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Press Release
For immediate use: 16.12.2009
Pensioners condemn decision to withdraw cheques
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has criticised the decision by the Payments Council to withdraw the use of cheques by 2018, describing it as “out of touch” with the needs of older consumers.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: "This is such a selfish decision, made by people who are clearly out of touch with the way millions of older pensioners manage their affairs. Chip and pin is simply not suitable for a large number of pensioners and this announcement provides no guarantees that cheques will be replaced with anything that meets the needs of older consumers. The Payments Council has taken away choice from older people in the name of profit. We have to reverse this decision before it's too late."
ENDS
For more
information contact Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
|
Freeze on part of the state pension increase is “underhand and shabby”
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has described the Chancellor’s secret plan to freeze next year’s 2.5% increase to parts of the state pension package as “underhand and shabby”.
It has emerged that the government will not raise the Graduated Pension payments or the State Earnings Related Pension (SERPS) that form part of the state pension package for over 10m people. The freeze is expected to save £350m in 2010/11.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “Pensioners will be absolutely stunned that only part of their state pension is going to rise next year. This is unprecedented and the fact that the Chancellor never made this clear in his pre-budget statement looks underhand and shabby. Over 2.5m older people already live in poverty and millions more are struggling to meet the rising costs of living. This decision will certainly push more into financial hardship. We need a state pension that takes older people out of poverty – not one that pushes them further into it. It’s simply unfair that the least able are being asked to shoulder the biggest burden of the recession.”
- The scale of pensioner poverty is rising - 822 pensioners fell into poverty every day last year. 2.5m older people now live below the official poverty line. Means-tested benefits fail to reach almost 2m of the poorest pensioners.
- Around 5m older people who have modest savings of around £10,000 have lost between £10 and £20 a week (up to as much as £1000 a year) as a result of the drop in interest rates.
- The latest excess winter death figures show that 37,313 older people died from cold related illnesses last year – a 50% increase on the previous figure and the highest level of deaths for nearly a decade.
- One in three pensioners is estimated to be spending more than 10% of their income on energy bills, placing them in fuel poverty, and the winter fuel allowance now covers just a fifth of the average bill, compared to a third when it was first introduced.
- Older people face annual inflation rates around ten times higher than the rest of the population, according to a recent report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies. Pensioners spend a larger proportion of their income on those items whose prices are rising fastest.
|
Chancellor’s pre-budget report gives with one hand but takes away from pensioners with the other
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has said the Chancellor’s pre-budget report will bring little Christmas cheer to the country’s 11m older people, because it gives with one hand, but takes away with the other.
The Chancellor’s guarantee to raise the basic state pension by 2.5% next April will give those on a full state pension an annual increase of £124.80 (£2.40 a week), whilst many women with a reduced entitlement will get just £72.80 (£1.40 a week).
But the NPC has calculated that against this proposed increase, millions of older people will actually lose money. For example:
- The £60 additional Christmas Bonus paid in 2008 has been removed this year from all pensioners
- Pensioners will now face a new 50p a month high speed broadband levy equal to £6 a year, despite the fact that 7 out of 10 have never used the internet
- £250m will be taken from residential care services at a time when demand is growing. This could affect around 268,800 older residents who currently receive assistance with their care costs
- Free concessionary bus travel at 60 will be taken away from future pensioners, and eligibility will re-align with the rising state pension age
- Older consumers will experience double inflation of 6% early next year, because they spend a higher proportion of their income on those items whose prices are rising fastest
- The winter fuel allowance has again been frozen at £250 for the under 80s and £400 for the over 80s despite a 50% increase in winter deaths and expected rises in energy bills
As a result, pensioners on a full state pension will see next year’s rise reduced by at least 53% - with the reduction closer to 91% for up to 5m older women who receive a lower state pension.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “Christmas is traditionally a time of peace and goodwill to all – but the Chancellor has managed to offer millions of pensioners little more than a dose of Scrooge inspired bah humbug. The pre-budget report gives with one hand – but then takes away with the other, and does little to tackle rising pensioner poverty, fuel poverty or the impact that the recession is continuing to have on older savers.”
“One in four pensioners still live in poverty and rising costs of food and fuel, combined with record lows in savings returns and underperforming pensions, mean that pensioners continue to suffer a disproportionate increase in the cost of living. In light of all this, the Chancellor’s promise to raise the state pension next year by £2.40 a week but then take more than half of it back again will bring little cheer to Britain’s pensioners.”
Pensioner facts and figures
- The scale of pensioner poverty is rising - 822 pensioners fell into poverty every day last year. 2.5m older people now live below the official poverty line. Means-tested benefits fail to reach almost 2m of the poorest pensioners.
- Around 5m older people who have modest savings of around £10,000 have lost between £10 and £20 a week (up to as much as £1000 a year) as a result of the drop in interest rates.
- The latest excess winter death figures show that 37,313 older people died from cold related illnesses last year – a 50% increase on the previous figure and the highest level of deaths for nearly a decade.
- One in three pensioners is estimated to be spending more than 10% of their income on energy bills, placing them in fuel poverty, and the winter fuel allowance now covers just a fifth of the average bill, compared to a third when it was first introduced.
- Older people face annual inflation rates around ten times higher than the rest of the population, according to a recent report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies. Pensioners spend a larger proportion of their income on those items whose prices are rising fastest.
|
Free care announcement recognises failure of current system
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has welcomed today’s announcement in the Queen’s Speech that up to 280,000 older people with severe care needs could receive free personal care at home, but has urged the government to go much further and faster to tackle the crisis that currently surrounds the country’s care system.
The NPC believes that the current social care system is in crisis with serious concerns about the postcode lottery of services and charges, the unfairness of means-testing, the lack of access to care for those with less severe needs and the quality of the services people receive. Currently 75% of local authorities do not provide help to those with more moderate needs and at least 1.5m people have already been denied help because of care rationing.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “Today’s announcement to introduce free personal care for older people in their own home is a recognition that the current means-tested system is unfair and has failed to deliver services to hundreds of thousands of pensioners with care needs. Free personal care at home would be the first step in the long march towards introducing a National Care Service which we believe should be funded through general taxation and provide good quality services free to all those in need. But the government needs to be more radical about the changes that are necessary.”
