• PENSIONSANDSAVINGS.COM

    From Ros Altmann:economist and pensions,
    investment and retirement policy expert

  • pensionsandsavings.com

    It’s not too late to save the triple lock!

    It’s not too late to save the triple lock!

    • It’s not too late to save vital earnings protection for state pensions – can use adjusted ONS earnings figures of around 3.2%.
    • Government still has time to rethink its panic decision to break Manifesto commitment to keep triple lock. 
    • House of Lords hasn’t yet passed legislation to remove precious earnings link and I hope Ministers will think again – poorest pensioners should not be abandoned as cost of living for them soars. 

    The ONS announcement of September’s CPI figure need not be the last word on state pension uprating. The 3.1% rise was distorted by the ending of last year’s ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ initiative which saw an artificial price jump in September. This one off effect ignores the sharp rises faced by pensioners in their food and fuel costs – while the most vulnerable were locked down last Summer and did not enjoy subsidised meals.

    The Government promised triple lock protection in its Manifesto and, on the basis of a false premise, is now pushing through legislation to drop the most important part. Earnings uprating is vital and when it was dropped in the past, it led to rising pensioner poverty.

    I urge the Government to think again, there is still time. The bill could be amended to specify that the earnings uprating does not need to use the over 8% ‘Average Weekly Eanings’ figure. It can instead use figures prepared by ONS that have adjusted for the impacts of furlough last year. These give a range of earnings which is far more reasonable and still allows the Government to protect pensioners against earnings rises, keep the triple lock promise and maintain the vital element of pension policy which protects the State Pension and the poorest pensioners.

    Most importantly, the Pension Credit has never had triple lock protection and has had to be protected against earnings inflation. Many receiving Pension Credit are the most elderly who have no private pension to supplement state benefits. I am really concerned that these poorest pensioners will be at risk of rising poverty if the sudden removal of vital earnings linking sets a precedent that Governments can abandon them even during times of sharply rising living costs in the basic essentials.

    I really hope the Chancellor will reconsider this dangerous policy choice and keep earnings protection – adjusted for last year’s pandemic – for our poorest pensioners.


    198 thoughts on “It’s not too late to save the triple lock!

    1. Pensions should be protected it is not a benefit really people have paid in all their working lives & deserve to have a pension to enable a comfortable old age not living in poverty.

      1. The triple lock must be protected.
        I have to wait an extra 6 years to get my pension and now please protect the triple lock on pensions before it is too late!
        Thank you so much for fighting for us!

      2. I agree they keep coming after the pensioners well earned pension, worked from 15 years old and not got it till 66years

        1. How much more are they going to target the pensioners. I thought I was retiring 4 years ago until I was told I had another 6 years to work. I was absolutely gobsmacked thinking how am I going to do this, I have worked since I left school at 15 on the understanding I would retire at 60. I have 21 months to go and I’m wishing my life away.

      3. We have been forced to wait 6 extra years, with little notice as I was born in 1954.
        In my case I have had little to live on for the last 5yrs as my back caused my inability to work from 61yrs onwards due to 2 redundancies from the NHS within 3 years. Now you take away the triple lock too! I presume you are not expecting pensioners votes in the next election as manifesto pledges are clearly not important to you.

      4. We have lost far to many OAP’s this last 18 months due to covid. This winter we are tragically going to lose more due to flu, covid and fuel costs. Our OAP’s need this money, it’s their money and it’s definitely not a benefit!!! They paid in. We should be looking after our elders not cheating them out of money at every opportunity. Some people only have their pension to live on as they have no savings. It’s not enough to live on and if you think it is, well you try living on it 52 weeks a year every year!!! Let’s look after our elders, they have been through enough

        1. Many pensioners died through Covid, surely the chancellor has saved enormously because of their deaths, no more pensions to have to pay to the deceased, what is the saving here? Surely this is enough for him?

      5. The SP is not a benefit but monies working people paid for by paying into the scheme. Triple lock should be protected enabling some to maintain a minimum living income. Maybe consideration should be given to reducing /stopping payments paid to Govt members when they leave their posts….just a thought

    2. The Triple Lock definitely needs to be kept in place. It still won’t be enough, though , due to Rising costs of food, energy bills, etc. The majority of Pensioners are poor. The lowest State Pension in Europe. I don’t know how many will survive this year without keeping the Triple Lock.

    3. Please try to ensure we pensioners are protected from losing the triple lock. We have suffered enough from pension age changes.

