PETITION TO GET A WAR HERO BOB MCGOWAN HIS FUEL ALLOWANCE

Hello to you all, I am an administrator of a Facebook group for this hero... WE NEED YOUR HELP. Please spread the word and sign these short petition forms for a 94-year-old war veteran to get his fuel allowance (money for heating his apartment).


I will come back to post updates regularly.



CAMPAIGN TO GET A WAR HERO BOB MCGOWAN HIS FUEL ALLOWANCE

NOVEMBER 11, 2009

War hero, 94, vows to hand back medals to British PM Gordon Brown after being denied winter fuel allowance


Battle: Bob McGowan, wearing his five medals on his coat while indoors, is fighting Whitehall for a £300 allowance

A 94-year-old war hero today pledged to hand back his medals after the Government refused to give him his winter fuel allowance.

Bob McGowan was told he could not claim the £300 subsidy because he moved into his flat just one day too late to qualify.

Despite his age and the six years he spent fighting for his country across Europe, Asia and Africa, the Pension Service said it could not show flexibility.

Mr McGowan, of Portsmouth, has been waging a battle of principle with Whitehall ever since he was turned down for the fuel support in 2007.

He wants an apology from Gordon Brown and says if it is not forthcoming he will post his five medals to 10 Downing Street.

Mr McGowan, who won the Burma Star, the Africa Star, the War Medal 1939 to 1945, the 1939-1945 Star and the Defence Medal following 2,133 days on active duty overseas, said: ‘I think it’s disgusting.

‘It seems I’ve got to bow down over one solitary day, when I did six years overseas.

‘You’d think they would make allowances but they keep saying external factors won’t be considered under any circumstances.

‘What hurts me is I that did all that time overseas and they ignored it - they think more of one solitary day.

‘I’ll hold on to my medals if Gordon Brown will apologise, of course.

‘But if I don’t get satisfactory answers I will send them. I’d like this saga to end. It’s two years and I have had enough of it.

‘It’s the principle of it. I’ve not heard a single word of humility, I don’t think they know the meaning of the word. These people must have hearts of stone.’

To qualify for the fuel allowance people must be at least 60 and resident in a non-supported home during the qualifying week.

For 2007/08 this was September 17 to September 23.

During this week Mr McGowan was in supported accommodation, but moved into his own independent home on September 24, the day after the qualifying week ended.

He has written letters to the Department for Work and Pensions appealing for leniency and in October Mike Hancock, Liberal Democrat MP for Portsmouth South, sent a letter on his behalf but this too failed to have an impact.

The department said in a statement: ‘People who are aged 60 or over during a qualifying week every year will receive a winter fuel payment automatically.


Mr McGowan during his service: Despite his age and the six years he spent fighting for his country, the Pension Service said it could not show flexibility


‘Residents of care homes are not entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment because heating costs are met by the local authority.’

The Royal British Legion today called for more understanding from the government over Mr McGowan’s case.

Roseanne Hanley, from the Welfare Department of the Hampshire Royal British Legion, said: ‘We believe discretion should be shown by the authorities when assessing slightly late benefit claims, especially from the very elderly.

‘Many very elderly members of the ex-Forces community are forced, through low income, to ration.

‘They”re forced to apply to these winter allowances because the income they have means they have to be thrifty, and the government should support them more.’

A spokesman from Help the Aged said: ‘We occasionally hear complaints from older people who have missed out on benefits because they were one day short from meeting a deadline or a particular requirement.

‘We know some people feel very strongly this is unfair, but the Department for Work and Pensions state they need to establish cut-off dates to make the administrative machinery work.

‘While we know Winter Fuel Payments are valued by those who receive them, ideally we want to see a system where people have adequate pension incomes and don’t need to rely on additional one-off payments in order to meet essential bills.’

Mr McGowan joined the Army in November 1939, aged 24, and was first posted to Egypt.

There he was tasked with ferrying troops and ammunition as a driver, before going to the Balkans on attachment to a field ambulance division.

But the British force was overwhelmed by the Nazis, and was forced back to Greece.

He was then taken to Crete on board Royal Navy cruiser HMS Orion.

Shortly afterwards the ship was bombed with the loss of around 300 lives.

He was shipped to Syria, and then sent to relieve Australian forces at Tobruk, Libya, where he spent three months surrounded by enemy forces.

He then went to Rangoon, but was called back after the city fell to the Japanese.

After around two months in Burma he went to India, where he spent the rest of the war.

He returned to Britain in July 1945, setting foot on home soil for the first time in nearly six years.


Source: War hero, 94, vows to hand back medals after being refused winter fuel allowance | Mail Online





EDIT: AS OF NOV. 20, 2009:
IF YOU THINK THIS IS A DISGRACE then this is what you can do
1) Join this group-- CAMPAIGN TO GET A WAR HERO BOB MCGOWAN HIS FUEL ALLOWANCE | Facebook

2) Sign the official MP petition for Bob here: Mr Bob McGowan

3) (For British citizens/residents) Sign the No.10 Downing Petition here: Petition to: Instruct the Dept. of Work and Pensions to review the rules on claims for Winter Fuel allowance for OAP's. | Number10.gov.uk

4) (For Everybody) Send a short email (template found on Facebook Discussions tab) to the Govt. Dept. Ministers - ministers@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

5) Bob does not want money from the public. But you can donate to his nominated charity money be donated to "Help for Heroes" Charity.


ASK ME FOR ANY QUESTIONS ON THE PETITIONS/EMAIL TEMPLATE.

 

Moderators: Sirs, Ma'ams, I sincerely apologize for the multiple-posts or any mistakes in posting rules.


