Seniors Network

“Decent state pensions for all generations”

2008-10-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

BRIEFING PAPER
National Joint Lobby of Parliament
Wednesday 22 October 2008
"Decent state pensions for all generations"

Theme
This event has been jointly organised with the TUC and the trade union movement in order to stress that the campaign for a decent state pension is an issue not just for today’s pensioners, but for future generations as well. We are therefore hoping that at least one pensioner and one worker from each constituency will see their MPs on the day.

Key demands
The lobby ties in with the State Pension Centenary campaign and as such, echoes the immediate demands for:

The basic state pension to be raised above the poverty level (which was £134 a week, but has since been revised to £151)
The link with earnings or prices (whichever is higher) to be restored
The state pension to be paid to all existing pensioners on a universal basis

Rally
At 12 noon, there will be a rally in the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster addressed by MPs, trade unionists, pensioner leaders and others. Owing to the large number of people expected to attend, two rooms have been set aside – The Library and Lecture Hall – and we hope to run two simultaneous rallies to encourage maximum attendance. The rallies are expected to close at around 2pm.

Lobby
Anytime from 1pm onwards, lobbyists can make their way over to the House of Commons to see their MPs. Those wishing to take part in the lobby should now write to their MPs asking if they will make themselves available on the day to be lobbied. Owing to the limited space available in the House of Commons, MPs should arrange to meet lobbyists either in the Westminster Hall, Central Lobby or a private room/café.
Arrangements for getting into the House of Commons will be available shortly.

Delegation to Number 10 Downing Street
We also hope to arrange for a joint NPC/TUC delegation to see the Prime Minister sometime during the day of the lobby to present our demands.

Supporting action
Those pensioner groups, trade union branches or other groups not able to come to London on the day of the lobby are encouraged to organise some event in their local area on the same day at 12 noon. This could be a march or rally, demonstration or some other activity. This action could help spread the message even further and encourage more people to get involved in the campaign.

Campaign materials
The NPC will be producing flyers, briefing notes and campaign stickers for those attending the lobby, long with newspapers and petitions for those holding events in their local areas. Please contact the NPC office to place an order.

Further information
For further information contact the NPC on 020-7553-6510 or email: info@@npcuk.org.

The Credit Crunch

2008-09-30T01:43:00.000-07:00

Oh, what a mess our economy is in, Banks going bust, the Footsie Index going down and those expecting a good pension on retirement having saved hard cash see it going down the drain.

The Banks and Investment Companies who paid their Executives obscene amounts of money in bonuses are crying their eyes out and for what? Sheer greed - and we are all paying the cost.

Add to that inflation in food, petrol, heating and lighting and a pension which cannot cope with such increases then we have a problem.

Not so, of course, the Public Authority Pension because we guarantee that no matter what it costs. Five years ago their pension was £44million in deficit.

Last year it had increased to £160million in deficit. Heaven knows how much in debt it is now with the Stock Market crash.

Over the years we have increased our share of contributions to their Pension Fund from 10.4% of their salary to 19.1% in 2008/09 in the vain hope that the deficit would reduce - no chance! In 2007/08, as employers, we paid through our council tax £10.9million towards the pension fund - that is £143 on a Band D council tax.

We certainly seem to have a two tier society - those who are in the boat and the rest of us trying to keep it afloat.

How long will it be before Central Government realises that this pension is unsustainable, or will they not want to upset the Unions?

The Credit Crunch - one mans opinion by Ken Lacey of Weston Super Mare Senior Citizens Forum

The case for an Increased Pension

2008-09-30T01:29:00.000-07:00

Our pension is provided by the National Insurance Fund (NIF) which is the accumulated funds of the National Insurance Scheme set up by the Beveridge Report after the Second World War.

The income of the NIF consists of compulsory contributions from employees, employers and the self-employed, plus interest on its investments. Since the·1990s the Fund was made up of 11 % of employees' wages and 12.8% from employers contributions and it has been growing with contributions actually outweighing ,payments. The Government Actuary estimates that the NIF surplus in 2007/08 was £46billion that will rise over the next five years to £115billion.

The portion of contributions that goes. towards meeting the cost of the NHS is top sliced and is never paid into the NIF Fund. This is because once money is paid into the NIF it may only be used for the payment of Pensions and Benefits or for the cost of administering those pensions.
The Fund exists in a real sense and is held separate from consolidated revenue. Contributions are not taxes because they are not directly available for general expenditure by Government.

It has been alleged that three Ministers have admitted that money has been diverted from the Fund instead of using it to increase State Pensions. It is stated that the Fund's surplus is being used to finance expenditure which is totally unrelated to the purposes for which the Fund was set up.

It is also alleged that the surplus used to be invested in Government Gilts but since 2006 it has been invested in a Call Notice Deposit Account with the Commissioners for the reduction of national debt. If the Government has been using the surplus in the NIF to fund other public expenditure from the Pension Fund, it would appear to be a very questionable procedure.
It may be seen as a justifiable virement by Government Ministers but pensioners on low incomes may consider it a misappropriation of funds.

Joe Harris, the NPC Secretary, says it would cost £600million to restore the link between earnings and pensions now and £9billion to pay everyone a pension of £114 per week. The money is clearly there and there is no reason why pensioners should subsidise Government expenditure at the expense of having a decent pension.

If these allegations are correct, then we will await the outcome of the NPC revelations with considerable interest.

Item by Ken Lacey of Weston Super Mare Senior Citizens Forum

Prime Minister’s warm words not matched by action

2008-09-24T02:06:00.000-07:00

Britain’s biggest pensioner organization, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has criticized the prime minister’s speech at the Labour party conference today, as being strong on rhetoric but weak on action.

