Lifeline payment? Attendance Allowance? Pension Credit? Disability Living Allowance (DLA)? Personal Independence Payment (PIP)? Carer’s Allowance? Employment Support? Pensioners who retired to Canada cannot even get the State Pension that they worked all their lives for, never mind any of these benefits….
Not in this part of the world, they won’t, and probably not for the nearly 500,000 pensioners living in Frozen Countries. For them, the State Pension NEVER changes
4-Dec-22: The Express: Pensioner loses £13,914 in state pension because of where he lives
A man, who is 69-years-old, worked in the UK Civil Service for over 42 years but now lives in Thailand and receives just £128 state pension a week. Much of this is spent on vital medication he needs as he also suffers from Parkinson’s Disease and doesn’t receive free healthcare.
This just shows that it is not only UK pensioners living in Canada who are suffering as a result of the UK Government’s “frozen pensions” policy. So, write to the MP in the Constituency that you last lived in. To find who that is, click here
Mr Speaker, the pensions of approximately 125,000 UK expats currently living in Canada are still frozen. These pensions are frozen because the UK Government and Canada do not have a reciprocal social security agreement. As a result, it punishes UK pensioners living in Canada.”.
– Matt Jeneroux, Canadian Member of Parliament for Edmonton Riverbend, recently addressed the matter in the House of Commons of Canada
Want to know how you MIGHT be able to boost your State Pension?
This is the crucial bit as to why timing is so important right now. Until April 2023, you can buy back NI years dating all the way back to 2006. After April 2023, you’ll only be able to go back six years. As you can see, that’s a substantial number of years. If you’re missing them, you’ll only have a short window left to buy them. Those people who are nearer state pension age, the easier it is to see whether it is going to be worth you buying back extra years or not. The younger you are, the more time you have to plug any gaps, which is why I started this by saying this is for people aged 45 to 70. Although in truth, I think 45 is pretty young – I think 55 is a better age.”
Mr Speaker, the pensions of approximately 125,000 UK expats currently living in Canada are still frozen. These pensions are frozen because the UK Government and Canada do not have a reciprocal social security agreement. As a result, it punishes UK pensioners living in Canada.”.
– Matt Jeneroux, Canadian Member of Parliament for Edmonton Riverbend, recently addressed the matter in the House of Commons of Canada. This is not the first time Mr Jeneroux has engaged with the matter of frozen state pensions, as the Edmonton Riverbend MP has committed time to the matter. He attended the Annual General Meeting of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Pensions in May 2021. And Mr Jeneroux previously expressed his frustration at the ongoing issue.
Photo: Canada House of Commons
Ian Andexser, Director of the International Consortium of British Pensioners, told Express.co.uk: “It is encouraging to see that Canadian MPs like Matt Jeneroux are continuing to fight for an end to frozen pensions.
Photo: Ian Andexser, centre, outside 10 Downing Street
“We know that there is widespread anger amongst politicians of all parties in the UK and Canada about this shameful and immoral policy that is pushing British pensioners into poverty”.
I flew the flag for Britain – I flew with British Airways and then I worked for British Petroleum (BP) for many years. I was very British. I feel I have made a huge contribution to this country. I have had two well-educated sons born in Britain who have returned to live here and are once again contributing to British society. I’ve done my bit for Britain, there’s no doubt about it.”
11-Nov-22: The Telegraph: Late Queen’s final honours list revealed
Photo: Daily Telegraph
Many congratulations to our good friend Baroness Benjamin who was awarded the (very rare) Order of Merit (OM) in Her Majesty’s final honours list. Baroness Benjamin has become a prominent advocate for the Windrush generation…..
Since I moved to Australia to be closer to my children in my retirement, my pension has been frozen at just £46 per week. I am now nearly 101-years old and, having been born in Britain and served as a nurse in World War II, it saddens me to think the UK Government does not believe I am entitled to the same support as other British pensioners living overseas”.
