One hundred years ago, the first UK citizens received their pensions from the British Government.
At that time, women did not even have the vote, and it was only available to men of ‘good character’ over the age of 70 who had not been in the workhouse.
Since then, all of us have become eligible for a state pension when we reach retirement age but are our older generation better off?
Ironically, perhaps, the five shillings paid out in 1909 was, according to pensioners support groups, equivalent to 25 per cent of the average earnings, as compared to the current situation where the average pension is equivalent to only 15 per cent of an individual’s average pay.
Given the data, it is not surprising that a survey by the insurance group Friends Provident indicated that the vast majority of respondents believe that the state pension is an inadequate benefit that is insufficient for their needs.
Information released by the National Pensioners Convention shows that the number of pensioners living below the poverty line of £151 per week has risen by 300,000 in the past year to 2.5 million. Most worryingly, those living in severe poverty have increased their numbers by 600,000 since 1997, and around 45 per cent of all single pensioners have an annual income of £10,000 or less.
Shamefully for those in power, two thirds of those living in poverty are women, many of whom who do not qualify for a full state pension because they were caring for their families and could not pay the full national insurance contributions.
For those who have managed to put some money aside for their retirement, the recent fall in interest rates will be especially punitive as it will reduce the amount they are able to live on despite a lifetime of hard work and prudence. For those who still manage to gain some income from the money they have put aside for their twilight years, the Government takes its share in taxes instead of providing an incentive for those who have savings.
With such little money coming into many pensioner households, is it really surprising that many are facing a difficult choice between going hungry and keeping warm, resulting in greater incidences of cold-related illnesses?
Given that we live in a civilised advanced economy, how can it be that there were 22,400 excess winter deaths of older people in the UK in 2007-2008, higher than in any other European country? One can only imagine the horror of the figures that will be released after the bitterly cold winter we are currently experiencing.
At the very least, this Government should ensure that every pensioner should have the basic human right to heating and food. How on earth can we all stand by and allow our senior citizens, many of whom have served this country with distinction, to die needless deaths because they could not afford the few pounds every day to heat their home?
It is time that the politicians stopped spouting the usual empty rhetoric about the importance of looking after the older generation in our society and actually acted to do something positive that will improve the standard of living of those who need it the most.
I cannot believe that any politician would disregard the fact that thousands of pensioners die because they simply cannot afford to live and yet, every year, we have a political class that conveniently ignores these dire statistics and fails to improve the lives of those in greatest need.
Indeed, if it is said that any society is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members, then we in Britain should hang our heads in shame over the way we have treated our pensioners during the last three decades.
Read Article