Commenting on the prime minister’s speech, Joe Harris, NPC general secretary said: “Mr Brown is right to call an ageing population a blessing rather than a burden, but his speech still lacked any date as to when he was going to restore the state pension link with earnings. Whilst he said no-one should live in fear of old age, he has refused to give an immediate increase in the winter fuel allowance and his commitment to better social care will be meaningless if it does not include an end to means-testing. He had lots of warm words but very little action.”

2008-09-19T08:11:00.001-07:00

If you can't stand the Heat

Live with a Pensioner this Winter

Inflation rise will force more older people into poverty

2008-09-16T04:21:00.000-07:00

Britain's biggest older people's organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), claims that millions of older people are now on the brink of poverty, following the latest figures released today showing a further increase in inflation.

The official poverty figures show that 2.5m (23% of the pensioner population) are living on less than £151 a week. Up to 61% of all pensioner couples have an annual income of £15,000, whilst 45% of all single pensioners live on just £10,000 a year.

Between 1997 and 2006, the number of people living in severe poverty – defined as living on less than 40% of median population income – increased by 600,000. The poorest quarter of pensioner households saw their incomes rise by less than 1% last year, well below inflation. The poorest single pensioners saw their real incomes drop by 4%.

Joe Harris, NPC general secretary said: “Nearly three million pensioner households already spend over 10% of their income on energy and are living in fuel poverty. If you add onto household bills things like food and council tax, millions more older people could be using as much as 70% of their income just to keep their house warm and eat a decent meal[i]. That doesn’t leave very much at the end of the week to enjoy life.”

“The real reason pensioners are suffering is because they spend a higher proportion of their income on those items that are rising fastest – whilst the purchasing power of their state pension continues to decline. It’s a shocking indictment of the government’s pensions’ policy that the number of older people in poverty is higher now than five years ago and things look set to get worse. It’s time the government used the growing surplus in the national insurance fund to pay everyone a decent pension above the poverty line of £151 a week that rises every year in line with the greater of inflation or earnings. In light of the current increases in the costs of living – pensioners simply cannot afford to survive.”

For more information contact Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
[i] For a single pensioner living on the pension credit guarantee of £124.05 a week, fuel, food and council tax bills can equal as much as 70% of their annual income

Pensioners need immediate financial help with paying fuel bills

2008-09-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

Pensioners need immediate financial help with paying fuel bills

– not energy efficiency schemes - which will take years to install - at the present performance of regional central heating projects!!!

Britain's biggest older people's organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has called on the government to ensure its package of measures aimed at helping families meet rising fuel bills (due to be announced tomorrow) includes an immediate increase in the winter fuel allowance to £500 for all pensioner households.

Joe Harris, NPC general secretary said: "Many older people are already struggling to pay their energy bills and the recent increases are likely to drag well over a million more into financial hardship by the end of the year. Around 2.4m pensioner households are currently spending more than 10% of their income on fuel bills, and are living in fuel poverty. What these people need now is more money – in the form of the winter fuel allowance so that they can avoid having to decide whether to heat or eat. Energy efficiency schemes won’t help them pay their bills this month and neither will they prevent over 20,000 pensioners dying from the cold this winter.”

"Every time there is a 1% increase in energy bills, a further 40,000 older people fall into fuel poverty. It's time the government intervened to prevent the energy companies making profits at the expense of vulnerable pensioners, raised the winter fuel allowance to £500 and regulated social tariffs to give proper discounts to older customers."

FUEL POVERTY FACTS

Nearly 90 per cent of all excess winter deaths are of people over the age of 65.
There were 22,300 excess winter deaths of older people last year, and 260,000 since 1997.
Almost one in three older people live in homes with inadequate heating or insulation making their homes more difficult to heat and/or keep warm.
More than 1 in 4 people living in fuel poverty are over 70 years old
Average annual energy bills now exceed £1,000. This will absorb 16 per cent of the income of a single pensioner dependent on the pension credit minimum guarantee and the current £250 Winter Fuel Payment.

For more information contact Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608

Foreign fuel giants accused of ripping off Britons

2008-08-08T01:30:00.000-07:00

Foreign energy firms have been accused of 'picking the pockets' of 11 million British customers while capping price rises in their home countries.

French-owned EDF has announced a 22 per cent rise in gas bills and 17 per cent on electricity for its 5.5million UK users.

At the same time, it has secretly raised gas prices for some of its most vulnerable customers by as much as 75 per cent.

The increases are in stark contrast to the situation in France.

EDF has been told by the government there to cap its increases on electricity to just 2 per cent and gas to 5 per cent.

There are fears the company, which is part-owned by the French government, is looking to protect its profits by imposing punishing increases on UK families.

The price cap in France will not stop EDF imposing big rises in the cost of electricity it sells to Britain via a cable under the Channel.

The increases were strongly criticised yesterday by Ed Mayo, chief of the National Consumer Council.

'Closed and protectionist European energy markets end up picking the pockets of consumers in this country,' he said.

He suggested Britain should consider introducing French-style price caps. 'If the French are capping prices, that is something we should be looking at. We should learn from the French,' he said.

'My concerns are for people on fixed income, such as pensioners, who will be switching off their electricity and heating this winter. That will lead to more illness and disease.'

Mr Mayo said foreign owned power companies - such as EDF, RWE Npower and E.on of Germany, and Iberdrola of Spain, which owns Scottish Power - must show they are not raising prices in the UK to subsidise customers in other countries.

Criticism has also been levelled at the German government for failing to open its energy market to competition.

He was speaking at a press conference to announce the name of a new 'super-watchdog', Consumer Focus, which will replace the National Consumer Council, Energywatch and Postwatch.

EDF, like the other 'big six' power suppliers, has a series of tariffs linked to the amount of gas that customers use.