[No “Pensioner Cost of Living Payment” for retirees in Canada; No annual cost-of-living (State Pension) increase either. How on earth are the 125,000 UK pensioners in Canada expected to manage?]
Sir Steve Webb welcomed the stability that the MP for Hexham had provided “after years of a revolving door”. So, in Opperman’s time as pensions minister, he has had as his boss: Iain Duncan Smith, Stephen Crabb, Damian Green, David Gauke, Esther McVey, Amber Rudd, and Thérèse Coffey. If you were unkind, you could tack on Chloe Smith as well. If that represents stability, I would hate to think what represents volatility.
What did Opperman achieve for Frozen Pensioners in his 7 years?
YOU may be affected; Does the DWP owe you MONEY? If you are in one of these categories, then contact the DWP NOW!!
Married women whose husband turned 65 before March 17, 2008, and who have never claimed an uplift to the 60% rate
Widows whose pension was not increased when their husband died
Widows whose pension is now correct, but who think they may have been underpaid while their late husband was still alive, particularly if he reached the age of 65 after March 17, 2008
Over-80s who are receiving a basic State Pension of less than £80.45
Widowers and heirs of married women, where the woman has now died but was underpaid state pension during her lifetime
Divorced women, particularly those who divorced after retirement, to check that they are benefiting from the contributions of their ex-husband
[…it is fair to say that pensioners living in countries where the State Pension is not indexed (it is “frozen” at the level first received), will not be the beneficiary of any inflationary increase. What this means is that if you were to retire in, say, Australia or Canada, then you are expected to absorb higher grocery bills and higher energy bills with NO increase to the State Pension. What this will do is drive more and more pensioners into poverty, and they will become dependent on the largesse of the country where they retire. They are old, fragile, and forgotten by the country where they worked all of their lives. For the incoming Prime Minister – please hear our voice, and please help us.]
….this is after State Pensioners getting £1,000 increase next April. So, for pensioners living in Canada, this amounts to $3,000. How can they be expected to survive, when inflation is running at 7.6% and rising, and there is no change in the State Pension?
He [John Duffy, Chair of the ICBP] said: “It should make no difference whether a pensioner resides in Europe, or the Commonwealth, in Canada or the USA – we have all paid our dues, contributed to British society and deserve the right to live without financial burden in our final years.”
Patricia Coulthard, a 101-year-old who lives in Australia said:”“I find it grossly unfair that the UK Government continues to cast aside British pensioners overseas who have contributed to making the UK the nation it is today,” she said.
Peter Sanguinetti, 83, who lives in Canada, said he faced the “terrifying prospect” of further financial hardship as prices are increasing rapidly. “Our living standards in retirement are rapidly diminishing and the Government doesn’t realise the harm it is doing to us,” he said. [Peter is a CABP Board Member]
[If you can, please log onto the Telegraph and add your own comment]
THOUSANDS of UK pensioners have had their state pension stopped. The Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners (CABP) says they’ve been “inundated” with pensioners who live in Canada who have had their state pensions stopped.
“Understandably, this situation is causing significant anguish to a large number of British citizens who should be enjoying their well-deserved and earned retirements. I, like many, have been in contact with your Department’s helplines who have accepted that this is a serious administrative error by the DWP.” – CABP Chairman, Ian Andexser writing to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Thérèse Coffey, asking her to intervene
A DWP spokesperson said: “We understand the frustration of customers affected by Canadian postal delays. – What a cheek, blaming the Canadian postal system, when the problem lies with the Netherlands from where the “life certificate” letter is sent from
I was surprised to receive a letter from the UK’s Department for Jobs and Pensions (DWP) saying my pension was suspended because I had not received the life certificate sent to me in March. I was shocked, really shocked, because I hadn’t received the life certificate in March when they said they sent it. Rent is terrifyingly high. I don’t have a pension because it was discontinued in July. Well, I have a small savings account that I can use for a few months, but then, I mean, I don’t know”
State pension payments had been cancelled and retirees had “no right of appeal against the decision” . It blamed the widespread error on Canadian postal delays, claiming the forms had been lost in the post.
