A leading voice for the elderly in Dundee has claimed that the failure of successive governments to raise the state pension has left many older people living below the poverty line.
Jim McAulay, of the Dundee Pensioners’ Forum, believes that politicians must do more to help the elderly at a time when the cost of living is continuing to increase.
With political parties campaigning in earnest in Scotland ahead of next month’s Scottish Parliamentary elections, Mr McAulay is adamant that improving the standard of living for the nation’s elderly must be a top priority for those who find themselves in power.
Although proposals to reform the pension service have been raised at Westminster, it is unlikely that these would be in place before 2015, excluding those about to enter their retirement years.
Mr McAulay told The Courier, “When the pension was instated in 1909, it was meant to be 25% of a person’s average earnings.
“That’s now 15%, which means that many pensioners are now living below the poverty line.
“The Tories have said they will introduce a state pension of £155 for new pensioners. But people that are pensioners now cannot get into that scheme.”
Ahead of the May 5 vote, Mr McAulay has also appealed for honesty from Scotland’s political parties, urging them to be up front about cuts to the public sector and the impact these will have on pensioners.
Also highlighting the need to tackle rising energy prices, he asked that the arrival of the spring weather does not allow politicians to forget the plight of the elderly during the particularly harsh winter.
“Gas and electricity is still going up and this is causing concern that pensioners are suffering badly,” Mr McAulay added.
“In Scotland we’re being shielded just now, as politicians are saying what they will do.
“But after May they all have plans to make cuts at the councils and pensioners are the biggest victims as they rely on those services most.”
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user Andy Welsher.