It has increased the charge for 132,000 low users by up to 75 per cent - taking the charges up from 3.984p per kilowatt hour to 7p. A low-user customer who perhaps only has gas for a cooker will see the annual bill rise from £106.77 a year to £187.60.

EDF customer Philip Williams, 69, who lives alone in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, said: 'I couldn't believe it when I got the bill and found the price had gone up by 75 per cent, not 22 per cent as we were told. I've had no notice that it would go up this much.

'During the winter months my bills will go through the roof.'

Consumer group Energywatch said: 'The message this sends out is that people who try to be careful and cut down on their use of gas end up getting penalised with bigger increases in bills than everyone else.

'All the evidence is that energy companies are disregarding the needs of their most vulnerable customers.'

LibDem energy spokesman Steve Webb suggested firms such as EDF may try to boost profits in Britain to counter price caps in their home countries.

'EDF will have to make up the shortfall somehow,' he said. 'They may have to look to customers in Britain.'

The 'big six' power suppliers also charge more than 3.5million customers who have prepayment meters around £150 a year more for their heat and light compared with those who pay via direct debit.

These firms offer social tariffs which are supposed to cut the bills of the estimated 4.5million households which are in fuel poverty.

However, the deals are wrapped in small print with the result that only a tiny fraction of eligible households are signed up.

A spokesman for EDF denied UK customers will subsidise those in France. He said both are standalone profitable businesses.

He added: 'EDF Energy has always taken its responsibility to vulnerable customers very seriously and has gone far beyond regulatory obligations to support customers struggling to pay energy bills and to keep warm.'

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23528800-details/%27Pickpocket%27+foreign+fuel+giants+accused+of+ripping+off+Britons+to+keep+energy+bills+down+at+home/article.do

The Forgotten Legion of Pensioners

2008-08-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

From Yorkshire Post
by JE Faulkner, Fen Lane, Mareham le Fen, Boston, Lincolnshire.

I REALLY feel it is time that people are aware of a certain large number of people that are badly overlooked by everyone in the "dash for cash" that is developing rapidly in this wonderful country of ours.We have to go to the same supermarkets and shops, garages and filling stations as everyone else does. We don't have a trade union to hold us all together and strike, it would be devastating if we did.

We, or a lot of us, are still paying income tax because we have been prudent in the past for our future. We are finding that prudence of ours rapidly diminishing due to tax and yet more tax, expensive food, expensive petrol and diesel and our increasing energy prices.

Who are "we", you might ask. "We" are the forgotten legion of pensioners in this country who have been forgotten by successive governments or who paid us a 25p increase in our state pension. If "grey power" could be organised countrywide somehow, it would woe betide the government who treated us with the contempt we now have to endure.

Little attention is paid to us until hundreds start to die due to cold weather when it is either heat or eat. Only then do people become aware of the pensioner's plight and sympathise but that sympathy quickly evaporates.

Pensioners launch new care campaign

2008-06-30T02:01:00.000-07:00

Britain's biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has launched a new campaign entitled Care Free, to coincide with the government's six month's consultation on the future of care and support services. The Care Free campaign will:

Reject the use of means-testing and call for care to be properly funded by central government to provide free services to all without the use of rationing criteria
Recognise that the use of personal budgets are not universally suitable or the best way of providing the right type of care for all users
Demand the postcode lottery in provision of care is ended and replaced with national standards of access and quality of services
Call for recognition and support, both in financial and practical terms, for the families and carers of users
Champion the need for properly trained, supervised and paid staff to assess, enable and care for users
Promote appropriate care to Britain’s diverse pensioner population

Joe Harris, NPC general secretary said: "The voices of pensioners and their carers must be heard loud and clear during this six month consultation period. It seems that everyone acknowledges the growing crisis in social care, but no-one seems prepared to do anything to tackle it. Local authorities have tightened access to services because they have been starved of funds from central government. As a result, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable pensioners have been denied the care they so desperately need. Even those who need help getting out of bed in the morning are being left to fend for themselves. In effect, they either have to rely on friends or family, pay privately or go without."

"Care in this country is still treated like a Cinderella service, which has been under funded and overlooked for years. But those who need the care know that the postcode lottery on access to services, the differing charges around the country, the varying standards of care and the continued use of means-testing are simply intolerable. The government has introduced an artificial dividing line between personal and nursing care when all care should be provided free - and no-one should be expected to sell their home simply to pay for care that in hospital they would get free of charge."

1 in 3 of future pensioners face poverty in retirement

2008-06-30T01:59:00.000-07:00

Britain's biggest older people's organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has claimed that today's Scottish Widows’ survey showing that 1 in 3 people cannot afford to save for their retirement, is further evidence that the government’s pensions’ policy is beginning to unravel.
Joe Harris, NPC general secretary said: "Most financial experts agree that you need a pension pot of about £100,000 to provide an income in retirement of around £6000 a year, but millions of today’s workers – even those in occupational pension schemes – will not get anywhere near that amount. The government’s entire pensions’ policy has relied on means-tested benefits and good company pensions to take people out of poverty in retirement – but this approach is now beginning to unravel. A third of pensioners will still be means-tested in 2050 and good company pension schemes are becoming a thing of the past.”

“The latest figures show that 1 in 4 pensioners already live below the poverty line of £151 a week – 62% of pensioner couples get by on £10,000 or less each year and it looks as if future generations will be even worse off than their parents and grandparents. Rising fuel, food and council tax bills are pushing people further into financial hardship, yet the government’s answer to this looming pensions’ crisis is to tell people to work longer, by raising the age of retirement to 68.”

“A strengthened national insurance based state pension set above the poverty level and linked to earnings offers the most effective way of giving everyone – both now and in the future – real financial security and dignity in retirement.”