Ian Andexser, chairman of the Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners, said this had sparked “anguish” and stress among the 130,000 British retirees living in Canada. The campaign group has been inundated with calls from worried pensioners who have had their state pensions cut. “The anger is palpable, real and justified,” he said. “This egregious error has left our members struggling to pay bills, unable to afford basic necessities and pushed into overdrafts. Many pensioners are unable to sleep or cope with the pressures of a global cost of living crisis,” he added.”
….the State Pension is expected to increase by 10% from April 2023. What will we get? The usual 0.0%. We are expected to absorb inflationary increases up to 10% by April 2023. We have a declining income year on year, and inflation will be at 10%. More and more British pensioners will fall into a poverty trap here in Canada. And what are the Canadian and UK governments doing – well, they are all on holiday……
….same as we got last year – 0.0%. How are UK State Pensioners living in ‘frozen’ countries expected to cope, when they are all experiencing massive increases in inflation?????
Spiralling price rises could push the weekly stipend on the new state pension from £185.15 to £203.79 in April 2023 and then to £224.10 in April 2024. This represents a jump of nearly £40 a week for more than 12 million pensioners.
Next year’s triple-lock rise would cost taxpayers £865 per pensioner, Interactive Investor said. With 12.4 million retirees in the UK, this would total around £10.7bn.
I know it’s frozen now, but I didn’t know it would be frozen. Nobody told me that.”
However, Ms Hunte was not the only person to be affected.
Her mother, who had also lived and worked in the UK for many years found out her pension was frozen when she received it at 60.
She died in 2021 at the age of 89, but at that point, her state pension had been frozen for a total of 29 years.
Ms Hunte added: “We should have the same pension as everyone else.”
[HAS THIS BRITISH GOVERNMENT GOT A SOCIAL CONSCIENCE AT ALL? THERE IS PLENTY OF MONEY IN THE NATIONAL INSURANCE FUND [NIF] TO PAY FOR THE UPRATING OF OUR FROZEN STATE PENSION FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS…]
Universal Credit was allegedly designed to reduce fraud at the DWP. The latest DWP accounts have just come out, and guess what?
The big benefit fraud failure is again the government’s flagship Universal Credit. In 2020 it the rate of overpayments increased from 4.4% in 2019-20 to 7.5% in 2020-21. Nearly all of the increase in fraud and error was on Universal Credit. DWP estimates it overpaid £5.5 billion of Universal Credit (14.5%) and underpaid £540 million (1.4%). This finding may also be a Whitehall record – there can hardly be another ministry in Whitehall that has so spectacularly failed to produce accounts with a clean audit sheet. In 2021 it overpaid £8.5 billion of benefits – the highest level recorded. Fraudulent Universal Credit claims account for £5.2 billion of the £8.5 billion overpaid. DWP estimates that it overpaid 14.7% of all Universal Credit payments in 2021-22, compared to 9.4% in 2019-20 (the year preceding the pandemic). DWP paused fraud and error prevention measures due to COVID-19 disruption.”
The DWP has had its accounts qualified for the 34th year in a row – what this means is that its liabilities have exceeded its assets for 34 years in a row. If they were a private concern, they would have gone bust every year for the last 34 years. What does the Government do? They give their CEO (Permanent Secretary) a knighthood and the biggest gold-plated pension in history……
Would you like to retire at 60? Work for DWP:
You will have to remember some civil servants can retire at 60 depending on what civil service pensions scheme they belong to – 6 years before the public get their state pension – with both high pensions and a generous one off payment.”
John Duffy, the chair of the International Consortium of British Pensioners explained: “Although we welcome the rise in UK pensions, we are hugely disappointed that the UK Government is continuing to treat British citizens living in an arbitrary list of countries unfairly. This outrageously cruel policy is excluding pensioners, many of whom spent their working lives in the UK, and leaving them to face poverty and financial hardship. The UK Government could choose to end this policy now but instead continues to treat British pensioners across the world unequally, despite the contributions they have made to the UK.
