In parliament and on the record I have raised the matter of very low interest rates having a dire effect on the income of pensioners several times. There are no reality TV shows on hospital geriatric wards. A dribbling one-year-old is cute, but a dribbling 91-year-old is not. One has their life in front of them, and for the other it is mainly in the past. But each, young or old, are equally important.
Statistically, when I walk down the street every 10th pensioner whom I see lives in poverty. The state pension for a single person is about £113 a week. No one can live on that in the UK and we all know it. So I am very pleased that Conservatives have confirmed that pensioners will keep the winter fuel allowance, bus passes, eye tests, free prescriptions and free television licences. Just as important I am also very happy that the Conservatives have declared that pensions will rise in accordance with a so-called triple lock; by whatever is the higher – the cost of living, inflation or 2.5 per cent.
The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that 39% of pensioners fail to claim their due benefits. That amounts to between £3.1 billion and £5.4 billion a year unclaimed. Most of not all of them are proud and dignified. They do not want to be a burden on anyone, and they spent their entire lives saving so as not to be. But those benefits are a right, not charity. We are only giving back to pensioners what they contributed to our society, but there is sometimes a problem is trying to convince them of that fact.
Just like my own mother (photographed enjoying her grandchildren and great grandchildren) they don’t want to leave their homes where they have spent so much of their lives so it is terribly important to try and look after them there. It also happens to be much cheaper than residency in a care home. On that point I am very pleased that Conservatives have said that nobody should have to sell their house for such resident care.
We also need to get the 700,000 elderly people who do not claim their benefits to do so, because if they do, they most of them will be lifted out of the poverty trap. I think this can relatively easily be done by someone from the Department of Work and Pensions contacting people as they approach retirement age and asking them if they would like advice. Admittedly many proud and decent people may say ‘Get Lost’ but others may not and so be it!
We now have the very best deal possible for our senior citizens – given the economic circumstances we still face. I hope, no I expect, that deal to improve further if we have a majority Conservative Government as a result of next Thursday’s votes.