The Battle for the OLd Age Pensin

2008-06-18T00:37:00.000-07:00

Before the introduction of the first ever Old Age Pension in 1908, old people who were no longer able to work, depended upon charity to survive. For working people on low factory wages it was impossible to save or put anything aside for their old age. Industrialisation had uprooted the rural population and traditional domestic working and family stability suffered, leaving thousands of old people without any support.

Their last resort was the workhouse.
Modelled upon the prison system, discipline was rigid and breaking the rules could lead to increased working hours, reduced diets or solitary confinement.By 1891, England had a population of just over 29m, of which 1.3m were paupers. Amongst those, the over 60s accounted for 31%.

The workhouse had become the state’s way of ‘caring’ for the elderly.On 13 December 1898, Rev Francis Herbert Stead, a Christian Socialist from Tyneside convened a meeting in the Browning Hall, Southwark at which Charles Booth, the Victorian social reformer and anti-poverty campaigner was the main speaker.
This was to be an historic occasion which initiated a nationwide campaign. In the following year, further conferences in support of old age state pensions were convened in Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Glasgow and Birmingham.

Following these initial public meetings, involving thousands of trade unionists, the National Committee of Organised Labour for Promoting Old Age Pensions for All was formed in January 1899. On 9 May 1899, the National Pensions Committee called a national campaign for universal non-contributory old age pensions at 65. Over the next decade the campaign managed to secure hundreds of thousands of signatures for its petitions, and persuaded the Parliament to hold various inquiries into the viability of introducing a pension.Finally, on 1 August 1908 the Old Age Pensions Act became law.

The pension pioneers had secured a non-contributory pension of five shillings (25p) a week for men and women at 70, which was subject to a means-test. Although this was not a complete victory, they recognised the tremendous social advance that had been made by getting the government to acknowledge that the state had a role to provide for those reaching old age. The pioneers also saw this achievement as a first instalment towards a better pension in the future - something which today’s ongoing campaign also seeks to achieve.A 100 years of state pension and still not enough!
Since 1908, the state pension has been through numerous changes, most notably becoming a contributory, pay-as-you-go scheme of National Insurance in 1946. But over the years it has not reflected the growth in our national wealth, and as a percentage of average earnings it has continued to decrease.

As a result, the majority of today’s older generation now struggle to make ends meet, as the gap between pensioners’ cost of living and the basic state pension continues to grow. Over 2m older people are entitled to means-tested support of £124 a week, and even more live below the official poverty level.The most striking similarity with 100 years ago, is the presence of means-testing.

More pensioners are means-tested now than at any other time and even in its modern guise, it remains unpopular, demeaning and ineffective at getting help to those who need it most.Like a century ago, the poorest of today’s pensioners are also women; the vast majority of whom receive less than a full state pension.
Many were badly advised about paying the ‘small stamp’ or were unable to pay their national insurance contributions because of caring for their families, and being in low paid or part-time employment. However, the struggle for a decent pension should not be something simply of concern to existing pensioners.
It should also interest the pensioners of the future. With decent occupational pensions under increasing attack and in decline, many of today’s workers will face an uncertain retirement unless the state pension is substantially improved and made fully inclusive.Yet, the government argues that to do so is unaffordable.
The National Insurance Fund currently has a surplus of £38.4bn, which is forecast to grow to £72bn by 2012. The money exists to pay a decent state pension - what is lacking, just like in the late 1890s, is the political will to do so.The answer therefore, as it was for the pension pioneers in 1898, is to organise and campaign to build public pressure for change that will ultimately achieve dignity and financial security for all in retirement.

This is an edited version taken from “The Battle for the Old Age Pension” – an attractive 16 page souvenir centenary publication.

Click here to download the Order Form in PDF format

Click here for Timeline - History of Pensions at Seniors Network

Ireland rejects the Treaty of Lisbon

2008-06-16T01:58:00.000-07:00

The Senior Citizens Party called upon the European Commission and the European Council of Ministers to abandon the Treaty of Lisbon in accordance with European Law, since it must be ratified by all 27 member states and Ireland has already rejected it.

The reason it was rejected was not because the Irish are anti-Europe, but because they saw through the attempted confidence trick of revamping the original user-friendly, easy to understand European Constitution into 400 pages of legalese, which no one other than an experienced lawyer could understand, and giving it a new name in the hope that it would just be rubber-stamped.

The arrogance of those who say the Irish rejection does not matter because eighteen other member states have ratified it is almost unbelievable, given that not a single one of those states bothered to consult their people.

"The European Union is just like other governments," said Grahame Leon-Smith, Party Leader. "If they fail to listen to the people, they will be rejected. We want a genuinely democratic Europe which achieves cooperation by consent, not domination by dictatorship."

Food and fuel bills force workers to delay retirement

2008-06-16T01:29:00.000-07:00

Rising food, gas, electricity and petrol bills are forcing pensioners to put off their retirement or consider going back to work, according to a new survey.

Research conducted by YouGov will this week reveal that 64pc of Britons of retirement age are deliberating carrying on working, with around a third of people putting off retirement for financial reasons.

The findings of the poll are based on interviews with 2,000 people of retirement age or close to retirement and will be unveiled at a conference run by insurance group Zurich on Wednesday.
Michael Portillo, the former shadow chancellor, who has delivered speeches and written about the state of UK pensions, said the increased costs of living were "undoubtedly going to put pressure" on pensioners.

"Electricity, gas and bills that many people in work do not have to think about loom very large for the retired person," he said.

"The combined impact of the rising cost of living, rising inflation, fears of recession and the constant media coverage of the credit crisis has created insecurity for a huge number of people approaching retirement and concerned about their financial future.
"Given that so many people are aware that they will face financial difficulties in retirement, more and more people are staying on at work, or returning to work to help ease the financial pressures they face ahead."

The survey will show that 42% of people recognise that they are not saving enough for retirement while a similar number of people are still expecting to take two to three holidays abroad per year.