We hope the Government will engage in future discussions to end this policy and give all UK pensioners the support they are entitled to, no matter where they live.”
Patricia Coulthard shared how she has been impacted by the state pension freeze. The 100-year old said:
“Since I moved to Australia to be closer to my children in my retirement, my pension has been frozen at just £46 per week. I am now nearly 101-years old, having been born in Britain and served as a nurse in World War Two. It saddens me to think the UK Government does not believe I am entitled to the same support as other British pensioners living overseas. Had I moved to a country such as the US, my pension would have increased throughout the years. But as I moved to Australia, I am excluded from these much-needed increases. I hope the Government will finally put an end to this injustice”
[The Chief Whip asks him to stay on until after the appointment of a new Prime Minister. It seems nobody else could possibly implement the DWP’s policies such as regulations for the new DB funding code, auto-enrolment expansion, the single code of practice, and the Pensions Regulator’s notifiable events regime]
“[I] have agreed to help DWP navigate the next few weeks, while we decide the appointment of a new prime minister”
The biggest impact on incomes of the increase in the state pension age from 65 to 66 is simply that 65-year-olds lost – on average – state pension income worth around £142 per week in 2020–21.
Accounting for all forms of income, including state pensions, earnings, other benefits, private pensions and investment incomes, the increase in the state pension age pushed down the net income of 65-year-olds by an average of £108 per week.
The reduced payments of state pensions – and the higher direct tax payments resulting from the increase in the state pension age – boosted the public finances by around £4.9 billion per year.
The reductions in household incomes have had a particularly important effect on lower-income households: they have caused significant increases in income poverty rates among 65-year-olds.
For some groups, the increase in the state pension age from 65 to 66 caused absolute income poverty rates among 65-year-olds to rise by much more.
This latest increase in the state pension age led to a larger increase in income poverty than that seen following earlier increases in the female state pension age.
Most of the increase in absolute income poverty for 65-year-olds as a result of the reform has been among people not in paid work.
After moving from Scotland to Canada, and spending years campaigning for the end of this discriminatory policy, I am disappointed at the lack of engagement with the issue by the UK Government. We feel we are being treated like second class citizens and are saddened by the continuation of this policy. Now the Government has given Brits living overseas the right of a vote for life, surely the next logical step is to treat all British pensioners living overseas equally, and uprate all UK state pensions, no matter if they live in Canada or the US.”
The Department for Work and Pensions has said it is investigating remedies after millions of people have received the wrong pension for decades due to government IT failures.
When I fought for my country, with pride and good faith, I would have never imagined that Great Britain would forget me and leave me without the full pension I deserve and paid for. It is unfathomable to think this has happened to half a million fellow pensioners, including those who have built the Falkland Islands into the thriving community that it is today. As we celebrate the liberation of the Falklands forty years ago this week, I want to remind you that British pensioners living on British land are being abandoned – left to face the uncertainty of retirement on pensions depreciating year by year.”
– Roger Edwards, 75, who lives in The Flakland Islands, in his letter to PM Johnson
7-Jun-22: This is Money/Daily Mail: Women turning 66 wrongly told they were owed ZERO state pension
Our priorities in the cost-of-living campaign will depend on the majority views of our members. So please fill in the survey on the link below by Sunday 12 June“
If you are a member of Silver Voices, please fill in the survey (by Sunday, 12th June) by clicking here .
If you are not a Member, click here to become one today, and then complete the Survey.
As the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite, this decision is good news for the many people who rely on the state pension to meet their income needs.
– Emma Byron, the managing director for Legal & General Retirement Solutions
[Editors note: There are nearly half a million pensioners living around the world who have their UK State Pension frozen at the level first received. They get exactly 0.000000% increase, year in, year out. How are they expected to manage the raging inflation and the decline in exchange rates? Are you listening Mr Sunak?]
