Shameful... pensioners are being treated with contempt

IAPPLAUD Toby Walne for trying to survive on a paltry state pension for a week. But attempt it for three months and I believe he would have found it almost impossible to bear. Sadly, for me, it represents a life sentence. I must survive on an income of less than £200 a week – comprising the basic state pension and a tiny income from a private retirement plan.

The suspension of the triple lock is a terrible betrayal for the elderly who every day have to make some really tough choices – whether to eat, pay bills or put the heating on in winter.

Our basic state pension is one of the most inadequate in the developed world and this is shameful. The latest figures show spending on state pensions accounts for 4.7 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product – less than half that of France, Finland or Austria. The average for developed countries is 6.5 per cent.

Meanwhile, household costs have been rising faster for pensioners in this country than for workers over the past decade – and it is only going to get worse by breaking the triple-lock pledge and cutting the link to wage earnings for next year.

There is also an expected hike in energy bills and council taxes on the horizon – not to mention the cruel decision to scrap free TV licences for the over-75s made last year. Dignity and financial independence for the most vulnerable in society are now under threat. Those making the calculations on what elderly people can get by on live in cloud cuckoo land.

Yes, we can survive financially – but only if we are willing to sacrifice even the smallest of luxuries and there are no unexpected bills that could push us into debt. It is contemptible how the Government is now treating the poorest pensioners in such a demeaning way.