“All those receiving care at home should now get it free, and we must raise the standards of those services, strengthen the regulation of many private care providers, end the unfair postcode lottery of care charges and improve the quality of life for those 500,000 older people in residential care homes. All parties should now pledge their support to put the welfare of our most vulnerable older people at the top of the political agenda.”
ENDS
For more
information contact Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
|
New alliance criticises government's care proposals
Britain's biggest pensioner organisation, a
leading trade union representing care workers and a major charity tackling
elder abuse have joined forces to respond to the government's green paper
consultation on the future of care (which ends today Nov 13).
The National Pensioners Convention (NPC), GMB and Action on Elder Abuse (AEA) have identified three key concerns surrounding the government's care proposals, which they say could jeopardise the safety of older people and damage the quality of the services they receive.
Their joint response to the green paper calls for:
1. A new National Care Service to be funded through general taxation rather than any the use of one-off lump sum payments, private insurance or through the use of existing care or disability benefits.
The organisations believe that the proposed National Care Service can only be properly financed through a universal tax-funded system, and the government’s instant dismissal of this option is not evidenced based, but politically driven. There is wider support for this amongst the public and other stakeholders than the government seems prepared to acknowledge.
2. A new National Care Service to be properly regulated with regard to registration, standards, monitoring and inspection of care providers and those employed in the care sector.
There should be new requirements for the registration of care providers so that 50% of staff in care homes and all new staff working in domiciliary care would be suitably qualified. The General Social Care Council should also be responsible for registering, inspecting and regulating paid care workers.
3. The use of individual budgets for older people to be reconsidered as they raise serious concerns about personal safety, the quality of care and unacceptable responsibility that will be placed on many vulnerable users.
Individual budgets purport to give individuals choice and control over their care, but for many older people they will be an unacceptable burden. Individual budgets also raise serious concerns about the safety and protection of vulnerable individuals who will be responsible for employing their own care workers, who at present are exempt from registration, regulation and inspection.
Dot Gibson, NPC General Secretary
said: “Care in the UK is in crisis. For years it has been the Cinderella service of the welfare state – under funded and overlooked, and this long awaited green paper has clearly missed the opportunity to put this right. Suggestions that people should pay lump sums or
take out private health insurance just won’t tackle the inequalities in the system.”
“Older people and their families have a right to ask: why when education, the NHS and many other public services can be funded by society as a whole – should the care of our most vulnerable pensioners be left to individuals? For generations that have already contributed to our society, the fairest and most effective way of providing good quality care to everyone is through a tax-funded option – and it is disgraceful that the government has ruled this out of the consultation before we’ve even had a debate.”
Sharon Holder, GMB National Officer
said: “The workforce, which accounts for 80% of all social care expenditure in the UK, is low paid, nearly half work part-time, is supplemented by migrant and agency workers and is pre-dominated by female staff. There is no longer a requirement that 50% of staff employed in care homes will be qualified to NVQ 2 level, and, as a consequence, the quality of care provision across the sector is suffering.”
“The failure of the Government in the Green Paper to devote any significant attention to workforce issues simply underpins the lack of any real commitment to delivering the high quality and innovative services users want and the Government desires. If the future of Care and Support in England is to truly improve, then, more needs to be done to regulate standards, monitor provisions and improve the conditions of the workforce."
Gary Fitzgerald, Action on Elder Abuse Chief Executive
said: “The funding and delivery of social care support has a major impact upon the quality of life for many older people, and the constant re-writing of eligibility criteria to exclude them from access to anything other than critical support has resulted in an increase in neglect within our communities.”
“The transfer of social care from regulated, managed and supervised services to the unregulated provision of 'cash for care' is dangerous. It goes against all that the Government knows about elder abuse and it unnecessarily increases risk without any safeguards being put in place. Older people do not want to become employers and managers in their old age; they want quality care that is flexible and safe, and it is about time the Government listened to their voices."
The three organisations will be launching their joint submission on Friday 13 November at 11am-12 noon, Room M, Portcullis House, London.
Shaping the Future of Care Together - NPC response to government consultation
|
Pensioners say “Hands off our winter fuel allowance"
Britain's biggest older people's organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has condemned the Audit Commission’s latest report which calls for changes to be made to the annual winter fuel allowance.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: "Every year over 20,000 pensioners die from cold-related illnesses and one in three older people are currently living in fuel poverty; paying more than 10% of their income on energy bills. Every time there is a 1% increase in energy bills, a further 40,000 older people fall into hardship. Suggestions that this scandal can be tackled by means-testing the winter fuel allowance is frankly stupid. The best way of getting money to those who need it most is to pay it universally and use the tax system to claw it back from those who are well off."
The NPC will call for the winter fuel allowance to be raised to £500 for all pensioner households when it launches its Pensioners’ Manifesto for the general election, in the House of Commons tomorrow afternoon (Oct 21).
ENDS
For more
information contact Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
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.
- 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.
|
Pensioners launch ‘grey’ manifesto for general election
Britain's biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), will today (Oct 21) launch a Pensioners' Manifesto for the forthcoming general election.
Over the coming months the NPC plans to put the manifesto before prospective parliamentary candidates as a way of highlighting the concerns of Britain’s 11m older voters – and the campaign message will be clear – “Use your vote for those candidates that support the Pensioners’ Manifesto”.
The six major manifesto areas that pensioners would like the major parties to address in their own policies include:
- Raising the basic state pension above the official poverty level (estimated at £165 a week in 2009), and linking it to the higher of earnings or prices.
- Introducing free long-term and social care funded from general taxation which would be provided without the need for means-testing, rationing or a postcode lottery.
- Good quality local services to be funded through national income tax rather than council tax.