It seems ridiculous that the UK, which already has one of the lowest state pensions in the developed world, should discriminate between our oldest pensioners and those who retired more recently. Surely all pensioners ought to be treated equally?”
– Jan Shortt, General Secretary of the NPC (National Pensioners Convention)
British pensioners affected by the frozen pensions policy have spent many years working in the UK, paying National Insurance contributions. The policy also affects around 60,000 British veterans who fought for our country. They now face financial hardship because of where they live”
73-year-old says frozen pensions are ‘unfair’ and discriminating
An over 11,000 signature petition says: The frozen pensions policy as “entirely unjust”, describing those impacted as “penalised” by the system.
Why should we not get equal rights? Pensioners living abroad are less of a strain on the National Health (not using the services of GPs, emergency services etc.), in the vast majority of cases having to fund health care including care homes privately.“It is only fair that the Government treats all its citizens on an equal basis! [Editors Note: We wish the Government would treat all UK pensioners on an equal basis]
“Paying uprating to UK pension recipients in countries where it is not currently paid would mean an immediate increase in costs.” [Editors Note: This is absurd and disingenious from the Government – there is over £57 BILLION in the National Insurance Fund, meanwhile the cost to uprate our Frozen Pension – just £630 million – nearly enough to uprate Frozen Pensions for the next century]
The amount pensioners will need to spend to cover the rising cost of necessities like food, fuel and energy will jump from 67 per cent of their pensions in 2021/22 to 79 per cent in 2022/23 – Age UK, and according to Age Scotland’s chief executive, Brian Sloan said:
“With costs continuing to increase and given the UK Government’s decision to pause the triple lock on pensions, the situation is becoming increasingly desperate. It’s scandalous that so many older households are being left with no choice but to switch off their heating and reduce the amount of food they buy or risk falling into debt due to unmanageable bills. Huge numbers of older people are reliant on the State Pension and social security to survive, or live on low and fixed incomes, so the coming months are going to be incredibly tough as the bills keep mounting.”
Imagine how the nearly 500,000 manage when they get NO increase to their State Pension – EVER. Inflation is running at 8.3%, so how are Frozen Pensioners supposed to manage?
Soaring inflation figures do not yet reflect April’s 54 percent increase to the energy price cap
£15 bn of unclaimed benefits, and the UK government still will not uprate our state pension. O-U-T-R-A-G-E-O-U-S. And the cost to index the State Pension? Just £600 million….that £15 bn would cover 15 years of indexing…..
“It’s not sufficient to cover the cost of everything going up. The utilities have just gone up, and they’re going up again in October. The triple lock has been taken away from us”.
I’ve got to an age now where I would like treats. I think I deserve them. I taught for many years, I’m 93, and I think I need it.”
Editor’s Note: Imagine if you had to cover these costs on a State Pension that NEVER changes. Inflation is running at 6.3% and no additional income to meet these increased costs. Gas here is nearly $2 a litre! You are lucky if you can get the basics, never mind treats”
No increases for”Frozen” pensioners (again) which means that we miss out for another year of State Pension increases. Want to know how much less you will receive compared to your peers “back home”? Click here if you retired before April 2016 and click here if you retired after April 2016 if you really want to know….
