The over-50s glad to escape the daily grind

SIR – Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, is keen for over-50s not to retire (Letters, February 1). Can I politely suggest he commutes from his South West Surrey constituency on South Western Railway trains for a few weeks?

Perhaps then he might have more sympathy with those preferring to retire early rather than dying on their feet on a late and crowded train. Edward Bridges

London EC1

SIR – For some, the decision to retire early was not taken lightly.

In my case, after college and 40 years of continuous employment, I was made redundant at the age of 59, along with 70 other people. After five months of countless applications I did manage to land a temporary admin job that lasted for four months. I had no luck with any subsequent relevant applications. The disappointment was hard to take, even though I had no expectation of walking into a job at the same level.

As my wife and I are fortunate to be able to manage well enough on our finances without recourse to state aid, our carefulness has allowed me to escape the anxiety of continuing to chase work that I have little chance of securing.

Phil Morley

Ferndown, Dorset