- Free UK-wide travel to be extended to all forms of public transport (buses, trams and local rail) to encourage independence and greater mobility, as well as helping the environment and reducing demand on care services.
- Ending age discrimination where it adversely affects the opportunities, goods and services available to older people.
- Raising the winter fuel allowance to £500 per pensioner household to tackle fuel poverty and winter deaths.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: "Pensioners are fed up with MPs of all parties being more interested in their own expenses than the needs of their older constituents. One in four older people still live in poverty, over 20,000 die every year of cold related illnesses and the cost and quality of care that pensioners receive is a national scandal. Whilst it’s true that pensioners don’t vote on block, they are more likely than any other section of society to turn out to the polling booth. That’s why all the political parties need to realise that if they want our votes, they must start addressing our concerns.”
The launch will take place at 1-3pm, Committee Room 14, House of Commons. Speakers will include Angela Eagle MP, Pensions Minister, Tony Watts, Editor of Mature Times and Dot Gibson NPC general secretary.
ENDS
For more
information contact Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
|
Pensioners warn over
“unrealistic” Tory care plans
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation,
the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has warned that the Conservatives’
proposed care plans will not end the scandal of older people having to sell
their homes to pay for residential care.
The NPC
claims that the Tory voluntary private insurance based scheme is
“unrealistic” in its attempt to pay for the full cost of residential care.
The Convention point out that care insurance schemes already exist but the
take-up has been relatively low, and often fail to provide enough money to
cover the full cost of annual residential care – estimated at approximately
£52,000 – double what the Conservatives claim.
Dot Gibson, NPC general
secretary said: “Care in the UK is in crisis. For years it has been the
Cinderella service of the welfare state – under funded and overlooked, but
this week both main parties have made proposals that are simplistic and
unrealistic. Their figures just simply don’t add up. Suggestions that people
should pay lump sums or take out private health insurance just won’t tackle
the inequalities in the system or prevent pensioners from having to sell
their homes.”
“Older
people and their families have a right to ask: why when education, the NHS
and many other public services can be funded by society as a whole – should
the care of our most vulnerable pensioners be left to individuals?”
ENDS
For more
information contact Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
|
PM creates
confusion over free care announcement
Britain’s
biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC),
has warned that yesterday’s announcement by the Prime Minister to introduce
free care for those most in need has caused confusion and concern amongst
many older people and their families.
In
his speech to the Labour Party conference Mr Brown said: “The people who
face the greatest burden are too often those on middle incomes, who have
savings which will last a year or two, but then they will see their savings
slip away. And the best starting point for our National Care Service is to
help the elderly get the amenities to do what they most want: to receive
care and to stay in their homes as long as possible. And so for those with
the highest needs we will now offer in their own homes free personal care.”
This
morning on Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Brown went on to say that this
measure would be introduced from September 2010, costing £325m and helping
300,000 people.
The NPC
points out that on average the money proposed would offer someone in
critical need around 54 hours of free care a year, which at a rate of £20
per hour would be little more than an hour a week.
Dot
Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “Our social care system is in crisis –
and the answer isn’t to offer limited help to one section of our society –
but to everyone – because those with moderate needs soon become those with
critical needs when they are left without any support. What Mr Brown should
have said was that a new National Care Service was going to be funded by
general taxation and available to all. This is little more than a bit of
pre-election window dressing.”
ENDS
For more
information contact Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
|
"Shaping the Future of Care Together"
The government's new green
paper on care is currently open to consultation. The NPC has set up a
special group consisting of pensioner and professional experts to advise us
on the details. However, it is already clear that the emphasis of the green
paper does not meet our concerns. We have therefore produced an alternative
vision of a National Care Service which
you can download as PDF here."
|
New report
proves means-testing and pensioners don't mix
Britain's biggest pensioner
organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) is calling on the
government to admit that their policy of means-testing the country's older
population has failed to end pensioner poverty.
The call
follows a new report out today (September 5) from Just Retirement Solutions,
revealing that one in four pensioners are unaware of their entitlement to
state benefits.
The latest official figures from the
Department for Work and Pensions also
highlight how ineffective the means-tested Pension Credit has been at
tackling pensioner poverty:
-
There
are up to 1.7m pensioners who are eligible, but do not receive the
Pension Credit (ENR - eligible non-recipients). This represents a
take-up rate of between 61%-70% - below the government’s stated target
of 73%
-
33% of
these individuals (ENRs) are aged 80 or over
-
2.5m
pensioners in Britain are said to be living in poverty
-
34% of
ENRs are missing out on up to £60 a week in unclaimed benefits
-
Overall,
up to £2.9bn in Pension Credit goes unclaimed
-
The
Pension Credit take-up rate is the lowest in the East Midlands, London,
the South East, South West, East of England and Wales where the number
of pensioners who are eligible but don’t claim is higher than those
actually receiving the benefit (see table below for regional breakdown)
The NPC’s
own research offers a number of reasons as to why pensioners are reluctant
to make a claim. These include:
-
Feeling
that the process of claiming is demeaning
-
Being
unaware of the rules and/or a belief that they are ineligible to claim
-
An
unwillingness to disclose personal information
-
A
complicated and off-putting claiming process
Dot Gibson,
NPC general secretary said: “When Gordon Brown was in opposition in 1993, he
claimed he wanted to be the first Labour chancellor to end the means-testing
of Britain’s elderly, yet he has been the architect behind the biggest
expansion of means-testing of pensioners since WWII. After more than five
years, the Pension Credit still fails to reach nearly 2m of the country’s
poorest older people – because they are unwilling to take part in what they
see as a demeaning process. It’s time the government realised that
pensioners and means-testing simply don’t mix. What older people want is a
decent state pension which is set above the poverty level of £165 a week and
rises each year in line with earnings.”
ENDS
For more information contact
Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
|
Middle class people who have saved up throughout their lives
could be forced to pay more to cover their personal care in
old age. ...
