1 week Ago By [email protected] (Linda Howard)
A new online petition is “demanding” that the UK Government “stops means-testing pensioners” arguing that it is a “degrading and humiliating practice”. Petition creator Michael Thompson also calls for an increase to all State Pension payments, but does not clarify by how much. The ‘stop means testing pensioners and increase the State Pension’ petition has been posted on the UK Government’s petitions-parliament website.
It states: “We demand the government stop means-testing pensioners, that we think is a degrading and humiliating practice. We also think the State Pension should be increased.” Mr Thompson goes on to say how the media is portraying pensioners as a ‘burden’ on the NHS and the welfare system and argues that older people are “entitled to a decent pension and a comfortable lifestyle as many will have already paid into the system for longer than the rest of the population by now”.
He continues: “We believe any Government should have a responsibility toward our nation's elderly people. In the Victorian era, retirement was often only an option for those who had accrued wealth. Are we regressing back to those Dickensian times? “We believe means-testing is an abhorrent practice that is demeaning and intrusive.
” At 10,000 signatures the petition is entitled to a written response from the UK Government, at 100,000 it will be considered by the Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament. You can view the full petition on the petitions-parliament website here. Over 10 million State Pensioners, including 850,000 in Scotland, are set to miss out on Winter Fuel Payments this year after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in July that the annual heating help will no longer be universally issued to everyone over 66.
Payment of up to £300 will only be made to State Pensioners in receipt of a means-tested benefit such as Pension Credit. Despite fierce opposition to the eligibility rule change, the decision still stands and means 1.5m pensioners will receive Winter Fuel Payments before Christmas, including over 125,000 Scots.
The Chancellor also recently confirmed that State Pension payments will rise by the earnings growth measure of the Triple Lock policy. This means millions of older people claiming the New and Basic State Pension will see payments rise by 4.1 per cent from next April.
Under the earnings growth element of the Triple Lock (4.1%), people on the full New State Pension will see payments rise by £9.05 per week from £221.
20 to £230.25 and as the payment is typically made every four weeks this amounts to £921. This will see annual payments rise by £473.
60 from £11,502 to £11,973 over the 2025/26 financial year. Similarly, someone on the full Basic State Pension will see weekly payments rise by £6.95 per week from £169.
50 to £176.45, or £705.80 every four-week payment period.
Annual payments will rise by £361.40 from £8,814 to £9,175.40 over the 2025/26 financial year.
Weekly payment: £230.25 (from £221..
20) Four-weekly payment: £921 (from £884.80) Annual amount: £11,973 (from £11,502) Weekly payment: £176.45 (from £169.
50) Four-weekly payment: £705.80 (from £678) Annual amount: £9,175 (from £8,814).
