The National Pensioners Convention (NPC) and former pensions minister Ros Altmann have strongly condemned proposals to raise the UK state pension age to 71, arguing it would condemn millions of middle-aged people to poverty and ill-health. The NPC, representing over 1.15 million members, said the plan 'in no way reflects the harsh reality of getting older in the UK'.
Jan Shortt, the NPC’s general secretary, warned that the change would affect everyone currently in their early 50s and younger, adding to the one in four pensioners already living in poverty. 'They will condemn even more people to a miserable retirement, as well as increasing pressure on already struggling public services,' she said.
Former pensions minister Ros Altmann described the proposal as 'unconscionable', noting that only the top 10% of the population remain healthy into their early 70s. 'Raising the state pension age to 71 favours the well-pensioned, higher paid,' she said, adding that the NHS and UK labour market are unprepared for such a policy due to health inequalities and ageism.
The criticism follows reports showing the current state pension falls far short of basic needs. The state pension will rise to £11,500 a year in April, but a report found a single person needs £31,300 for a moderate retirement income. Another report revealed women retire with average pension savings of £69,000 compared to £205,000 for men, meaning women must work 19 extra years to match men’s savings.
The NPC is calling for next scheduled retirement age increases to be shelved under its '68 is too late' campaign, developed with Unite and the Scottish Pensioners’ Forum. They want a new cross-sector plan to prevent pensioner poverty. Jonathan Cribb of the Institute for Fiscal Studies noted that while state pensions and benefits will rise by £45bn by 2050, health and social care costs are projected to increase by £105bn over the same period.