But
Neil Duncan-Jordan, of the National Pensioners'
Convention, described the revised scheme as like
"rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic". ...
|
Don’t blame
the ‘Bus
Pass’
Britain’s
biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC)
notes with growing concern the increasing amount of disinformation that is
being portrayed across the media, both at National and Regional, on the
subject of Pensioner travel.
Whilst there is a
grudging acknowledgement of the benefits of the Bus Pass almost all comment
fails to recognise the value to the community at large. Older people
themselves enjoy better health by their inclusion in society, which means
less cost to that society in health care and even day care.
Additionally older people are able to give back out of their knowledge and
experience to society by contributing in the work place and in the volunteer
sector.
Older people are not without some disposable income and they spend that
income in the precincts and town centres on their trips out contributing
again and again to those local communities. For Tourist centres to spend
millions on advertising for visitors and then complain when we visit smacks
of greed and hypocrisy.
Peter
Rayner
Vice President of the NPC says, "As to funding, both the bus companies and
the local councils are less than transparent in their dealings. The money
coming down from central government is not ring fenced, the councils do not
want it ring fenced and it is therefore not always used on the free travel.
The imprecise nature of the funding does not end there. The half price fare
money in 2000, the gender balance money for men and women to be equal in
2002, the local bus pass money in 2006 is still all there in little parcels
within the grant, none of it ring fenced, along with the now much talked
about 2008 Act special grant. Is it any wonder the bus companies and the
councils can make it up as they choose! That makes four separate amounts of
money together spread over 280 local authorities all negotiating with a few
big bus companies skilled in such negotiation."
The money coming from Central Government needs to be allocated at least on a
county basis and then a tighter grip made on the Bus Companies with better
auditing of their arrangements. The Act clearly states Operators should
be "no better and no worse off". Yet some plead poverty and others show the
pensioner travel as a healthy contributor to their bottom line.
All it needs is the political will to realise that society as a whole
benefits from the inclusion within it of the senior members of that
society. It is easy in a recession to find someone to blame.
ENDS
For more
information contact Peter Rayner on 01264 737
251 or 07778882029
|
Work and Pensions Select Committee fails to provide real solutions to
pensioner poverty
Britain's
biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC),
welcomes the Work and Pensions Select Committee’s call to "eradicate
pensioner poverty" given that there are still over 2 million pensioners who
have to endure living in poverty in the 21st Century. But, means testing is
not the solution, however much the government tries to find new ways of
reaching people.
The Select Committee says that a strong Basic
State Pension is an
essential building block
in people’s retirement income. However this misses the point. Millions are
losing out in the crisis of private and occupational pension schemes and so
the state pension is fast becoming the
only reliable
part of people’s
retirement income. That is why the
state pension should be strengthened rather than expecting those on low and
modest incomes to save more for their retirement.
We hope that the government will take seriously the Select Committee’s
recommendation to iron out differences in current benefits allowed for
mobility and care, which discriminate against older people. Other
recommendations, including an increase in the Personal Expenses Allowance
for residents in care homes from £21.90 to £40 are welcome.
The Committee warns government of the implications of failure to restore the
link to earnings by 2012. However, on the present level of the state
pension, this would mean an increase of only around £1.40 a week. The NPC
maintains that the state pension should be restored to at least the official
poverty level (calculated at £158 in 2007-08 and now £165) and then linked
to earnings or prices, whichever is higher.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “In a week when the European
Commission ranks the
UK as being fourth from the bottom in the league table of
pensioner poverty (out of 27 member states) you begin to wonder how low can
we get? The Select Committee report dishes out some good advice, but its
‘solutions’ are more of the same. A simple and logical solution to lift
pensioners out of poverty would be to bring in a living state pension.”
ENDS
For more
information contact Dot Gibson on
020 7553 6510
Notes to Editors
NPC Briefing Paper on Pensioners’ Income
(Based on the latest official figures contained in the Households Below
Average Income Series 2007/8)
Poverty Level
·
The figure
in 2007-8 calculated as 60% median population income (before housing costs)
for a single pensioner was £158 a week. After housing costs the figure was
£115 a week. These figures are used to determine the recognised poverty
level. The NPC estimates that the poverty level in 2009 is now around £165 a
week (before housing costs).
·
In 2007-8
there were 2.5m pensioners living below 60% median population income (before
housing costs) and 2m (after housing costs). This is the same figure as in
2006-7. The government claims the reason why no progress has been made in
reducing the actual number of older people living in poverty is due to the
rising costs of living and the insufficient take-up of means-tested benefits
(Pension Credit).
Take-up of benefits
·
Disability
Living Allowance was claimed by 1.3m pensioners, Attendance Allowance 1.1m,
Pension Credit 2m and Housing Benefit 1.5m. 6.2m older people were disabled,
but only 2.4m were in receipt of disability benefits. 1.8m pensioners were
eligible for Pension Credit but do not claim.
Savings
·
There were
6.7m pensioners who had less than £10,000 in savings.
Pensioner inflation
·
According to
the Institute for Fiscal Studies, whilst the average inflation rate was
2.1%, those aged 70-79 faced inflation of 5.6%, rising to 7.1% for the over
80s.
Those most at risk of poverty
·
The majority
of pensioners in low income households were owner-occupiers.
·
Single
pensioners living alone, the majority of whom are women, had a higher risk
of low income than all other groups.
·
In general,
the older the pensioner, the greater the likelihood of low income.
·
Overall,
pensioners were more likely to be in the bottom two income categories of
total population income and less likely to be in the top two categories of
total population income than the population as a whole. This undermines
previous claims by the government that being older was not synonymous with
being poor.
|
Green Paper
delays tackling the crisis in care
Britain’s
biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC),
has warned that the new care green paper will fail to tackle the crisis that
currently exists in care system because it may take up to five years to
introduce.
The NPC also
criticised ministers for ruling out the one option that would have been the
fairest – using general taxation or national insurance to provide services
free at the point of need.
