, not the climate of the vacation spot. I'm walking around in light winter clothing now while seeing tourists in t-shirts and shorts. I'd freeze to death!
Just to make you feel better, in the area we have a holiday home, it reached 27 degrees today, Sunday 12th, here in the UK it reached 13 degrees, we've had heating on all day!
Hi, yes the temperatures at the moment are not the usual ones we have in November and I have lived here for many years so I am not counting my chickens????
J
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