One of our main aims is to advise people who’ve worked in the U.K., irrespective of their nationality, that they are, more than likely, entitled to a British state pension when they reach the appropriate age — similar to the CPP,” – Baz Clarke, CABP spokesperson for southeast Alberta, told the News
14-Feb-22 – Seniors Minister, Kamal Khera, takes to Facebook and Twitter supporting the annulment of Frozen Pensions
Kamal Khera’s Facebook account. Please Like and Share with all of your friendsCanada’s Seniors Minister Kamal Khera takes to Facebook and Twitter to show support for UK pensioners living in Canada. Please share with all of your friends
‘I’m ashamed of the rejection and the callous attitude of the British government’ – Anne Puckridge, 97, talking to SAGA Magazine. Anne says that she has lost out on over £30,000 since coming to CANADA
…inflation hitting levels not seen for almost 30 years. It comes after the official inflation rate reached 5.4 percent in December, the highest level since March 1992
We had a manifesto promise to protect pensioners who are now on the cusp of a cost of living crisis. It is so awful to think that we have so many pensioners now living in poverty. What are they meant to live on?” – Baroness Altman, former Pensions Minister in David Cameron’s Conservative Government
Editors Note:…and what about those pensioners living on a “frozen” pension, Baroness Altmann, how are they expected to make ends meet?
OVER-65s are being forced to choose between keeping their homes warm and buying food, Age UK has warned. Many older people are reliant on the state pension as their main source of income and do not have the flex in their finances to cope with such enormous price rises. Age UK found that 24% of older people say they will be forced to choose between heating their home and the food they buy if their energy bills increase substantially.
I am currently in bed keeping warm today as it’s so cold and I can’t afford to have my heating on for the whole day. I’m reduced to showering on alternate days, which I hate, and I’m eating food that’s microwaveable to avoid heating my oven.” – 69-year-old woman – Age UK
Editor’s Note: If this is happening to pensioners in the UK, imagine how pensioners are trying to cope with a FROZEN pension that never increases. How barbaric can you get?
Three-quarters of over-65s surveyed by Age UK – the equivalent of 9.4million people in the UK – say they are worried and over half plan to heat their home less this winter. A quarter say they will have to choose between heating and the food they buy if their energy bills increase substantially, and two out of five say they will have to cut back, go into debt or simply not pay.
Editors Note: Now, imagine how pensioners feel when they have to make ends meet on a State Pension that NEVER increases…a nightmare, right? This is reality for nearly half a million pensioners living in predominantly Commonwealth countries, but also includes countries like Thailand…
PENSIONERS have expressed their fury at a rule which means Britons living in certain places overseas will not be entitled to a state pension increase.
The rules are just so ridiculous. Where I live, I am not entitled to any increases….“I get that us expat OAPs are no longer spending in the UK and therefore not contributing VAT. But why are we treated so differently? I’ve paid my whack, just the same as all other OAPs in the UK or abroad. Why does it matter where I live? It is simply NOT a level playing field, is it?”
If you are not happy doing that then write back asking what statutory power the DWP is relying on to recover the money. It will then respond to say it has no power. You can then confidently ignore the payment demand. The DWP also cannot use common law to recover the debt.”
THOUSANDS of pensioners who moved abroad in retirement have seen their pensions frozen in place for years. An estimated half a million pensioners who moved abroad to certain countries in retirement have been impacted by frozen pensions. A video produced by the group allowed some such pensioners to tell their stories, including people living in Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand and South Africa.
It comes as a petition calling for an emergency £500 payment for all pensioners has been backed by more than 11,500 people. ‘Silver Voices’ Director, Mr Reed said: “We trust the Government will take note of the main principle behind our petition, namely that any extra cost-of-living support, limited to those on benefits, ignores those millions of older people who survive on their state pension as their main source of income, supplemented by limited savings and perhaps a small private pension. The large majority of older people will struggle to pay the astronomical energy increases being contemplated by the power companies. We are generally living on fixed incomes which cannot cope with an inflationary spiral. The Government has a responsibility to make amends on its premature decision to suspend the triple lock for 2022 and provide emergency support for all pensioners.”