Dot Gibson,
NPC general secretary said: “Care in the UK is in crisis. For years it has
been the Cinderella service of the welfare state – under funded and
overlooked, but this long awaited green paper has clearly missed the
opportunity to put this right. Suggestions that people should pay lump sums
or take out private health insurance just won’t tackle the inequalities in
the system.”
“Older
people and their families have a right to ask: why when education, the NHS
and many other public services can be funded by society as a whole – should
the care of our most vulnerable pensioners be left to individuals?”
“The fact
that it has taken 12 years for the government to come up with any proposals
– with the prospect of up to another 5 years before any legislation, is a
terrible betrayal of Britain’s pensioners and their families. In the
meantime, the system continues to crumble and older people continue to
receive a second-class service.”
ENDS
For more
information contact Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
|
Government’s
new ageing strategy must address the issue of poverty
Britain’s
biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has
said that the government’s new initiative aimed at older people entitled
“Building a Society for All Ages” must address the issue of poverty if it is
going to have any real impact on the lives of the country’s pensioners.
Dot Gibson,
NPC general secretary said: “Acknowledging the fact that we have an ageing
population and the need to stay healthy and active in later life is
something to welcome, but the government must address the fundamental issue
of pensioner poverty if it is to really build a society that is fit for all
ages. At least one in four older people live below the official poverty
line, whilst millions more are struggling to make ends meet faced with the
rising costs of living. Unless we urgently tackle this problem by paying
everyone a decent state pension, growing older will continue to be
synonymous with being poorer.”
ENDS
For more
information contact Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
|
Long awaited green paper
on care must pass key tests to be fit for the 21st
century
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation,
the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has warned that this week’s long
awaited green paper on care must pass five key tests if it is to tackle the
crisis currently affecting the service.
Research
from the NPC, entitled No More Suffering in Silence, has identified
the following issues that need addressing if care services are be fit for
the 21st century:
·
Ending the means-testing of care and the postcode lottery of
charges
·
Improving the quality and availability of services
·
Providing greater financial support to carers
·
Establishing caring as a proper profession with appropriate
pay and conditions
·
Pooling the risk and cost of care across the whole population
to provide services free at the point of need
Dot Gibson, NPC general
secretary said: “Care in the UK is in crisis. For year’s it has been the
Cinderella service of the welfare state – under funded and overlooked. This
long awaited green paper must not miss the opportunity to put this right.
But it will only do so if it improves the quality of the service, ends the
unfairness of means-testing and shares the cost of care amongst the
population as a whole.”
“Currently
the annual cost of home care stands at about £1.3bn, whilst residential care
reaches £15.6bn. Every year thousands of older people have to sell their
homes to pay for this care and when the money runs out the burden falls
on hard-pressed families. As a result, around 3m carers are currently saving
the state an estimated £87bn in unpaid care – and they too need greater
support and financial help.”
“This is a once in a
generation opportunity to treat the most vulnerable members of our society
with dignity and respect, and the government must ensure that the green
paper quickly becomes legislation that can be on the statute books before
the end of this Parliament. Anything less will be a terrible betrayal of
Britain’s pensioners and their families.”
ENDS
For more information contact
Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
A copy of the report, No
More Suffering in Silence, is available on request
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Annual
Pensioners’ Parliament offers
a grilling for MPs,
a Pensioners’ Manifesto and Parky
-
MPs face Question Time session from 2000 delegates
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Launch of a Pensioners’ Manifesto for the general election
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Sir Michael Parkinson addresses delegates in his role as Care Ambassador
Up to two thousand leading
members of Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners
Convention (NPC), will gather on Tuesday June 2 for the start of the 17th
annual Pensioners’ Parliament, at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
Highlights of the 3-day event
will include:
-
On day one (2 June):
a two hour Question Time style session featuring Rt Hon Rosie Winterton
MP (Pensions Minister), Nigel Waterson MP (Shadow Minister for Older
People) and Paul Rowen MP (Lib Dem). They will face questions over
pensioner poverty and the use of means-testing, whether council tax is
fair, the need for dignity in care, how to tackle fuel poverty and the
issue of MPs’ expenses.
-
On day two (3 June):
Debates on the credit crunch and the impact it is having on older
people, dignity in care, age equality and the launch of a Pensioners’
Manifesto (see below) for the forthcoming general election that will
demand higher state pensions, free care, better public services and the
right to live in a warm home.
-
On day three (4 June):
a keynote speech by Sir Michael Parkinson in his role as Care
Ambassador.
Dot Gibson,
NPC general secretary said: “In the current economic crisis
pensioners are angry at the way their politicians have received huge
handouts – whilst millions of older people are struggling to keep warm, eat
properly and pay their bills. With the general election fast approaching now
is the time to show all the parties that pensioners not only have votes, but
are also prepared to use them.”
“The launch
of a Pensioners’ Manifesto is an important way of showing that candidates
who want the support of the ‘grey vote’ will have to do much more on the
issues of pensions, care and equality. The Pensioners’ Parliament will make
it very clear to the politicians that pensioners want rights not charity,
and if the money can be found to bail out a failing financial system, it can
also be found to offer real financial security and dignity to Britain’s 11m
older people. It’s time we stopped paying billions to bankers and peanuts to
pensioners.”
ENDS
For more information contact
Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
Notes for
Editors
·
A more
detailed programme is available at
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 Scottish Piper and
over 1000 marchers with banners.
·
The opening
session will start at 2pm in the Empress Ballroom, Winter Gardens,
Blackpool.
·
Contributions will also be made throughout the event by a number of guest
speakers from the Care Quality Commission, Action on Elder Abuse, Equality
and Human Rights Commission and the Pension Policy Institute.
·
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.
The Pensioners’ Manifesto
calls for:
·
A basic
state pension set above the official poverty level (estimated at £165 a week
in 2009), which is linked to the higher of earnings or prices, and paid
alongside other existing concessions, to provide some financial security for
all.
·
Free
long-term and social care funded from general taxation and provided to the
highest standards in order to maintain dignity and without the need for
means-testing, rationing or a postcode lottery.