      1. The older we get the more we loose, till justice is done.
        No one’s getting any younger , let’s get this done.
        How dare this Government do this to the most vulnerable people in society today 😡
        .

    4. Any reasonable people will appreciate how vital it is to protect our pensions. We can’t all supplement the state pension with other income, we will just suffer even more. After a lifetime of working (starting at 15/16 not in our 20’s) surely we deserve decent treatment. Why have pensions suddenly become fair game? The Government needs to look elsewhere if it has a shred of integrity.

      1. Having worked since the age of 15 and having 48 years NHS contributions my pension has been earned. The Conservatives assured us the triple lock will remain in place and it needs to as we have one of the lowest pension in Europe!

    5. The triple lock should be kept. It doesn’t affect me yet as I am a 50s born woman who has been deprived of the state pension I should have received at 60. I do however know many men & women who rely on the state pension who will get in dire straits given that costs for just about everything are rising. We should be thanking our pensioners for their contributions not penalizing them for short-term government gain.

    6. The reason for suspending the triple lock is precisely why it was brought in. Yet again governments are saving money off the poorest.

      1. Many pensioners don’t have the potential to earn money either to help pay the bills etc. That’s something that’s not talked about.

    7. I think us 1950,s Women have been robbed enough of our pension at 60 years of age without the Governments robbing us again of the pledge of triple lock.

      1. I agree with your comment
        My thought is Ros could have helped the 1950’s women when she was in charge instead of towing the party line

        1. She tried very hard but got nowhere that’s why she resigned. She realised Torieshad no interest in pensioners, and she wasn’t going to get anywhere with them. So she stuck to her principles and resigned. Good on her

    8. Denying elders a right and proper standard of living is despicable. Many are in fuel/extreme fuel poverty. Many can’t go around to various food outlets looking for yellow sticker foods. Protect elders from pension theft.

    9. The triple lock is a promise that should not be broken. How can we ever trust politicians again if it is? Waspi women have already had 6 years of our pensions stolen – I worked and paid NI for 43 years and did not find out about the change in SPA until I was 58 when I received a letter from DWP. This was confusing and also said I needed 30 years of contributions – this was later changed to 35 years and I wasn’t notified of this. I stopped work at 60 after I was made redundant and didn’t work again for health reasons. I used up my redundancy money and savings to live on – so much for having a nest egg. And now you want to go back on your promise of the triple lock? Why not cut the pensions & golden handshakes for senior civil servants instead?

    10. Thank you for sticking up for the poor pensioners! The triple lock is essential for many people to simply survive. The price of everything is going up rapidly now and without the means to pay these essential costs and bills many people will suffer greatly. The pensioners have contributed into this country’s NI fund throughout their lives and deserve to be treated with compassion and respect in their old age. The UK state pension is one of the poorest in the developed world and indeed it’s a real struggle to live on for so many people so why why why make it more difficult now!! I think in particular of those so called Waspi women born in the 1950s who already have lost c.40k each of their pensions and been living hand to mouth for a 6yr penalty in receiving their pensions. For those women now receiving their long awaited pensions and now to have the triple lock security taken away is a cruel and unwarranted tragedy! THE TRIPLE LOCK MUST STAY!!

    11. Why are they so against the pensioners? We have worked for 50 years to make this cou try great, which has now been destroyed in a blink of an eye. Disgraceful.

    12. Thank you for your support. I became a pensioner in July, aged 66, after working for 50 years and paying in full. This feels like a huge slap in the face! The one time the triple lock would make a difference, and the government plan on breaking their manifesto promise. Says it all! We don’t all have a private pension to rely on. Whatever the rise it will make little difference as all our bills are rising. Nice to know what the government think of us. Obviously not a lot.

    13. Thank you Ros Altman for supporting us in this… it’s a constant onslaught on pensioners who are already poor. We are an easy target with little voice and are just pushed aside. As I was born in the 1950’s I’m still waiting for my pension – I’ve already been robbed of 6 years.

    14. Isn’t it robbery enough that we pensioners born in the 1950s have lost six years of entitlement, without the government additionally reneging on the amount we are eventually to receive? This is disgraceful.

      1. I so agree. I am on my final countdown to my SPA, 6 weeks and counting! Perhaps we should ask the Government to work for Minimum Wage for 6 years, and then see how fast things start to change. If we lose the triple lock, the Cons WILL lose their seats at the first opportunity. We have lost more than enough already. They will want a pint of blood to go with the pound of flesh next. Robbers!

