Pensioner poverty

Sorry GagaJo to hear that you have no teaching pension provision. I can understand your concern now.

Songstress
Is your friend on the Guarantee credit element of Pension Credit. She can receive £340 per year towards her heating.
This would help in the colder months.

Susieq62

My concerns are for those on a state pension only who have to pay rent. Yes I know there is housing benefit plus pension credit but these do not cover the whole amount. What people forget is that those with the least spend the most because they have no choice. They cannot save , replace items, etc because their income is taken up with keeping warm, fed, clothed etc. Those who earn the most contribute less to local economies.
We have the lowest state pension in Europe and if you don’t have a company or private pension, life is tough.
I am not bothered about paying back the money “ borrowed” or “ created” to sustain us through the darker days of the pandemic . I want the government to invest in infrastructure, skills, training, projects to benefit all . It is an ideal time to be pro active, creative and seize the initiative. I very much doubt my hopes will be realised!

I echo your sentiments.

i worked until ill health stopped me,i bought my own house,and now retired at 66.I find the prospect of heating my home and maintaining it a headache.A friend of mine lives in a local authority flat has 24/7 heating for £10 a week and has no worries about repairs etc .i often wonder why i worked so hard for a home?! If i have to go into care then there's my house gone, who is the fool?

Would you swap with your friend red1?

Our pension is one of the worst in developed countries. However, Covid has caused a huge increase in spending for things like, for example, the Furlough scheme and the vaccination programme and the amount of money owed for these is eye watering.

We don't 'owe' an eye watering amount of money, Lilyflower. It's a convenient myth exploited by the government to avoid public spending.

But if you persist in believing it could you tell us who we 'owe' it to?

I agree that the government really have no idea what it is like to have to rely solely on the state pension...and I have never before seen the high percentage increase in food and fuel especially heating that we are now experiencing.

So you all think that another party in Government will make a difference? I doubt it very much. All it will do is shift the poverty. Either one way or the other. The working/tax paying public will.srill.gave to pay. All politicians are the same. What they say in their election manifesto rarely gets done after the first year of their governance. Both parties are the same.

MaggsMcG

So you all think that another party in Government will make a difference? I doubt it very much. All it will do is shift the poverty. Either one way or the other. The working/tax paying public will.srill.gave to pay. All politicians are the same. What they say in their election manifesto rarely gets done after the first year of their governance. Both parties are the same.

No that is entirely incorrect.

In 1996 41% of pensioners were in poverty after 10 years of the Labour government it had dropped to 18%.

So you assertion is incorrect.

MaggsMcG

So you all think that another party in Government will make a difference? I doubt it very much. All it will do is shift the poverty. Either one way or the other. The working/tax paying public will.srill.gave to pay. All politicians are the same. What they say in their election manifesto rarely gets done after the first year of their governance. Both parties are the same.

Correct Maggs.

Here in Wales the Labour FM has promised £100 to all on Income Support, JSA, ESA, UC and WTC to help with fuel bills this winter, excluding pensioners on Pension Credit!

I’d assumed the fuel bill support in Wales was not offered to pensioners because they can already apply for the winter fuel allowance, which is up to £300 Pantglas2, and that isn’t available to those on benefits who are under pension age?

My parents were incredibly lucky. By the time they retired they owned their house outright, sot no rent to pay. They also had a very generous index linked pension plus state pension. This generation, called Generation Rent, won't have any of these comforts and with job insecurity are unlikely to have a nice fat index linked pension. I really don't see why pensioners think they deserve special treatment

I found out that the STATE pension paid in Luxembourg is an avg of €3-4000 per month. I was told this last month by my stepson who has lived there for several years. I was so surprised I googled it. Having been there and seen free weekend travel for all and the high standard of living I feel the U.K. (and others) have contributed a lot more to this gravy train than we have got back.

I didn’t mean to suggest that ALL pensioners should get it Casdon!

Surely we don’t begrudge those on pension credit who can only get a maximum top up to £2 a week less than the current SP £179?

Not at all of course Pantglas. I’d hope that all in need are able to keep themselves warm.

Glammagran. The state pension paid by other countries, whether EU or not, has nothing to do with the low rates of SRP paid in UK. Taxation and benefits are decided by individual countries. Without knowing the cost of living in Luxembourg or how much taxation residents paid to fund this payment, the comparison is irrelevant.

If only I'd married a a buxom girl in Luxembourg

glammagran

I found out that the STATE pension paid in Luxembourg is an avg of €3-4000 per month. I was told this last month by my stepson who has lived there for several years. I was so surprised I googled it. Having been there and seen free weekend travel for all and the high standard of living I feel the U.K. (and others) have contributed a lot more to this gravy train than we have got back.

I assume you mean the EU "gravy train", which has absolutely nothing to do with state pension.

MaggsMcG

So you all think that another party in Government will make a difference? I doubt it very much. All it will do is shift the poverty. Either one way or the other. The working/tax paying public will.srill.gave to pay. All politicians are the same. What they say in their election manifesto rarely gets done after the first year of their governance. Both parties are the same.

No, they're not both the same (there are more than two political parties anyway). If you think that, you really haven't been paying attention.

How do you think poverty would be "shifted"?

Every single recipient of state pension has paid and is still paying tax. Most have also worked in one form or another - some are still working. They are not two distinct groups.

Whitewavemark2

MaggsMcG

So you all think that another party in Government will make a difference? I doubt it very much. All it will do is shift the poverty. Either one way or the other. The working/tax paying public will.srill.gave to pay. All politicians are the same. What they say in their election manifesto rarely gets done after the first year of their governance. Both parties are the same.

No that is entirely incorrect.

In 1996 41% of pensioners were in poverty after 10 years of the Labour government it had dropped to 18%.

So you assertion is incorrect.

Yes, it is incorrect. Pensioners on average make up one of the few groups in society which (even now) is better off than it ever has been.

Pantglas2

MaggsMcG

So you all think that another party in Government will make a difference? I doubt it very much. All it will do is shift the poverty. Either one way or the other. The working/tax paying public will.srill.gave to pay. All politicians are the same. What they say in their election manifesto rarely gets done after the first year of their governance. Both parties are the same.

Correct Maggs.

Here in Wales the Labour FM has promised £100 to all on Income Support, JSA, ESA, UC and WTC to help with fuel bills this winter, excluding pensioners on Pension Credit!

Because they're already receiving support! Those in the other groups don't, even though many are poorer.

Pantglas2

I didn’t mean to suggest that ALL pensioners should get it Casdon!

Surely we don’t begrudge those on pension credit who can only get a maximum top up to £2 a week less than the current SP £179?

Plus housing costs.

grow I’m not sure what you mean. I have identified the % of pensioners in poverty according to the Rowntree Trust.

I am not concerned with better off pensioners, but only those who will be hit by the cut in pension and rising cost of living.

So assuming that the Rowntree figures are correct I’m not quite sure what you are saying.

Glammagran
That’s properly because Luxembourg enjoys the highest per capita gross domestic product in the world.

The average person in Luxembourg pays nearly 30% tax. In the UK it's 23%. The cost of living there is similar to the UK.