Around 27%c of workers believe that they will have saved enough to afford their target lifestyle in retirement and around a fifth do not know whether they will have saved enough or not.
Tony Solomon, business development director at Zurich Assurance Life, said that besides the financial pressures, there were other reasons people were looking to stay at work, such as feeling the urge still to make a contribution to society, and to stay active.

However, he added: "It seems that for the lucky few already enjoying their retirement, they may be the last generation of silver surfers to enjoy the financial freedom of a carefree retirement living off the children's inheritance."

End the 25p pension insult -NOW!

2008-06-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

25p for over 80s is an insult!
When it was first introduced 37 years ago it bought a bag of coal. . . today it won’t even buy a second class stamp!

Protest by sending it back to the Chancellor

The state pension has been increased by just £3.40 a week. The additional 25p payment - first introduced in 1971 - is now seen as insulting and derisory.

Thirty seven years ago, the extra weekly payment for those aged 80 and over was set at 25p in line with the value of a bag of coal.

At the time, it was considered a valuable addition to the weekly state pension of £5.
Today, if it had risen relative to the state pension-it would be worth around £4.50 a week. But over the years, its continued neglect has made it a symbol of discontent amongst Britain's elderly.
Even pensions minister Mike O'Brien acknowledged in a parliamentary debate last year that the 25p payment was "an insult", after his mother had complained about it.

Joe Harris, NPC general secretary said: "There are around 2.6m people aged 80 and over, and every week they receive this pathetic payment which rubs their noses in the fact that their state pension of £90.70 a week, is so pitifully low.

“Today, the age addition can't even buy a 27p second class stamp. I think sending 25p back to the Chancellor will show how angry pensioners really are.“This year represents the centenary of the state pension - yet one in five older people, particularly those older pensioners, are living below the official poverty line.

“The government has said it will restore the pension link to earnings in 2012, but by that time 3m of today's pensioners will have already died. We need a decent state pension now, set at around £135 a week, which allows all older people to live in dignity in retirement."

Download the NPC PDF with form

Sale-and-rent-back - a disaster in waiting

2008-06-07T01:55:00.000-07:00

There are growing concerns and dangers associated with sale and rent back schemes for individuals, who are in financial difficulty and wish to remain in their homes. Now one home reversion plan arranger has raised concerns that many of these unregulated companies are preying on some of the most vulnerable members of society, retired people with inadequate pension provision, but who still own their own home.

Sale-and-rent-back property schemes have been branded 'a disaster waiting to happen' by one of Britain's leading charities.

Citizens Advice has called for official regulation of firms that buy the homes of people at risk of repossession at knock down prices before renting them back. It said some companies are paying less than 60% of homes' values with no guarantee that the previous owners will be able to remain in their property beyond a standard six to 12-month rental period.

Peter Tutton, of Citizens Advice said: 'We've got people who are vulnerable trying to stay in their home being enticed into an industry that has no controls on it at all at the moment and that is a disaster waiting to happen.
'Unless something is done to bring this industry into some kind of regulation to get some sort of framework of quality and assurances for people entering into these agreements, the kind of security tenure they're going to get, what they are paying and what protection they get against things going wrong, we could see a lot more people really finding they are losing out lots of money and still losing their homes.'
Unlike equity release firms, sale and rent back schemes are not regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

The number of companies offering sale and rent back schemes has mushroomed over the past 18 months, with many advertising heavily in local and national press and online.
While some firms are large organisations offering certain guarantees, many are small operations looking for increasingly rare bargain buy-to-let purchases.

Most sale-and-rent-back operators offer no rental guarantees beyond a standard Assured Shorthold Tenancy and former homeowners could find themselves evicted within six or 12 months.
The equity release industry has sounded warnings about sale-and-rent-back amid fears that cash-strapped pensioners could fall victim to unscrupulous schemes.

If you are considering this type of scheme to boost you retirement income, or just to repay your loans or mortgage, in the first instance you should contact an independent financial adviser (IFA) with specialist knowledge in this area. They will be able to ascertain your current situation, taking into account your tax status and any state benefits which may be available to you and make appropriate recommendations from the whole of the market as to which is the best scheme to suit your particular needs. You can obtain a list of local IFAs from the FSA website at http://www.fsa.gov.uk/

Pensioners on the March in Blackpool

2008-06-04T01:05:00.000-07:00

THOUSANDS of pensioners were arriving in Blackpool today with a plea for Gordon Brown.

They want the government to increase the state pension and take it to above the poverty line, and restore its link to earnings.
They want action before 2012.The pensioners, many from Greater Manchester, are spending three days in Blackpool for their annual `pensioners parliament', part of the growing grey-power movement.Pensions Minister Mike O'Brien is attending the National Pensioners' Convention where there will be calls for the basic state pension to be lifted above the official poverty level which is £134 a week.
The delegates are also expected to call for free long-term care, the replacing of council tax and measure to tackle fuel poverty.
Pensioner Bill Moores, from Worsley, Salford, was due to march. Mr Moores, 66, who used to work for Chloride Batteries, said the aim of their three-day event was to convince MPs to back their campaign to increase the pension and link it to average earnings.

As they march to local bands the pensioners will be representing as many as 11 million older voters whom they say could be the key to winning the next election.Mr Moores said: "It's the only conference every year where retired people can discuss their problems and their needs and present their proposals to MPs and to Gordon Brown.

We would like to convince backbench MPs to put forward private legislation to end poverty in old age."Mr Moores said that constant pressure from the convention had persuaded the government to extend free travel on the buses to the whole of England. He said: "That was the result of constant pressure but there is still more work to do because free bus travel does not apply at the moment in Scotland or Wales."