    15. If the triple lock was stated in the government’s manifesto then surely they have a legal and moral duty to stick to what they promised. All too often government’s change their minds over anything that doesn’t look like its going the way they want. We vote on manifesto content if it changes then so will my vote come the next election.

    16. As we have all paid into the pension pot, I see no reason to suddenly stop the triple lock. At a time when gas, electricity are increasing this government are pushing more pensioners into destitution.

    17. Please help save the triple lock. This was not only a party promise, but a lifeline for pensioners whose pensions are never increased enough to keep up with the increases in bills let alone food.

      1. Pls keep the triple lock . Yes the1950s women were not told they had to wait or work for another extra 6 years Until the age of 66 years old. I Worked since 15 years old now In bad health. Food and heating gone up .How the hell are we suppose to live .Have some respect 🙏 for us elders.

    18. I have finally just retired after having 6 years stolen from my pension, only to have more taken now because of broken promises. It’s disgraceful!

      1. Me too Gayle, and I wish people would stop calling the state pension a benefit, it isn’t , we all paid in to our pensions . I appreciate any help and support to keep the triple lock in place .

    19. I officially retire next month having had to work 6 extra years. For God’s sake can’t you leave us pensioners alone and let us enjoy our retirement for however long that might be!!!!

    20. Another manifesto promise broken! I had 6 years of my pension stolen with very little notice, am still angry. Not all pensioners have the luxury of a private pension and suffer ill health as well. Getting old in this country is not recommended!

    21. Totally disgraceful and humiliating what has been stolen from both new, soon to be and present pensioners. Hope to God some of these people sat there (sleeping) when our future is in their hand’s is also taken for a ride by greater beings, just because they can.

    22. After working 49+ years like many others , we have paid in to get a decent living pension .
      Over all those years one realises just how bad % pay rises are .The lowest paid always suffer the hardest. The triple lock was put in place to protect the state pensions. But pensions still have fallen behind . The triple lock needs to be honoured , get the lowest income pensioners out of poverty and therefore less on benefits such as pension credit . The triple lock needs to be honoured

    23. Another reason to no longer vote for people who can not keep promised made the Conservative government should be held accountable for not keeping in promises made during election. I also wish they would clarify that a large portion of pensioners are not on £179 per week but the lower rate.

    24. The triple lock must be protected.
      I have to wait an extra 6 years to get my pension and now please protect the triple lock on pensions before it is too late!
      Thank you so much for fighting for us!

    25. Dont trust this government one little bit
      They should not be allowed to break manifesto promises. How can you trust them when they do exactly what they like despite all the promises they make..Its dishonest and not fair.

    26. The 1950’s women have already suffered enough, so now they’re going to take away the triple lock, how about finding something else to use instead like the foreign aid budget. We paid into that without having a choice, now stop robbing the pensioners, you will be remembered for this for a long time if you do.

    27. The State pension in the UK is currently below the minimum wage.The triple lock needs to be maintained to ensure less austerity hitting the elderly and vulnerable in society who will probably have paid their NI contributions for over 40-50 yrs.Women in the 1950’s are already suffering from the loss of 6years SP (approximately£50k) it’s an injustice causing both financial,physical and emotional hardship.Do what is right,moral.

    28. Waited too long for our own money to be given in the form of a pension for it to be eroded further! Already used our money for 6 years

    29. It would appear that the government think pensioners are an easy target – raise the retirement age without adequate notice and now trying to renege on the triple lock.
      Well, I think they will discover at the next election that we are not the ‘walk over’ they believe us to be. We are furious, let down and this is the last straw. We will use our votes to show you how we feel, as you don’t appear to listen to anything else. You made a promise, now stick to it. The pension amount is already an insult, you try living on it.

    30. Deep down you must know that renaging on a manifesto promise is unethical.
      It is blatantly obvious that inflation is about to rise substantially and by far more than the ‘surprise’ 3.1% inflation figure for September. The figure that will be used to calculate the State Pension increase in April 2022 until 2023. That’s 18 months trying to manage to meet the rising costs of inflation which will inevitably rise way above 3.1%.
      After a lifetime of low paid and part time employment I deserve better.
      Shameful and embarrassing that British pensioners should be treated with such disregard.

    31. Enough is enough. Stop using our Pensions as your pot of gold. We worked hard all our lives to earn the right to rest easy in our later years.
      Thank you for fighting for us Ros Altmann.

