Prime Minister Andy Burnham's proposal to scrap the pensions triple lock after the next election has drawn sharply contrasting reactions from pensioners, with some fearing financial hardship and others welcoming the change as a fairer approach.
The plan, announced at the Labour Party conference, would replace the triple lock with a double lock to help fund a new National Care Service (NCS) in memory of his late father Roy, who died earlier this month aged 86 after living with Alzheimer's.
Retired detective fears unfairness
Mark Hewitt, a 66-year-old retired detective inspector from Letchworth, firmly opposes the reform, describing it as "massively unfair" for a vast proportion of pensioners. He points to a statement by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn highlighting that more than two million pensioners currently live in poverty.
"I just feel it's absolutely unfair on say somebody who is just about managing to keep up with daily costs, and then suddenly you're taking away maybe a per cent or a couple of per cent a year, that might make all the difference," he said.
Mark questions how the NCS will be funded, even with savings from the triple lock reform. "As much as I love Mr Burnham's idea of this social care national body, not dissimilar to the NHS, I don't think it's been properly funded, and I think the triple lock will nowhere near cover the cost of such a body. So where's he going to get the money from? He's either got to raise taxes, or he's got to go and borrow the money," he said.
Having seen his wife's parents enter care homes in the Home Counties, which proved "incredibly expensive", he doubts how the government will take over such businesses "without lots and lots of money changing hands". He also criticises what he sees as a political strategy "pitching the younger generation against those who've retired, and I think that's just wrong."
Former nurse welcomes change
Johnathan 'Jon' Green, a 71-year-old former nurse and care home manager, takes a different view. On top of his state pension, he has an NHS pension of £11,000, reduced because he took it early after being made redundant during the 2009-10 financial collapse.
Jon says the triple lock system has "felt sillier and sillier" to him over the years, particularly given the struggles of young people to get on the housing ladder. "I've always thought it was a bit ridiculous, and obviously supported particularly by the Tory party because of the demographics of their voters," he said.
"It always felt a little bit unfair, and it felt more and more unfair to me considering the ridiculous way that house values have gone up disproportionately, and the lack of second entry-level jobs, the way technology's changed this country." Jon would prefer to see public money funnelled towards helping younger generations get a better start in life.
Stroke survivor backs NCS
David, a 92-year-old stroke survivor living alone in sheltered accommodation in the South Midlands, is so desperate for proper social care that he would forgo the triple lock for a National Care Service. He has struggled with rising care costs since his stroke 14 years ago, making the triple lock vital for him, but says his need for consistent social care is greater.
Unable to hold a pen or even a cup of tea, David has carers visiting four times a day, a necessity that brings huge financial pressures. Despite a company pension from his days working on British Railways, he "struggles to make ends meet" and pays extra for supplementary personal care and additional domestic support for two hours per week.
If the NCS is rolled out, David hopes he will "feel more supported", with carers getting more time with him. "They would have time to do small things," he said. "For instance, I'm unable to hold a pen or pencil, because the stroke affected both hands. I can't hold a cup of tea, I drink with a straw. And if I write an email, I have to do it with a stylus and tap the keys with my fist into the keyboard."
He added: "I was very impressed. Highly impressed. However, I ask myself, and I'm sure many other people in the community will do the same, how is it going to be implemented? And what procedure and policy is going to be coming out? Because I have a horrible suspicion this may get challenged by other parties at Westminster."
Mr Burnham has personal experience of the system's failings. "I've got personal experience of the system," he has said previously. "My dad has Alzheimer's, and you see what the staff have to put up with. It's not their fault. The system's broken. You can't leave social care like this."
Explaining the proposed changes, Maike Currie, VP Personal Finance at PensionBee, said: "The Prime Minister's announcements about changing the State Pension may sound worrying, but they don't mean the State Pension is being scrapped or frozen. Under the proposed double lock, it would still rise every year and remain protected against rising prices. The change is that it would no longer automatically rise in line with wages when earnings grow faster than inflation. For today's pensioners, nothing changes for now: the triple lock remains in place for the rest of this Parliament."
