I was interested by a recent report highlighting that, by 2050, the proportion of our population aged over 65 years would rise from 17% to 25%. The reason for my interest was due to the fact that the proportion is already 28% in the Bexhill and Battle constituency. As well as being one step ahead of the nation, we are also aware of what is needed in our community to look after those who are advanced in age.
It was with this in mind that I asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Government is doing to look after the financial wellbeing of our pensioners. The Government is rightly proud of its ‘triple-lock’ pension arrangement, which means that the state pension rises every year by price inflation, wage growth or 2.5% - whichever is the highest. Additional commitment comes in the form of free bus passes and TV licences and the winter fuel allowance.
The Government provides a number of other benefits and grants. My follow up question was “What is the Government doing to ensure that pensioners know what additional benefits they are entitled to besides their pension?” Age UK estimates that pensioners miss out on £3.7bl of benefits every year because they are not aware such benefits exist. These benefits include Pensions Credit (which four million people are entitled to but only two in three claim for it), Carers Allowance (assuming the person is still working), Bereavement Benefits and Attendance Allowance. Age UK has an excellent ‘benefits calculator’ on its website and I would urge pensioners to have a try for themselves and see if they are claiming all they are entitled to: http://www.ageuk.org.uk/money-matters/claiming-benefits/benefits-calculator/.
The Citizen’s Advice Bureau is also a great source of help and can carry out a Benefits Check.
For those of our elderly population who cannot manage at home, our care homes do a fantastic job. The Government’s commitment to raise the minimum wage to £9, together with a reduction in local authority funding, has put the squeeze on their budgets. I have spoken in Parliament of the need to better fund our adult social care. I was pleased that the Government has announced that it will allow county councils to apply an additional 2% increase to council tax for adult social care provision. Whilst I am instinctively against increasing taxes, I feel that we need to be realistic and recognise that we have to spend more on looking after those who are elderly and often vulnerable. More money has been pumped in to the NHS but if we cannot find the resources to look after our elderly after they leave hospital then something is wrong indeed.
It is often said that you can tell a nation by the manner in which it respects and looks after those in advanced years. In Bexhill and Battle, with all of our volunteers, groups and organisations dedicated to helping those in their senior years, we do it well. I hope that we can do even more and look after those who have given so much to our community and served their country.