We know, for example, that pensioners tend to spend a higher proportion of their overall income on energy and food, so disproportionate price increases in these categories affect them more. It’s clear that the coming 3.1 percent rise in the state pension this April will not be enough to support the basic living cost rises of older households who depend on this benefit, if inflation continues to be significantly higher for the rest of the year” – Becky O’Connor, Head of Pensions and Savings
With a rampant inflation increase, it is even tougher to make ends meet when the annual increase for pensioners receiving a FROZEN State Pension is $0.00
‘Silver Voices’ action group raises petition on Parliament website: “Increase the basic state pensions by £500 a year as an emergency measure. Both old and new state pensions to be increased by £500 per annum as an emergency measure. This will compensate for the suspension of the triple lock and to help pensioners cope with the cost-of-living crisis, including increases in energy and food prices. The payment to be consolidated into future pension rates. The suspension of the triple lock was agreed by Parliament before the full impact of the energy crisis on prices was known. Silver Voices estimates that the 3.1 percent increase in pensions due in April will be about half the prevailing rate of inflation then.” – Please support this petition which can be found here.
Employees must earn £120 a week for the 2021/22 tax year in order to be eligible for a qualifying year. Alternatively, they can earn £520 each month or £6,240 for the year.
the UK found itself ranked in a humble 25th place, with the pension system flatlining with the global average.
18-Jan-22 – Moneysense: CPP is designed to be there when, and where, you retire
For those whose retirement plans aren’t set in stone, the option to take pension funds, like the CPP, anywhere in Canada or the world is important. It’s convenient, it means freedom, it means you don’t have to worry.
The state pension is due to go up by 3.1% in April, however it’s estimated that almost half a million people who emigrated or retired to countries such as Australia, Canada and South Africa will never receive an increase.
Many of them [pensioners] have to choose whether they should turn on the heating or whether they can afford to eat. I am sure you will have seen in the press how much pensioners in the UK are struggling to make ends meet – imagine how UK pensioners living here in Canada are suffering given that their UK state pension is NEVER increased, despite the fact that they have the same number of National Insurance contribution years.”
PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION TODAY – THERE ARE 2,600 SIGNATURES ALREADY – OUR TARGET IS 10,000 AT LEAST
Households with typical energy usage face a £700 rise in annual bills without government intervention. That would put a typical annual energy bill close to £2,000.
Editor’s Note: Open question to THIS UK Government: How on earth are UK pensioners living on a Frozen State Pension expected to cope with this level of increase in energy and food prices when their State Pension NEVER increases?
– Thérèse Coffey can CONTACT US anytime she likes to explain how we are expected to manage
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PENSIONERS will die this winter because they cannot afford to heat their homes or eat properly as energy and food prices soar, campaigners warn. The Government must take action now.
Due to my age and financial situation, I am unable to afford to return to UK to enjoy the fruits that I thought I would enjoy when I retired 26 years ago. Instead, my wife and I will carry on suffering the consequences of living a sub-standard life, such as water and electricity restrictions and the price of foodstuffs that keep on increasing, not to mention the medical prices.”
– David March (88 years old) and his wife Pam (81- years-old) receive just £61 per week because they now live in South Africa
With the lowest state pension in the developed world and older people needing to keep warmer than the young, the costs of home heating and basic bills mean that the elderly tend to succumb to bad weather in large numbers, even in a normal year.
Baroness Ros Altmann, speaking to the Telegraph last month: “We all knew that higher inflation was coming and that 3.1 percent was too low of an increase. But the Government wouldn’t listen. Pensioners have really been short-changed and are facing a terrible time ahead”.
The fact is the Government has taken money off the poorest people in the country, and I don’t believe that is fair. I believe that is an absolute betrayal, I really do feel this was a very wrong decision. I hope the fuss we make this year will mean that this doesn’t happen again.”
It is frightening to think about the future as food, rates and taxes, fuel etc are going up all the time, but our income stays the same. We paid National Insurance contributions after leaving the UK, thinking our pension would be secure. We did not realise that it would be frozen.”
– Valerie Hepplestone, a retired pensioner living in South Africa, who receives a state pension of just £43 per week.
Baroness Altmann told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The problem for pensioners is that not being able to keep warm costs lives. ‘We’re not just talking about being a bit strapped for cash, we’re talking about health deterioration or death.’
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