The convention's general secretary Joe Harris said the public was unimpressed with what the government had done over 10 years about pensions, council tax and care. He said: "After a century the state pension remains at just £90.70 a week and at least 2.2m pensioners are still living in poverty."

The opening session of the gathering today will feature theatrical readings in period costume and composer Michael Nyman has written a special piece of music for the occasion entitled The battle for the Old Age Pension. It will be performed live by the Wingate band at the Winter Garden. Mr Nyman said:

"We want to help pensioners with rising costs which is why it's important that the battle for a decent old age pension continues."

See news video of Blackpool 2008

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1586371503/bctid1586421897

Grey power marks 100 years of state pension with demand to end poverty in old age

2008-06-02T02:36:00.000-07:00

* Delegates believe grey vote may hold key to election victory
* Composer Michael Nyman lends support to campaign with new piece

Two thousand leading members of Britain’s growing grey power movement will mark 100 years of the state pension at the opening of their annual Pensioners’ Parliament on Tuesday June 3, by calling on the government to raise the state pension above the poverty line and restore its link with earnings before 2012.

The demand comes at the start of the 3-day annual event in Blackpool, organised by the National Pensioners Convention (NPC). Delegates from across the UK will also argue that meeting the needs of Britain’s 11m older voters will be key to winning the next election.
A recent survey by the Hansard Society confirmed previous findings that the propensity to vote directly relates to age. 78% of 65-74-year-olds said they would definitely vote, compared to only 23% of those aged 18-24.

Some of the major concerns which delegates will discuss include:
· Raising the basic state pension above the poverty level of £134 a week and restoring the link with earnings now
· Requiring good quality, free long-term and social care to prevent people from having to sell their homes in order to pay for services
· Replacing the council tax with a fairer system based on the ability to pay
· Tackling the growing threat of fuel poverty amongst Britain’s elderly to prevent the deaths of over 20,000 pensioners every year from the cold

Joe Harris NPC General Secretary said: “The current political climate shows that the general public are unimpressed with what the government has done over the last ten years in relation to pensions, council tax and care. After a century, the state pension remains just £90.70 a week and at least 2.2m pensioners are still living in poverty. The link between pensions and earnings has been delayed until 2012, by which time 3m of today’s older generation will be dead.”

“Social care in Britain is in crisis. The government refuses to spend the money needed to provide free care in the home and continues to argue that patients must pay for help with washing, eating a meal or going to the toilet.”

“Council tax has risen by more than 100% in the last decade, and fuel bills continue to escalate to such a point where millions of older people are now having to make the unenviable choice between eating or heating.”
”All political parties need to realise that pensioners may well hold they key to who wins the next general election – especially as they are more likely to turn out and vote than any other section of the electorate. The Pensioners' Parliament will warn the politicians that if they want the votes of Britain's 11m older people, they are going to have to do something positive.”

The opening session of the Parliament will also feature theatrical readings in period costume and speeches from Frances O’Grady (TUC), Danny Alexander MP and Kate Hoey MP. Delegates will also hear a specially composed piece of music by Michael Nyman entitled “The Battle for the Old Age Pension”.

Michael Nyman said: “The state pension is a fantastic piece of social policy, yet it is in urgent need of support. I’m backing the NPC’s campaign to raise the state pension above the poverty level to help pensioners with rising costs of living. That’s why it’s important that the battle for a decent old age pension continues.”

Pensions Minister, Mike O’Brien will also attend the event for a reception on Wednesday evening.

A more detailed programme is available at http://www.npcuk.org/.
· National and regional representatives from across the UK will be available for interview on request.
· The event starts at 1pm on the North Promenade, Blackpool with a marching band and over 1000 marchers with banners.
· The opening session will start at 2pm in the Empress Ballroom, Winter Gardens, Blackpool.

· Michael Nyman's new piece "The Battle for the Old Age Pension" will be performed live by the Wingates Band on June 3 at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool as part of the Pensioners’ Parliament. I
t will also be performed at the "Nyman Live at Cadogan Hall" festival on June 6,7,8. For more information http://www.cadoganhall.com/.
· Contributions will also be made throughout the event by a number of guest speakers from the Royal College of Nursing, Commission for Social Care Inspection, Carers UK, Communication Workers Union, Local Government Association and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Pension facts & figures - then & now

1908
· Non-contributory pension
· Payable to men and women at 70
· 5 shillings a week: represented between 20-25% of average earnings
· Means-tested and based on character
2008
· Contributory pension
· Payable to men and women at 65 in 2024 and rising to 68 by 2044
· £90.70 a week: represents around 15% of average earnings
· Pension not means-tested, but means-testing still exists for those who need additional income
· One in five of today's 11m pensioners live below the official poverty line, the vast majority of them women. In 1891, 1.3m people were classed as paupers – of which 31% were over 60-years-old
· The National Insurance Fund currently has a surplus of £46bn, which is forecast to grow to £114bn by 2012. This money is primarily intended to pay for state pensions, but today’s pensioners are being denied a higher pension because the government is using the money to fund other expenditure

Julia Neuberger’s manifesto

2008-05-23T02:06:00.000-07:00

Julia Neuberger puts forward 10 demands old people should make on society:

1. Do not make assumptions about my age: end age discrimination

2. Do not waste my skills and experience: the right to work

3. Do not take my pride away: end begging for entitlements

4. Do not trap me at home because there are no public loos or seats: reclaim the streets

5. Do not make me braindead, let me grow: open access to learning

6. Do not force me into a care home: real choice in housing

7. Do not treat those who look after me like rubbish: train and reward care assistants properly

8. Do not treat me like I am not worth repairing: increase the number of community beds in hospitals

9. Do not treat my death as meaningless: the right to die well

10. Do not assume I’m not enjoying life: grey rage

The baroness leading a grey-power rebellion

2008-05-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

Julia Neuberger is fed up with the way society arginalises older people. It’s time they fought back, she tells Alex Kasriel in the Jewish Chronicle

Julia Neuberger has a thing about loos. She wishes there were more public ones. Why? Because she feels that without them, old people are too scared to go out.

