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Categories: Pensions General| Long Term Care
Topics: pension reform| basic state pension| Steve Webb
The National Pensioners Convention (NPC) will stage a protest in Westminster this week to demand an increase in the basic state pension.
Pensioners gathering on College Green on Wednesday will call for the pension to be increased to more than the official poverty line of £178 per week.
They will meet and discuss the issue with pensions minister Steve Webb, shadow minister Gregg McClymont, Unison boss Dave Prentis and Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers.
The NPC will call for a national care service paid for through general taxation and a winter fuel allowance of £500 per pensioner household.
The government has announced it will implement a flat rate state pension of £155 per week from 2015, eradicating means testing.
However, in the 2011 Budget, Chancellor George Osborne announced the winter fuel allowance would be cut from a possible £400 for the over-80s to £300, and from £250 to £200 for those aged 60-79.
The government is also considering reform to the system of funding long term care (LTC) following the Dilnot report, which recommended a care fees cap of around £35,000 per person.
Dot Gibson, general secretary of the NPC, said: "The poorest in our society are beginning to pay the highest price for the cuts to public spending, benefits and services.
"Whether through lower pensions, reduced or inferior care services or cuts to winter fuel payments, older people are being told to shoulder a much bigger burden than those at the very top."
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Good Lord!
This must be a Greek convention. I can’t imagine that anyone in the UK could be that stupid? Haven’t they heard that we have a terrible financial crisis – perhaps the worst on record? Don’t they know that much of it was caused by Governments spending what they didn’t have? (Oh and in case you are wondering I am classified as an ‘older person’.) We seem very adept at blaming everyone but ourselves. It’s Europe’s fault. It’s the greedy banks. Just get it into your very thick heads that it is all those who spend what they don’t have (credit cards, mortgages, Hire Purchase etc.). Those who expect the state to hand out money without thought of the consequences. Those who refuse to be productive members of society. Those who want to work a 35 hour week and then go home. Those who skive at every opportunity. If those of us who are able worked harder, claimed less and only spent what we had and saved something, perhaps the older folk wouldn’t be suffering quite so much. As it is it is patently obvious that it is Government policy to have high inflation, a purposeful devaluation of our currency coupled with insignificant interest rates – a combination which is penalising those pensioners who were frugal and responsible during their working lives. They are now subsidising Sky TV, The Pubs and the Gym’s, much of which are paid for through debt and which add further encouragement for people to work less and waste time more.
Posted by: Harry Katz