In the news:250,000 Carers missing out on pension protection A quarter of a million people caring for an ill or disabled friend or relative could be missing out on a top up that protects their basic and second State Pensions in later life, says Pensions Minister Steve Webb. Click here to read more Added 07/09/10 Free Care Campaign Launched The National Pensioners Convention has launched a new campaign entitled, Care Free, in response to the Government’s decision to stage a 6 month consultation exercise on the future of care and services provided to older people. This campaign will make a detailed submission to the Government, based on the views and concerns of older people around the country. Added 08/01/10 Boiler scrappage scheme begins A scrappage scheme that will pay people £400 to replace old boilers with new ones has been announced in Chancellor Alistair Darling's pre-Budget report. The boiler scrappage scheme will "help up to 125,000 homes replace the most inefficient boilers with new models", he said.
Added 07/01/10
Freeze on part of the state pension increase is “underhand and shabby” Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has described the Chancellor’s secret plan to freeze next year’s 2.5% increase to parts of the state pension package as “underhand and shabby”. It has emerged that the government will not raise the Graduated Pension payments or the State Earnings Related Pension (SERPS) that form part of the state pension package for over 10m people. The freeze is expected to save £350m in 2010/11. Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “Pensioners will be absolutely stunned that only part of their state pension is going to rise next year. This is unprecedented and the fact that the Chancellor never made this clear in his pre-budget statement looks underhand and shabby. Over 2.5m older people already live in poverty and millions more are struggling to meet the rising costs of living. This decision will certainly push more into financial hardship. We need a state pension that takes older people out of poverty – not one that pushes them further into it. It’s simply unfair that the least able are being asked to shoulder the biggest burden of the recession.” Around 5m older people who have modest savings of around £10,000 have lost between £10 and £20 a week (up to as much as £1000 a year) as a result of the drop in interest rates. The latest excess winter death figures show that 37,313 older people died from cold related illnesses last year – a 50% increase on the previous figure and the highest level of deaths for nearly a decade. One in three pensioners is estimated to be spending more than 10% of their income on energy bills, placing them in fuel poverty, and the winter fuel allowance now covers just a fifth of the average bill, compared to a third when it was first introduced. Older people face annual inflation rates around ten times higher than the rest of the population, according to a recent report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies. Pensioners spend a larger proportion of their income on those items whose prices are rising fastest. Added 07/01/10 Winter Fuel Payment If you are aged 60 or over you may get a Winter Fuel Payment to help pay for keeping warm in winter. This can be between £125 and £400 depending on your situation. Find out if you are eligible for this payment and how to apply by visiting www.direct.gov.uk Added 05/12/09 |