“If we were serious about rights for old people, public loos wouldn’t be shut all over the place and they would be staffed,” argues the 58-year-old rabbi and member of the House of Lords, who advises the government on volunteering policy. “Old people just have to go and they don’t want to go in McDonald’s. But because there is an element of bathos about even mentioning it, nothing is done.”
While she does not count herself as one of them just yet, the life peer has made old people her priority. In her new manifesto for old age, Not Dead Yet, she sets out a 10-point plan suggesting how society should prevent senior citizens from feeling marginalised and encourage them to be a more active part of the community.

The book is light and easy to read, but spells out an important message. Neuberger complains about internet banking and its related struggles, she is furious about the law on early retirement, and thinks it is unacceptable that there is little or no funding for continuing education. She wonders why old people are not better represented in areas of public life such as local councils, and is angry about the way in which old people are patronised by the media.
“Newspapers write about older people who do these so-called amazing things like sky-diving,” she says. “I feel like saying: ‘Why shouldn’t they go skydiving if they are able to?’”
She also thinks old people are vilified because they are a burgeoning group of society. “They’re being perceived as a burden. People are resentful of that. But why does the media focus on youth culture? If they wanted a bigger audience, they would go for an older one,” she says.
Not Dead Yet, which goes on sale this week, has already had wide coverage in the media, with extracts printed in a national newspaper and interviews on radio and in the press. Neuberger puts this down to good timing — the publication of her book has coincided with news stories about the lack of decent care homes for elderly people.

“I’m not a writer, I’m a campaigner,” she explains about her decision to put pen to paper. “I got angrier and angrier about how we treat old people in our society. My mother [Liesel Schwab], who was very well cared for and well supported, didn’t feel her life meant anything when she got older. She couldn’t be who she was.”

While the book asks local and central government, the media, and the public to shift their prejudices, Neuberger is also calling on old people themselves to fight their own battle.
“I think older people themselves in this country have not been angry enough,” she says. “They are the generation who went through the war and the welfare state and everything’s done for them. I do think the government has really got some of this wrong, but I’m really saying to older people that they have to be more formidable. They have to be out there being angry.”

Neuberger points to the late trades-union leader Jack Jones as a good example of an older person who fought for grey rights when he served as the President of the National Pensioners Convention.
She argues that the retirement age should be based not on age, but on an individual’s capabilities. “There’s been wonderful staff at the House of Lords for example who have had to go at 65 who didn’t want to,” she says. “But the members can carry on for life. I think we should have to retire eventually at the House of Lords. There should be someone saying: ‘Actually, you’re not up to it any more.’ The test should be, are you good at this, not how old you are.”
But once you do retire, you should be thinking about how you are going to pass 30 years or so fruitfully. “What’s the point of cruising round the world for 30 years?”

Neuberger asks. “We can’t force people to do things, but we can say to them: ‘What are you going to do next?’ Whether it’s looking after your grandchildren, volunteering or studying — you could change the culture towards that. The question is, can you get the framework to make it easy for old people to volunteer at 70? Also, lots of people want to carry on studying. But the bulk of funding is given to younger people.”
One person who has injected a lust for life into the older generation is Tim Samuels, the 32-year-old BBC documentary filmmaker who formed pensioner rock group The Zimmers last year and helped them achieve a hit record with their song My Generation.

“He is a hero because he’s the first person I have been aware of, of his generation, who’s completely unpatronising about old people,” she says. “We need Tim to lead a media re-brand.”
Neuberger can count on one hand other media vehicles in which old people are portrayed with dignity and energy. One is the advertising campaign for Dove skincare products, which featured the 97-year-old model Irene Sinclair.

She believes old people should not be lumped into one box labelled “pensioners”. “It’s ludicrous to talk about a whole generation of people being aged from 60 to 100,” she argues. And being near that age herself but someone who has no intention of retiring any time soon, it seems obvious that she should not be classed in the same category as a dependent.
“I would have thought I’m going to be working for the next 10 years or so,” she says. “At the moment I’m at the House of Lords so I should be working until I’m 93. I don’t think people should be written off.”
Neuberger hopes to see a shift in society, one in which old people are thought of as dynamic and self-sufficient.
“I will feel I have achieved something if I see the beginnings of a real grey-power movement in this country,” she says. “If I see groups of older people out there, arguing their corner, I will have succeeded.”
Not Dead Yet is published by Harper Collins at £18.99

Neuberger’s manifesto - see page above

10p compensation is "too little, too late" for pensioners

2008-05-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

Britain's biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has today criticised the Chancellor's proposed package of compensation for those aged under 65, as "too little, too late" to win back the support of older voters.

Joe Harris, NPC general secretary said: "Under the old system, a pensioner aged 60-64 with an income of £10,000 a year would have had an annual tax bill of £782. Even with Mr Darling's extra £600, the same pensioner will pay £793 in tax - still leaving them £11 worse off. This panic measure is too little too late and won't be enough to win back the trust and support of Britain's older voters. That can only come when the government agrees to raise the basic state pension substantially and restore its link with earnings."

TAX RATES FOR AGE 60-64

2007/08 £5225 Personal Allowance Tax Free
£2230 Tax at 10% £223
£2545 Tax at 22% £559.90
Totals £10,000 £782.90 Tax

2008/09 £6035 Personal Allowance Tax Free
£3965 Tax at 20% £793
Totals £10,000 £793 Tax

Campaigners pressing for action to lift tens of thousands of low income households out of "fuel poverty"

2008-04-23T02:29:00.000-07:00

Ministers and energy companies are meeting campaigners pressing for action to lift tens of thousands of low income households out of "fuel poverty".
Ofgem, the energy regulator, is bringing together Government, industry and charities for a summit to address the plight of people struggling to pay rising gas and electricity bills.

