Winter Fuel Payments Stopped - Why Didn't They Just Make You Apply?

So the Government are trying to save money. Fair enough.

Winter Fuel used to go to millions of rich pensioners who never needed it., So stopping them is maybe a good idea.

However making it only available to those on Pension Credit was unfair to those who where maybe over the threshold by a few pounds.

So to save all the uproar. Why didn't they just make it so that you had to apply for it?

Or at the very least, Automatic for pension Credit and apply for others. (even if just upto a bit higher threshold, say £300 instead of the £218)

Only those who really needed it would bother to apply, thus probably still saving millions from the rich who wouldn't have bothered.

I mean in political terms, Saving 1.5 billion is good, but upsetting lots of people. Saving 1.2 billion and keeping everyone happy is better!

Just a thought.