Under Labour the basic state pension has risen 12% above earnings since 1997. We have lifted 900,000 pensioners out of relative poverty with a guaranteed a minimum income of over £130 per week, compared to £69 under the Tories.
We will
- Re-link the basic State Pension to earnings in 2012 and allow more women who have brought up children or cared for others to claim
- Make it easier for those over 60 to receive Working Tax Credit and will look at ways to allow people to retire later if they wish.
- Protect Labour’s free off-peak bus travel for over-60s, free TV licences for over-75s and the Winter Fuel Allowance – guaranteed at the higher rate for another year.
- Offer free care at home for everyone with the highest needs: a stepping stone to the creation of a new National Care Service that will give people real choice over their care in old age, making social care fairer, simpler and more affordable and ending the postcode lottery.