·
Good quality
local services funded through national income tax rather than council tax.
·
Free UK-wide
travel on all forms of public transport to encourage independence and
greater mobility, as well as helping the environment and reducing demand on
care services.
·
An end to
discrimination where it adversely affects the opportunities, goods and
services available to older people.
·
A winter
fuel allowance of £500 per pensioner household to help maintain a warm and
comfortable home.
|
Annual Pensioners’ Parliament gears up for General Election by asking MPs:
“Why should we vote for you?”
-
MPs face Question Time session from 2000 delegates
-
Launch of a Pensioners’ Manifesto for the general election
-
Sir Michael Parkinson addresses delegates in his role as Care Ambassador
Up to two thousand leading
members of Britain’s growing pensioner movement will gather on Tuesday June
2 for the start of the 17th annual Pensioners’ Parliament, at the Winter
Gardens in Blackpool.
The 3-day
event, organised by the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), will include:
-
On day one:
a two
hour Question Time style session featuring Rt Hon Rosie Winterton MP
(Pensions Minister), Nigel Waterson MP (Shadow Minister for Older
People) and Paul Rowen MP (Lib Dem). Questions will cover pensioner
poverty and the use of means-testing, whether council tax is fair, the
need for dignity in care, how to tackle fuel poverty and how the issue
of MPs’ expenses may affect how older people vote.
-
On day two:
the launch of a Pensioners’ Manifesto for the forthcoming general
election that will demand higher state pensions, free care, better
public services and the right to live in a warm home.
-
On day three:
a keynote speech by Sir Michael Parkinson in his role as Care
Ambassador.
For more information contact
Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
Notes
for Editors
·
A more
detailed programme and copy of the 6 key policies contained in the
Pensioners’ Manifesto is available at:
http://www.npcuk.org/parliament2009\PP
Programme V2.pdf
·
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 Scottish Piper and
over 1000 marchers with banners.
·
The opening
session will start at 2pm in the Empress Ballroom, Winter Gardens,
Blackpool.
·
Contributions will also be made throughout
the event by a number of guest speakers from the Care Quality Commission,
Action on Elder Abuse, Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Pension
Policy Institute.
|
Equality Bill
marks beginning of the end of age discrimination
Britain’s biggest pensioner
organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has welcomed the
publication of the Equality Bill today, but has called on the government to
speed up the process of banning age discrimination in the field of health
and social care.
Pat
Healy, NPC vice president said: “Having equality on paper is a major step
towards tackling age discrimination in society, but putting that into
practice is going to be much harder to achieve. The devil will be in the
detail of the bill and with a possible delay of up to five years before this
legislation takes effect, millions of older patients will remain
second-class citizens.”
“Until such
time as society changes its attitude towards growing older, we have a right
to ask who is going to stop doctors making decisions based on age rather
than clinical need? Who is going to ensure older people are properly fed in
hospital and who ensure that older people are treated as valued human beings
rather than resources that have passed their sell-by date?”
“When the
cabinet has a proportion of older people serving in it and pensioners are
given proper economic power through a decent state pension, then we’ll know
that ageism has really been consigned to the dustbin of history.”
ENDS
For more information contact
Neil Duncan-Jordan on Tel: 07940-357-608
|
Chancellor’s state
pension guarantee is “virtually worthless”
Those in fuel poverty and
pensioner savers have little to cheer
Britain’s biggest pensioner
organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has described the
Chancellor’s announcement that he would guarantee the state pension will
increase next year by 2.5% as “virtually worthless”.
The NPC
has calculated that the proposed 2.5% increase will give a rise next April
of £2.40 a week – with millions of older women getting just £1.45. The
Convention believes this will do little to tackle rising pensioner poverty,
fuel poverty and the impact that the recession is having on older savers.
Dot
Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “Mr Darling’s proposed 2.5% rise in the
state pension next year fails to address the pressures older people face now
from the economic crisis. One in four pensioners still live in poverty and
rising costs of food and fuel, combined with record lows in savings returns
and underperforming pensions, mean that pensioners are suffering a
disproportionate increase in the cost of living. In light of all this, the
Chancellor’s promise to raise the state pension next year by just £2.40 a
week sounds more like an insult.”
“Millions
of older people have lost money from their savings. This generation has
tried to put money aside for a rainy day – but no-one warned them of an
economic monsoon. Extending the scope of the means-tested Pension Credit is
not the answer. A better way to boost the economy and help all older people
would be to raise the state pension to around £165 a week.”
“One in
three pensioners is estimated to be spending more than 10% of their income
on energy bills, placing them in fuel poverty, and the winter fuel allowance
now covers just a fifth of the average bill, compared to a third when it was
first introduced. The Chancellor’s decision not to raise it will do nothing
to prevent a further 20,000 pensioners dying this winter from the cold.”
“It’s
clear that the message to pensioners from today’s Budget is stop counting
your savings, don’t turn up your heating, and if you make it to next April,
make sure you don’t spend your extra £2.40 all at once.”
Pensioner
facts and figures
-
Around
5m older people who have modest savings of around £10,000 have lost
between £10 and £20 a week (up to as much as £1000 a year) as a result
of the drop in interest rates.
-
The
scale of pensioner poverty is rising - 822 pensioners fell into poverty
every day last year. 2.5m older people now live below the official
poverty line. Means-tested benefits fail to reach almost 2m of the
poorest pensioners.
-
Older
people face annual inflation rates around ten times higher than the rest
of the population, according to a recent report by the Institute of
Fiscal Studies. Pensioners spend a larger proportion of their income on
those items whose prices are rising fastest.
ENDS
For more information contact
Neil Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
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Press Release
For
use after 0001hrs 21 April 2009
Call for Budget
to tackle impact of the
economic crisis on older population
A new report from Britain’s
biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), is
calling on the Chancellor to use his Budget on April 22 to introduce a
series of measures to help hard-pressed pensioners who are struggling as a
result of the recession.
