Along
with petrol, pensioner poverty is now a top
political issue. And about time too.
New statistics show the number of pensioners in
poverty has increased by 100,000 since Labour
came into power, which translates into 600 more
pensioners living below the poverty line in
Kingston.
When you remember it was a Conservative
Government who broke the pensions and earnings
link, costing a married pensioner couple today
£47.90 a week, you see the problem.
So what should we do?
The Chancellor at the Labour Conference says next
April's inflation rise will be more than £2 a
week and he will increase the means-tested
pension 'top-up' for the very poorest.
William Hague's Conservatives have a different
plan - they would scrap pensioners' winter fuel
payment, free TV licences and Christmas bonus.
Then, using the money saved, with some extra cash
taken from Britain's poorest families, boost the
basic pension. |
The
net benefit for pensioners from the Tories? Just
42p per week.
Just because pensioners have not blockaded oil
refineries does not mean that they are not angry
too.
The Liberal Democrats Conference agreed an
immediate rise of at least £5 a week for all
pensioners (on top of Mr Brown's 'inflation' rise
of £2) plus an extra £5 for over 75s, plus an
extra £10 for the over 80s.
In other words replacing the miserly 25p
pensioners get paid at 80 with a total extra of
£15 a week.
None of this is means tested.
It would be paid for, not by taking other money
back from pensioners but from a 50% tax rate on
income above £100,000.
Whatever else pensioners think of politicians,
for once they are not being ignored. |
