In response to the Prime Minister's plan for change speech, Head of Influencing at Independent Age Amy Dodge said:
“We welcome the Prime Minister’s pledge to raise living standards for every part of the UK, but we are concerned that the almost two million older people living in poverty right now have not been considered in the six milestones put forward. If the UK Government is serious about raising living standards across the country, it must introduce both short term and long term policies that help lift older people out of financial hardship.
“Time is running out, but it is still not too late to reconsider the changes to the Winter Fuel Payment. Linking it to Pension Credit was misguided and will see far too many older people fall through the cracks. The UK Government’s own modelling showed it could increase pensioner poverty by 100,000. Our helpline has been inundated with calls from frightened older people that are already making drastic cutbacks such as eating less and only heating one room. This shouldn’t be happening.
“In the long-term, the UK Government must ensure financial security for all people in later life. In the future we hope to see the introduction of national social tariffs for water and energy. This will help protect people on low incomes from future spikes in costs. It is also time for a cross-party consensus on what an adequate income in later life should be to avoid financial hardship. Once this is established, robust plans can be put in place to roll this out to every older person.”