OAP's Back Campaign For £114-a-week Deal
By Jo Deeks on Thursday, 6th July 2006.
Pensioners in Haverhill are supporting the national campaign against Government pension reform plans and say many are living below the poverty line.
Members of the Haverhill and District Pensioners' Association have agreed to support the campaign by the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) to change the recent Government White Paper on pension reform.
The NPC is putting forward an alternative White Paper entitled 'Real Security in Returement' at a briefing meeting for MPs on July 4th and the Haverhill pensioners are urging their MP Richard Spring to attend. It calls for raising the basic pension to at least £114 a week as a matter or urgency, restoring links between the state pension and earnings now, plus paying the pension universally and equally to every retired man and woman.
Frank Bradsell, chairman of the Haverhill association, said pensioners income was continuing to fall relative to the wider population, while the Government was not planning to re-link the state pension to earnings until 2012 to 2015. Around 4.5 million of todays pensioners would not be alive by 2015.
He said: "We are concerned that there is nothing in the current proposals of immediate benefit to today's 11 million older people, despite the fact that over 2 million continue to live below the poverty line and many more are struggling to meet the rising costs of council tax and utility bills.
"The majority of those below the official poverty line are women who don't get a full state pension because they lack 39 years of National Insurance contributions and nothing in the White Paper puts that right.
"In our opinion, the White Paper has missed the opportunity to give today's pensioners dignity and financial security."
Any older people in the area who would like more information on the campaign should ring 01440 763060
Members of the Haverhill and District Pensioners' Association have agreed to support the campaign by the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) to change the recent Government White Paper on pension reform.
The NPC is putting forward an alternative White Paper entitled 'Real Security in Returement' at a briefing meeting for MPs on July 4th and the Haverhill pensioners are urging their MP Richard Spring to attend. It calls for raising the basic pension to at least £114 a week as a matter or urgency, restoring links between the state pension and earnings now, plus paying the pension universally and equally to every retired man and woman.
Frank Bradsell, chairman of the Haverhill association, said pensioners income was continuing to fall relative to the wider population, while the Government was not planning to re-link the state pension to earnings until 2012 to 2015. Around 4.5 million of todays pensioners would not be alive by 2015.
He said: "We are concerned that there is nothing in the current proposals of immediate benefit to today's 11 million older people, despite the fact that over 2 million continue to live below the poverty line and many more are struggling to meet the rising costs of council tax and utility bills.
"The majority of those below the official poverty line are women who don't get a full state pension because they lack 39 years of National Insurance contributions and nothing in the White Paper puts that right.
"In our opinion, the White Paper has missed the opportunity to give today's pensioners dignity and financial security."
Any older people in the area who would like more information on the campaign should ring 01440 763060
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