A coalition of campaign groups released on Tuesday figures which, they said, showed the vast majority of pensioners and lone parents were now living in fuel poverty - defined as households spending more than 10% of their income on fuel costs.

Age Concern, the Child Poverty Action Group and National Energy Action said that almost one in five households, or 4.5 million people, were now affected.

According to their figures, the average fuel bill for 65 to 74-year-olds has leapt to £1,000, a rise of 15% for a single pensioner.
At the same time the price comparison service uSwitch.com published a survey suggesting 6.8 million households were in debt to their energy suppliers - with average arrears of £114.

Ministers say that they have put in place a raft of measures to tackle the problem - including winter fuel payments for pensioners - while the energy companies were required to invest £1 billion-a-year in making low income households more energy efficient.

Pensions Link to Earnings Blocked by Government

2008-04-23T02:24:00.000-07:00

The media has focused for the last few days on the threat of a rebellion by Labour MPs on the abolition of the 10p tax rate but tonight there was an equally important vote in Parliament that has gone ignored by the press.The House of Commons was debating the final stages of the Government's Pensions Bill.

An amendment was moved and supported by a number of Labour MPs to urge the Government to set a date for the restoration of the link between earnings and pensions.The background to this issue is that as part of her attack on the welfare state Mrs Thatcher broke the link whereby state pensions would be increased each year by either the increase in inflation or earnings, whichever was the highest.

Raising pensions only in line with inflation has meant that pensioners have lost out on over £35 a week.In opposition the Labour Party promised to restore the link to earnings and after a long and hard campaign by pensioner organisations, particularly the National Pensioners Convention, Gordon Brown as Chancellor had to concede to restoring the link. However he only promised to do this at the earliest in 2012 and possibly only by 2015 if he judged the economic situation permitted.

This bitterly disappointed the pensioner groups because many current pensioners would simply not be alive by that time to enjoy the benefits of the restoration of the link. In the meantime 2 million pensioners remain in poverty. It is estimated by the Government that 60% of pensioners will eventually be forced to rely upon means tested benefits but the Government's own figures demonstrate that 40% of pensioners do not claim the means tested pensioner credits they are entitled to.

Tonight's amendment called upon the Government to announce the date when the earnings link will be restored in its next pre budget report. So it was hardly a revolutionary demand.

Nevertheless the Government opposed it and despite 20 Labour MPs voting against the Government the amendment was lost. It's an irony that 24 hours after the Government was able to find £30 billion to bail out the banks who have profiteered at our expense over the last decade, it can't find less than a half a billion to fulfil a longstanding pledge to our pensioners.

It demonstrates quite clearly where the Prime Minister's priorities lie.

New research reveals shocking reality of pensioner poverty

2008-04-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

The National Pensioners Convention (NPC), Britain's biggest pensioner organisation, has claimed the latest pension research from the UK Statistics Authority reveals the shocking reality of pensioner hardship in 21st century Britain.Joe Harris, NPC general secretary said: "For years, successive governments told us that it was okay to keep the state pension low because private company pension schemes would ensure that everyone had a comfortable income in retirement. But these figures prove that was a myth. A 100 years after the first ever state pension and 62% of pensioner couples and at least 50% of single pensioners are living well below the official poverty line. It is a national scandal, yet the government's only solution is to offer people means-tested benefits and delay restoring the link with earnings until 2012. The country can afford to give all older people a decent pension of at least £135 a week that goes up each year in line with wages. After 100 years, it's time we ended pensioner poverty for good.

PENSION FACTS

The state pension link with average earnings was broken in 1980. Had the link remained, today's state pension for an individual would now be worth £145.15 a week rather than £90.70.
By the time the link is restored by the government in 2012, 3m of today's pensioners will have already died.
The national insruance fund currently has a surplus balance of £46bn.
Around 1.8m pensioners do not claim the means-tested Pension Credit, despite being eligible.
1 in 5 pensioners live below the official poverty line, the vast majority of them women.

For more information contact Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608Visit www.pension 100.co.uk for information about the NPC's pension campaign

Pensioners stage 25p protest

2008-04-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

Britain's biggest pensioner organisation is today calling on all older people aged 80 and over to send the 25p weekly age addition they receive, back to the Chancellor, in protest at the government's continued failure to substantially raise the basic state pension.

The National Pensioners Convention's (NPC) call comes on the day the state pension is increased by just £3.40 a week extra. But the additional 25p payment - first introduced in 1971 - is now seen by many older people as insulting and derisory.

Thirty seven years ago, the extra weekly payment for those aged 80 and over was set at 25p in line with the value of a bag of coal. At the time, it was considered a valuable addition to the weekly state pension of £5. Today, if it had risen relative to the state pension - it would be worth around £4.50 a week.

But over the years, its continued neglect has made it a symbol of discontent amongst Britain's elderly. Even pensions minister Mike O'Brien acknowledged in a parliamentary debate last year that the 25p payment was "an insult", after his mother had complained about it.

Joe Harris, NPC general secretary said: "There are around 2.6m people aged 80 and over, and every week they receive this pathetic payment which rubs their noses in the fact that their state pension of £90.70 a week, is so pitifully low. Today, the age addition can't even buy a 27p second class stamp. I think sending 25p back to the Chancellor will show how angry pensioners really are."

"This year represents the centenary of the state pension - yet 1 in 5 older people, particularly those older pensioners, are living below the official poverty line. The government has said it will restore the pension link to earnings in 2012, but by that time 3m of today's pensioners will have already died. We need a decent state pension now, set at around £135 a week, which allows all older people to live in dignity in retirement."