Here's an update on the proceedings:


Council vows to give veteran Bob McGowan heating cash
Published Date:
12 November 2009
By Adam Kula


Bob McGowan with his service medals. Picture: Allan Hutchings (093843-782)

Portsmouth City Council has pledged to send £300 to a war hero who moved into his home one day too late to claim winter fuel allowance.

Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson plans to send the cash to Bob McGowan after the 94-year-old threatened to send back his five war medals in protest at the way he has treated by the Pension Service.

The service said it could not stretch the deadline for the £300 grant to take 'external circumstances' into account. But this enraged Mr McGowan, who survived 2,133 days of continuous overseas service in Europe, Asia and Africa during the Second World War.

Cllr Vernon-Jackson said: 'I've agreed a letter today to go off to him to say we'll stump up that money if the government won't.

'We're not having people send back their medals because they wouldn't get a grant. There's a real issue for people who are elderly keeping warm. They don't go to work, so bills are significantly higher.

'At times, you see bits of government bureaucracy which are a problem, and sometimes common sense needs to prevail.'

Others also vented their fury at the stubbornness shown by government bureaucrats.

Stephen Webb, 54, of Campbell Road, Southsea, said: 'I feel very strongly about this, especially after this last year.

'MPs have wiped thousands off the public funds and they're quibbling about giving a grant to someone who fought for their country.'

Mr McGowan was turned down for the fuel allowance for the winter of 2007/2008 because he moved into a qualifying property one day too late.

After two years of writing letters with the help of advocates and politicians, Mr McGowan said he had failed to get a rebate or 'one word of humility' from the government.

Mr McGowan, of Nutfield Road, Fratton, thanked those who had pledged to donate cash but said any money he received would go to the charity Help For Heroes.

'I want an apology from the ones who caused the problems,' he said.

'It's about the principle. I want an apology.

'If someone says sorry, that's quite sufficient.'


Source: Council vows to give veteran Bob McGowan heating cash - Portsmouth Today



------------

UPDATE:
MP asks Gordon Brown to step in row over war veteran's winter fuel payments
11 November 2009

The Liberal Democrat MP for Portsmouth South, Mike Hancock has asked the Prime Minister to personally step in over a row about a Second World War veteran's winter fuel payments. Mr McGowan, 94, has threatened to return his Second World War medals in disgust at a bureaucratic rule that meant that he missed out on the payment by one day.

Mike had earlier taken up the issue for his constituent with the pensions' minister. Now, the MP has written to the Prime Minister to ask him to personally intervene in this.

Mr Hancock said: "While I understand that there have to be some rules over Government payments, this seems to be petty bureaucracy gone mad. And it was to stop dictatorship and assert the importance and supremacy of democracy that Mr McGowan fought for. I doubt that there would be a single person in the country that would want him denied his winter fuel payment. His is also a very unusual situation. I hope in light of all this - that the Prime Minister will intervene and see that Mr McGowan is paid his winter fuel allowance as a goodwill gesture and in recognition of Mr McGowan's service to our country."

Mike Hancock's letter to the Prime Minister:

Rt Hon Gordon Brown

Prime Minister

10, Downing Street

LONDON SW1P 2AA



OUR REF: MA/MCGOWAN

10 November 2009

Dear Prime Minister

I am writing on behalf of one of my constituents - Mr Robert McGowan and his winter fuel payments for 2007/2008 to ask you to personally intervene in this matter. The situation is that Mr McGowan was at residential care accommodation at Caroline Lodge. Like other residential care accommodation, this did not qualify for the fuel allowance. He moved from there in September 2007 to his current home which DOES qualify for the winter fuel allowance. However for the winter of 2007/2008, he moved from his previous home ONE day too late to receive the winter fuel payment for that winter. The qualifying week for payment ended on 23rd September and he moved out at the beginning of the following week. However he had to heat his home for all of the 2007/2008 winter.

I am now, as I say writing, to you to personally intervene in this matter. I understand that Mr McGowan is a veteran of the Second World War and has five medals from that war - the Burma Star, the Africa Star, the War Medal 1939-1945, the 1939-1945 Star and the Defence Medal. I understand from the Portsmouth News newspaper, Mr McGowan is now thinking of returning his medals in disgust at the way he has been treated as a veteran because of this petty bureaucratic rule. I hope that he is not forced to do this. I appreciate that there have to be some rules on Government payments. However, Mr McGowan has served his country exceedingly well and we owe the defence of our democracy to people such as him. I doubt whether there is a single person in the country that would deny him his winter fuel payment. And it was for importance and supremacy of democracy and against dictatorship that Mr McGowan fought. And we all owe him and his comrades a very great debt of gratitude and thanks. It also strikes me that there will be very few people in Mr McGowan's position - it must the case that most people move from a property that does qualify for the winter fuel allowance to one that does not - not the other way around like Mr McGowan. Obviously with the Afghanistan war and Remembrance Day, our thoughts are with those that served and are serving in the armed forces especially at the moment but I hope that we will never forget the contribution that the armed forces make. It would be very welcome if the Government could pay Mr McGowan the winter fuel payment for 2007/2008 as a goodwill gesture in recognition of his service to this country. We need to honour not just today's heroes but yesterday's as well.

I look forward to hearing from you as quickly as possible.

Yours sincerely

MIKE HANCOCK CBE MP


Source: Mike Hancock MP - News



------------



You can All sign up to a petition for Bob McGowan organized by His MP, Mike Hancock here:

MP PETITION FOR Mr Bob McGowan

Please let your voice be heard with the Department of Work and Pensions