Plight of our pensioners needs action

NOW I have a personal interest in pensions having been a recipient for over 20 years, so I am not, in company with all other pensioners, looking forward to 2022.

Government breaking its promise to maintain the triple lock means that from next April, we shall all be receiving an increase of 3.1% when inflation, now 4.2%, will have risen to circa 7.5% if current trends are maintained.

We will therefore be somewhat out of pocket, and Government’s promise to restore the triple lock for 2023 does nothing to help pay the inevitably increased bills for 2022. The Lords asked Government to look again at their proposals, but Boris would not budge.

Now, as a generalisation, pensioners are not able to go out and find some work to help pay the bills, nor after a lifetime of contributions, should they have to. Some are still at work, and thoroughly enjoy what they do. I am one of those, but many cannot, and should not have to even consider such a proposition.

2022 will be a year of rising prices right across the board, not only horrendous increases in fuel bills, but in food also. This will be a heavy burden for pensioners to have to face up to and for some, may well result in a choice having to be made between food to keep them alive, or fuel to keep warm.

The basic cause of fuel prices being so high is that oil producers controlled by OPEC are restricting supplies, and President Putin has decided to maximise on his Russian gas, using supply as a political weapon to serve his ends.

Government, by suspending the triple lock, is guilty of deliberately choosing to imposing hardship on a section of the community who cannot help themselves. Perhaps they have forgotten that pensioners have votes and are not likely to forget, that under the Tories, they have had to tighten their belts.

It would appear that Government believes that the present steep price increases are just a short spike, and that inflation will fall back fairly quickly. This will not happen, for the price advances are world-wide, not just for the UK alone.

Boris should be ashamed of the developing plight of pensioners and perform another “U” turn.