The report
entitled The
Retired Recession
- How the
economic crisis affects older people
outlines four key areas of concern amongst older people and proposes a
number of measures that would both boost pensioner incomes and stimulate
local economies. The report focuses on:
·
Loss of
income for pensioner savers
The drop in the interest rate over the last 12 months has severely affected
around 5m older people who have modest savings of £10,000 or more. Over this
period they could have lost between £10 and £20 a week (up to as much as
£1000 a year).
Recent
research suggests that because pensioner poverty is so finely balanced (with
a large number of people just above and just below the poverty threshold) a
small difference in income can have a dramatic effect on people.
NPC Recommendation:
Introduce combined tax allowances enabling pensioner couples to be
assessed on a joint income rather than individually. This would mean
that in most cases, older people would be exempted from paying any
income tax.
·
Rising costs
of living
Older people
face annual inflation rates around ten times higher than the rest of the
population, according to a recent report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies.
Pensioners spend a larger proportion of their income on those items whose
prices are rising fastest. Therefore, rising costs of food and fuel,
combined with record lows in savings returns and underperforming pensions,
mean that pensioners will suffer a disproportionate increase in the cost of
living.
The scale of
pensioner poverty is rising - 822 pensioners fell into poverty every day
last year. 2.5m older people now live below the official poverty line.
Means-tested benefits fail to reach almost 2m of the poorest pensioners.
NPC
Recommendation:
Increase
the state pension to £165 a week (official poverty level) as a way
of tackling pensioner poverty and boosting local economies.
·
Rising fuel
poverty
One in three
pensioners is estimated to be spending more than 10% of their income on
energy bills, placing them in fuel poverty. Average annual energy bills now
exceed £1,000 and this absorbs 16% of the income of a single pensioner in
receipt of the pension credit minimum guarantee. The Winter Fuel Allowance
originally covered one third of the average bill, now it covers a fifth.
Every year over 20,000 pensioners die of cold related illnesses.
NPC
Recommendation:
Increase the Winter Fuel Allowance to £500 for every pensioner
household.
·
Cuts in
essential services
Over the
next few years the case will be made for public spending cuts and/or rises
in taxation in order to pay for the bail out of the banking industry. This
will mean benefits and services to older people may be under threat. One of
the key areas will be social care, which is already in crisis and
chronically under funded.
NPC Recommendation:
The forthcoming Green Paper on social care should include additional
public spending of at least £2bn to meet growing demand and improvements
in the quality and availability of care services.
Dot Gibson,
NPC general secretary said: “Very few recognise the terrible effect that the
recession is having on those in retirement. Pensioners urgently need a boost
to their income to help them through the current economic crisis. Millions
have lost money from their savings, others are struggling with the rising
cost of living and some have seen cuts in the care they receive. This
generation has tried to put money aside for a rainy day – but no-one warned
them of a monsoon. Increasing the state pension, tackling fuel poverty,
improving care services and helping older savers would not only put money
into pensioners’ pockets in the short-term, but they would also ensure that
local economies benefited, because pensioners would go out and spend their
extra money. Budgets can’t just be for bankers – they must help older people
as well.”
ENDS
1.
Dot Gibson will be available to give a reaction to the Budget statement at
No 4 Millbank Studios during the afternoon of 22 April
2.
For further information contact Neil Duncan-Jordan on Tel: 07940-357-608
|
Monday 6 April - the basic state pension increases to
just £95.25 a week, and for millions of older women, the
figure is even less. At least one in four pensioners still
live below the official poverty line and current government
policy appears incapable of tackling the problem.
Relying solely on means-tested benefits for today's
pensioners and occupational pension schemes for future
generations simply won't work. Means-testing remains
unpopular, demeaning and ineffective at reaching nearly
2m pensioners who need it and occupational schemes are
facing a wave of closures as pension pots have lost
£billions in the recent economic crisis.
The answer however remains simple. As a matter of urgency
the basic state pension should be raised above the poverty
level estimated at £165 a week, paid to all in retirement
and re-linked to earnings or prices (whichever is the
greater).
Dot Gibson, General Secretary, National Pensioners
Convention
Christine Blower, acting General Secretary, NUT
Jeremy Dear, General Secretary, NUJ
Sally Hunt, General Secretary, UCU
Tony Kearns, Senior Deputy
General Secretary, CWU
Paul Kenny, General
Secretary, GMB
Gerry Morrissey,
General Secretary, BECTU
Dave Prentis, General
Secretary, UNISON
Alan Ritchie, General
Secretary, UCATT
Mark Serwotka,
General Secretary, PCS
Tony Woodley, Joint
General Secretary, UNITE
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State pension
increase fails to tackle growing pensioner poverty
Figures show
822 older people fall into poverty every day
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National
Pensioners Convention (NPC), is calling on the government to
protect older people from the current economic crisis and end
poverty in old age by raising the basic state pension above the
official poverty level.
The call comes on the day (April 6) the state pension increases
by just £4.55 a week for those with a full national insurance
(NI) contribution record and by a mere £2.70 for those, mainly
women, who were unable to pay sufficient NI throughout their
working lives.
Today’s increase brings a full state pension to £95.25 a week
and a reduced pension to £57.05. The official poverty level in
2006 was £151 a week and is now estimated to be around £165.
Across the UK today, the Convention has also organised a series
of protests to raise awareness of the need for an improved state
pension for both today’s and tomorrow’s pensioners.
