'Government making pensioners worse off,' warning

Delegates from the Rotherham Pensioners’ Action Group attended the Pensioners’ Parliament in Blackpool, but RPAG chairman Keith Billington said it had been a “bleak” event.

“It seems as if there is a sustained attack by this coalition government on every aspect of the Welfare State, and not just the elderly will suffer.

“The poor, the elderly, the young, the sick and those needing social care are all going to be worse off by all the changes being made to every aspect of our society.”

Speakers at the two-day conference included Pensions Minister Steve Webb and Prof Alan Walker, director of Futurage, which is researching ageing across Europe over the next 15 years.

Mr Billington said: “No-one had a good news story, it was all about how things are getting worse.

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“The most thought-provoking was the talk from the founder of the Tax Justice Network, Richard Murphy, who was scathing about the way the government are dealing with the deficit.

“He revealed that there is a £120 billion gap in what should be paid in tax and what is collected.

“The shortfall is due to tax avoidance and tax evasion, with big companies arranging tax affairs to minimise tax and rich people with their off-shore accounts finding ways around paying their fair share.

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If everyone paid their fair share of tax then we wouldn’t have a problem, but the Government are cutting the number of Inland Revenue inspectors whose job it is to chase up these people.”

Mr Webb told the conference that winter fuel payment cuts had been planned by the previous government and the coalition was sticking to the plans.

He also promised that 800,000 pensioners would receive a one-off credit of £120 for fuel bills following a deal with energy firms.