Department for Work & Pensions still wasting tax payer's money

ME14addick

Last month I received a letter from the DWP advising me of the changes to the pension age for women and that I will not receive my pension until the age of 66.

Today I have received another letter from them, which is EXACTLY the same. What a waste of tax payer's money. I thought that waste in government departments was being reduced - seems nothing changes except having to wait longer before we can retire.

ShootersHillGuru

My wife had exactly the same. Two identical letters about three weeks apart. Piss up and brewery.

ME14addick

I wonder how many more duplicates have been sent - if everyone of the same age has received more than one letter, it will add up to a considerable sum of OUR money.

swords_alive

Agree it's not good and shouldn't happen but most likely the contractor who they use to send them out will have to absorb the cost from their profits- assuming this gets reported and any contract they have with another party is properly managed!

IdleHans

They making a total mess of RTI at HMRC too - duplicating employments, adjusting tax codes incorrectly as a result, sending them out, then having to change it all back again. Still, as long as the senior civil servants don't have to pay tax on their benefits,eh? Shambles.

MuttleyCAFC

Maybe they just wanted to rub it in!

UrbanChupacabra

Privatise Royal Mail and send duplicates of everything to make it a success

ME14addick

MuttleyCAFC said:

Maybe they just wanted to rub it in!

Seems like it! It is annoying when they move the goal posts though. I've worked all my life since I was 18 and for most of that time I expected to be able to retire at 60. I accept the reasons for increasing the retirement age, but to increase it to 66 is a lot of extra years to work when you originally thought you could retire at 60.

I know young people today will have to work longer still, but at least they will have had plenty of time to get used to that.

MuttleyCAFC

I agree - I have worked since I was 18 too. Never claimed benefits. It would be fairer if everybody has to work for 35 or 40 years rather than put an age on it! I've done 30 years and i'm 48. Some people older than me will retire earlier having worked for a good few years less!

I'm still going to try to go at 60 as you only get one life.

ShootersHillGuru

I'm still going to try to go at 60 as you only get one life.

Good luck with that one.

MuttleyCAFC

The goalposts will move further away I'm sure in the next 12 years!

ME14addick

I do have a private pension which I can take at 60, but I won't be able to afford to live on that without the state pension as well, so I've got no choice but to work until I'm 66 - another ten years away!

ShootersHillGuru

ME14addick said:

I do have a private pension which I can take at 60, but I won't be able to afford to live on that without the state pension as well, so I've got no choice but to work until I'm 66 - another ten years away!

Absolutely Ditto. Except my 66th is 8 years 5 months and 16 days away. :0(

SF-02

Sending duplicate letters is a drop in the ocean compared to the money wasted by DWP on trying to develop universal credit. Over £300 million spent so far on the IT and it is completely broken. Having to start all over again and the chances of it working close to zero.

Then there is the £5 billion spent on the work programme for the long term unemployed. It has a success rate of less than 5% - less than the numbers who were getting jobs of their own accord before the scheme begun. Still, the consultants and contractors who donate to the big parties get massive contracts and taxpayer money out of it.

soapy_jones

That is life I am afraid. If you have your snout in the trough happy days, if not your take it up the arse...

God I sound 50 don't I?