In evidence to ministers, the NPC has highlighted the sustained
and worsening scale of poverty affecting Britain’s older
population. The latest figures show:
·
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%
·
At least 15% of pensioners – over 1.5m older people – are living
in persistent poverty (below 60% median population income for
three out of the last four years)
·
Pensioner poverty has risen in the last year by 300,000 -
equivalent to 822 people a day - and now reaches 2.5m (1 in 4
older people). Two thirds of these pensioners are women
·
Means-tested benefits fail to reach 1.8m pensioners who are
eligible to claim
·
One in three pensioner households – around 2.6m homes – are
currently spending more than 10% of their income on energy bills
and are regarded as suffering fuel poverty
·
In a recent EU survey, only pensioners in Latvia, Spain and
Cyprus were considered more likely to fall into poverty than
those in the UK. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has concluded
that the proportion of pensioners below the poverty threshold
will remain at its current level for at least the next decade,
despite government reforms
·
Up to 9m existing workers have no other pension provision than
that provided by the state. As many as 75% of all final salary
occupational pension schemes have closed to new members and in
the recent economic crisis, around £200bn has been wiped off of
existing pension funds
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “It’s a national
disgrace that at least 1in 4 pensioners are living below the
official poverty line, and millions more are struggling to meet
the rising costs of living. Today’s increase in the basic state
pension doesn’t go anyway near far enough to help protect
pensioners against the economic crisis. Millions have lost money
from their savings, whilst others see their utility, food,
housing and council tax bills rising way above their pension. In
light of the current increases in the costs of living –
pensioners simply cannot afford to survive. We need a change of
direction in pension policy before it’s too late.”
“For years ministers have relied on both means-tested benefits
and the availability of private pension schemes to provide a
decent income in retirement – but the whole basis of this
strategy is unravelling – with means-testing remaining unpopular
and ineffective at getting money to the poorest and many decent
company pensions being replaced by insecure money-purchase
schemes. Billions of pounds have been wiped off private pension
funds in recent weeks – and up to 5m workers now face an
insecure retirement.”
“Pensioners – both now and in the future – need dignity and
security in retirement that only a decent state pension can
provide. The government should use the huge £47bn surplus in the
National Insurance Fund and give everyone a pension that takes
them out of poverty. It’s not acceptable that there’s billions
for bankers, but peanuts for pensioners.”
Letter to Secretary of State
Pension
Protests will take place on April 6th at the
following locations:
LONDON
Central London - 11.30am demonstration outside DWP HQ, Caxton
House, Tothill Street, London. Protest letter to be handed to
Secretary of State, James Purnell
Lewisham – 11.30 demonstration on Catford Broadway, outside of
Age Concern, including ‘soup kitchen’
Wimbledon – 12 noon leafleting/petitioning stall in the Piazza,
central Wimbledon
MIDLANDS
Solihull – 11am demonstration outside Council Offices, Homer
Road
Nottingham – 11.30am leafletting/petitioning stall in Slab
Square, outside City Hall
Mansfield – 12 noon leafleting/petitioning stall in the market
place
Hinckley and Bosworth – 12 noon leafleting/petitioning stall in
the Town Centre
Leicester – 12 noon leafleting by the Clock Tower
EAST ANGLIA
Norwich – 10am leafleting/petitioning Haymarket Square, City
Centre
Cambridge – 11.30am leafleting outside Market Place, Guildhall,
City Centre
Kings Lynn – 10am leafleting in Town Centre
Peterborough – 10am leafleting in Town Centre
NORTH WEST
Liverpool – 12 noon-2pm rally in Williamson Square, Liverpool.
NORTH EAST
Newcastle – 10.30am leafleting/petitioning at Gray’s Monument,
City Centre.
Middlesborough – 10am at Guisborough, Teeside Complex
YORKSHIRE
Sheffield – 12 noon, demonstration outside Sheffield Town Hall
HOME COUNTIES
Milton Keynes – 10.30am demonstration in Queensway, Bletchley
(near Old Co-op)
Luton – 2pm demonstration outside Town Hall
Bedford – 10.30am leafleting/petitioning in Town Centre
Oxford – 12 noon leafleting/petitioning at the Carfax
crossroads, Town Centre
Cheltenham – 10.30am public meeting (inc local MPs) in Town Hall
WESSEX
Poole – 10am leafleting/petitioning in Falklands Square, Dolphin
Shopping Centre
Southampton – 12 noon leafleting/petitioning outside WH Smiths,
City Centre Precinct
WALES
Cardiff – 10am leafleting/petitioning in Central Market
NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast – 1pm demonstration outside City Hall including Nigel
Dodds MP
SCOTLAND
Edinburgh - 11am - Leafleting Princes Street West End -
Protest letter to be handed to Secretary of State for
Scotland
Jim Murphy at the SOS Scotland Office Melville
Crescent. Local DWP Offices circulated with copy of
James Purnell protest letter.
|
|
Pensioner movement
elects first woman leader |
 |
Britain's
biggest pensioner organisation - the National Pensioners Convention
(NPC) - has chosen its first female general secretary in its 30 year
history. |
Dot
Gibson, a 74-year-old Londoner from Islington, was elected with 63% of the
vote at the NPC's special delegate conference taking place this week in
Coventry.
Ms Gibson
started her working life with the Transport and General Workers' Union and
eventually became a type-setter in publishing. In the early 1990s, she went
six times to Bosnia as part of the Workers' Aid convoys and towards the end
of the decade edited the Liverpool dockers' newspaper during their 28-month
dispute.
For the
last four years, Ms Gibson has been a vice president of the NPC and
secretary of its Greater London region.
Ms Gibson said: "The campaigns and concerns
of Britain's older population are not just for today's pensioners, but for
our children and grandchildren. Everyone needs a living state pension that
gives them security in retirement without the need for means-testing, and
how we care for our ageing society, where they live, the rights they have
and the services available to them must also be at the top of the political
agenda. With the general election fast approaching, all political parties
will have to take the demands of the pensioners' movement seriously and we
will be stepping up our campaign to ensure they do."
ENDS
For more information contact Neil
Duncan-Jordan on 07940-357-608
·
Ms Gibson is elected for a two-year term of office but is
able to re-stand if she wishes
·
The NPC was originally formed in 1979 by Jack Jones, who
became its first president
·
The NPC has an affiliated
membership of 1.5m active in over 1000 groups across the UK
·
Ms Gibson will appear on
Question Time Extra on the BBC News Channel at 11.35pm on 26 March 2009
|
|
|
What
is the NPC
