Pensions betrayal will cost my wife £30,000
PERHAPS one reason that six million people are not saving enough for retirement (Mail) is they are afraid that, having contributed to schemes for years, they will be told that tens of thousands of pounds will be taken from them at short notice. This has happened to 3.5 million WASPIs — Women Against State Pension Inequality. Owing to the government equalising the state pension age for men and women faster than promised, they’ve had no time to make alternative arrangements and their retirement plans have been shattered. Despite petitions and debates in Parliament, the latest a fortnight ago, group of like-minded senior citizens. The other day, we picked up 16 bags of rubbish. I expect you could say that’s good exercise.
I hope the folk who deposit their rubbish on our streets and green areas follow Ben’s advice, too. MIKE DAVEY, Castle Bromwich, W. Mids.
A job for life
WHEN I left school, I was given the choice of such enticing careers as nanny, typist, cleaner or factory worker — all useful jobs, but uninspiring.
If only we then had the sort of jobs I see advertised today with creative titles such as communications manager, processing administrator and services contractor, whatever that means.
I had to settle for being a typist. sHEILA BELL, Codford, Wilts. there is no intention of helping them. My wife, Janice, planned to retire in 2014 at the age 60 when we assumed she would get her pension. She had worked to pay sufficient stamps to qualify, but due to her age, she is one of the women who is losing the most from the changed pension date. It was moved to 2018, and further changes mean she will not now get her pension until 2020. We believe she has lost out on £30,000. Because she did not receive her pension and we had both retired, we did not have sufficient income on a day-to day-basis, which meant we had to rely on our savings and sell our house to move into a maisonette.
NHS and private jets
I HAVE multiple myeloma and have had one stem cell transplant plus drug treatment.
I need a second transplant, but NHS England has refused to fund this proven treatment for me as well as for hundreds of others who find themselves in a similar position.
I have paid my taxes all my life and am disgusted that the Government thinks it more important to fund private jets for African leaders than look after the ill at home. Myeloma UK and the Anthony Nolan Trust are appalled.
sUE TURNBULL, Lincoln.
Value for money
INSTEAD of spending £175 million administering the means testing for the Criminal Legal Aid scheme, why doesn’t the Government use that money to employ directly off-duty solicitors working in Moving the state pension age has substantially affected the lifestyle of many women who were born in the Fifties. The whole thing has been handled with a lack of sensitivity and a disregard for the consequences. No one is asking for the retirement age for women to revert to 60 but for a bridging pension to provide an income until the new pension age is reached. The Government has had more than one opportunity to offer recompense, but has chosen not to. I hope the 3.5 million WASPIs will remember this at the next ballot box, because we certainly will.
DAVID ROLL, Cardiff. the magistrates courts and police stations of England and Wales?
That would be a lot cheaper than the £1.2 billion a year in legal aid bills paid to private practice for this type of work.
Only the very poorest qualify for free help at the moment. Employing the 5,000 duty solicitors would be far better value for money for the taxpayer as they could give a free service to everyone.
NIGEL BODDY, Darlington, Co. Durham.