I am Privileged
Contributed by:
Sara Forrest
by Sara Forrest, Commission Member
I am old enough to receive pensions from both private sector and public sector pensions. I was lucky in that I always worked for organisations with good pensions. I also worked full time through my working life. In addition I receive a non means tested state pension which is set higher than basic working age benefits and is tripled locked, with a promise that that will last until the next election.
I went to university without paying tuition and with a maintenance grant. I learnt to budget and between finals and results I could afford to go to Paris by train, staying in a small hotel. We could afford a baguette each and cheese or pate for our meals, breakfast was provided in the hotel. We visited the Louvre, Impressionist Museum and Versailles. My first holiday abroad.
We rented for 12 months before we bought our first house. Apparently our mortgage costs with the higher interest rate took roughly the same amount from average salaries as the average mortgage costs now. But the price of houses has increased by far more than the rate of inflation and salary growth so deposits take longer to save for now.
My daughter is paying off her student debt and is likely to do so for maybe 20 years yet. Her mortgage is affordable, on a longer term, on two salaries. If she became unemployed many of the benefits she could claim are means tested. Her family would have to down size if she didn’t get another job quickly.
I reckon I was born at the right time.
I do voluntary work (like many women of my generation) we see how much harder it is for our children and their generation who are ‘doing well’. We also see how much worse off the poorest in our society are than they were when we were young.
The biggest Government spend is on the NHS. Better health care means we, on average, live longer than our grandparents. Pensioners are politically powerful because we vote. State Pension is the next highest spend after NHS. State Pension costs significantly more than total Working Age Benefits. Yet successive Governments have cut Working Age benefit levels.
Younger people tend to vote less so they are less politically powerful. Is that why their benefits are lower? To me that isn’t fair and just.
I have already spoken and emailed my MP about the non sustainability of current pension spending and the inequality of the benefits paid to unemployed/under employed working age people and pensioners. I would like to live in a society that meets the living costs of all those in need without a preference based on age.
I am privileged because I would accept means testing and a reduction of my state pension if it meant that the poorest people in our society did not have to struggle so much to stay in safe, warm housing, eat enough healthy food and participate in their community.
If you feel the same why not email your own MP to ask the Government to address the sustainability in pension costs and the age bias in benefits?
And maybe make them think more carefully about the factors that drive who we pensioners vote for……..
Find out more:
https://www.if.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Government_Spending_By_Age_FINAL.pdf
Contact your local MP:
| Name | Area / Constituency | Email Address |
|---|---|---|
| Imran Hussain | Bradford East | imran.hussain.mp@parliament.uk |
| Judith Cummins | Bradford South | judith.cummins.mp@parliament.uk |
| Naz Shah | Bradford West | naz.shah.mp@parliament.uk |
| Hilary Benn | Leeds Central / Leeds South (post-boundary) | bennh@parliament.uk |
| Richard Burgon | Leeds East | richard@richardburgon.com |
| Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | fabian.hamilton.mp@parliament.uk |
| Alex Sobel | Leeds North West / Leeds Central & Headingley | alex.sobel.mp@parliament.uk |
| Rachel Reeves | Leeds West | rachel.reeves.mp@parliament.uk |
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