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Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
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Pensioners getting less now than in 1950
December 17, 2007 12:00 AM
Peter at the Golden Oldies Club in Briton Ferry
Figures produced by the Liberal Democrats show that pensioners now receive less money than they did in 1950.
The figures demonstrate that pensions in 2007 are the equivalent of only 15.9% of the average wage, compared to 18.4% in 1950. According to the Welsh Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Social Justice, Peter Black, that means that we have gone backwards in the way we support people who have already given a lifetime of work to our society.
"These figures are a disgrace," said Mr. Black. "We have had a Labour government for ten years, and yet Welsh pensioners are comparatively getting even less than they were under Atlee, at a time when the British economy was still recovering from a cataclysmic war.
"With the convoluted Pension Credit failing to reach many pensioners, Labour should immediately restore the link between pensions and earnings as a first step towards providing a decent state pension."
"The fact that the last benefits uprating meant that the Government had over 250 benefit levels to increase is reflective of a system that is far too complicated. Their obsession with bureaucracy has made our benefits system a nightmare for those who truly need help. Genuine concerns about data security risk undermining benefit take up even further."
"Rather than continually adding further layers of complexity to the system, Labour ministers should undertake radical reform and introduce a Single Working Age Benefit."
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