Author: Alan Logue

Triple-lock on state pensions

Alan Logue

There has been renewed publicity paid just recently to the future of the triple-lock on state pensions.

This is the committment made some time ago that annual increases will be whichever is the greatest of :-  the rate of inflation, the change in the Consumer Prices Index, and 2.5%.   Both the Conservatives and Labour have said they will discontinue the triple-lock in the near future, whereas the SNP have made it clear that, in an independent Scotland, an SNP Government would maintain it indefinitely.  Pensioners in Scotland do not really need any more reason than this for voting SNP and for Independence, but just in case more incentive is required, what about protecting your free ‘bus passes, because if we elect another Tory Government at Westminster that is hell-bent on more austerity measures, you can be sure retired people’s bus passes will be in the firing line next !

 

Tory pensions bombshell

Alan Logue

Angus Robertson asked PM May a simple question to guarantee the pensions triple lock. She failed to. Pensioners should fear Tory pensions bombshell.

Calling the election has delayed the Government’s plans to push back the state pension age and abandon the triple lock, due to be announced on 5 May. As things stand, May might sound an attractive proposition to middle-aged Brits, but her proposal to target pensioners’ benefits – or, as I prefer to call them, their rights – will drastically affect every voter under the age of 45 too.

Governments can review the pension age every five years, and the former Director of the CBI, John Cridland, recently published a report proposing that the age be raised to 68 from 2037, seven years earlier than planned. He wants to get rid of the “triple lock”, which protects the value of pensions against the rising cost of living, and make pensions relate to earnings instead – means-testing by another name.

One in five Scottish pensioners struggling to pay bills

Alan Logue

ONE in five over-65s in Scotland is struggling to make ends meet – despite an estimated £292 million in Pension Credit and Housing Benefit going unclaimed each year.

The latest research for Age Scotland revealed that more than 200,000 Scottish pensioners are struggling financially, with 158,000 elderly people now living below the poverty line.

Now the charity is urging older people to get in touch to find out if they’re entitled to some extra financial support.

Scotland’s Old Age Pensioners – Driven to Poverty – Sacrificed on the Alter of Bankers Greed and an Uncaring Government

Alan Logue

Frightening information for anyone wishing to stay in the Union!

British pensioners in Spain worry Brexit could force them to return to UK

Alan Logue

Spain is home to more than 100,000 British pensioners. Most moved there many years ago to enjoy their retirement with the understanding that they would be able to export their pension and healthcare rights with them. But since the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, these rights are no longer guaranteed.

Of course if Scotland stays in the EU, Scottish pensioners in Spain and the rest of the EU would have their pension guaranteed.

At present, the maximum British state pension of around £480 a month is barely enough to cover living costs and is low by European standards – in comparison the Spanish state pension averages around €900 (£790) a month. An independent Scotland could easily do better.

Source: http://theconversation.com/british-pensioners-in-spain-worry-brexit-could-force-them-to-return-to-uk-74329

See also: What a ‘no deal’ Brexit would mean for healthcare of British pensioners in Spain