    32. Disgraceful behaviour by this conservative government – many 50s women were caring for young/old family members, running households, cleaning, cooking and had little time in their busy weeks to work as well, so many took part-time (and low-paid) work – lo and behold because they worked part-time they were not allowed to join employee pension schemes, so had very little opportunity to build pension savings. Morally, the rise in state pension age for women should have been delayed until such time we had had the opportunity to build adequate pension savings! This abandonment of the triple lock is a scandalous “grab” of what was promised to us in their manifesto. The Conservative Party cannot be trusted – shame on them!

    33. Please challenge the incorrect prevailing myth that pensioners are NOT taxpayers. Although the State Pension (being less than the Personal Alliwance) is not taxed, any additional private pension or earned income is subject to Income Tax once it exceeds the P.A. Additionally ALL pensioners are taxpayers in terms of VAT.
      As inflation is rising fast, any increment in April is likely to be swallowed up by autumn. Keep the triple lock – it was, after all, a Tory Manifesto promise at the last election.

    34. Please fight to keep the triple lock in place, not only was it a manifesto promise, the pension needs to keep up with inflation and wages. The increases previously received do not pay for the increases in gas electric council tax etc

    35. Please keep the triple lock in place. Some of us senior citizens rely on this. With all of the increases we all have to pay, senior citizens don’t get pay rises, overtime etc. It’s ok if you have a gold plated pension but the majority of us dont. Also why do I have to have less pension than someone born after april 1953. Everything costs the same regardless of the year of your birth. I worked for 42 years for my pension (I do have a small work pension), I bought up my children, working evening and weekends while my husband was home for them. I also looked after my elderly mother and my husband whilst still working part time. We senior citizens are easy pickings to this government.

    36. I didn’t realise that after working and paying for 46 years with no break even when I had my daughter that I would be expected to live on the rubbish state pension especially when there is a minimum wage which means that is what you need to live on. Are we to be just left to die then the government doesn’t even have to pay the miserable amount that we get.

    37. Private pension companies would not be able to change the amount you recieve due to covid or whatever excuse the government is using. We have a contract with the government and that amount should increase as agreed.
      How can we stick to the rules if they keep changing them

    38. Why do the government insist that this PENSION is indeed a benefit , they clearly don’t know the difference and need to go back to basics and learn which is which , Rob the poor to line the pockets of rich , same old same old story , each and every government is proving to be worse than the last and yet they still expect our votes

    39. The triple lock is not a benefit, it is a manifesto promise. With inflation and politics threatening to take basic living costs to ridiculous heights, even maintaining the lock will not keep pensions in line with these ever increasing costs . Removing the lock will simply push most pensioners further into poverty.

    40. We need the triple lock to enable pensioners on the lowest income to afford to eat and heat their homes, with the current escalating prices.

    41. We are already living in poverty ,the state pension is not a living wage and I thank you for fighting this cruel goverment

    42. Broken promises will result in no future vote. Retired people have little or no chance to increase their ‘income’ in the way non retired people can. The state pension already equate to lower than a minimum wage job. Many retired women, such as me, have already had six years of pension stolen.

      1. 1940s women have suffered hell but no one cares, no child benefit, no free child care, no carers allowance, no grandchildren carers allowance …NOTHING NADA and 3.1% on just £82 or £132 a week will not begin to touch Council Tax increase never mind now paying for TV licence and certainly won’t touch increased Energy costs yet we are DENIED Pension Credit because these clowns calculate savings generate 10% its obscene

        The pathetic increase April 2021 left us shortchanged now its abject poverty …what did we do wrong ? We had no option but to be carers

    43. Funny how Governments can change the rules to suit themselves,- increase state pension age with insufficient notice given, no triple lock increase for pensioners even although we have MORE than contributed towards it, but yet they say they deserve a HUGE wage increase while the country is nearly on its knees. Total disgrace.

    44. My pension is my only income and it is well below the minimum wage yet still the government are reducing what we are entitled to. We are the generation that have made this country what it is and this is how we get treated. Absolutely disgraceful !!!

    45. This government has broken nearly every promise it made, goodness knows how us pensioners with little or no other income will now survive. Women like me have already used up what little savings we had surviving for the six years pension stolen from us. For many it really will be the choice between eating or heating

    46. I think we have the lowest pensions in the western world. We have paid for these all our working lives how dare these buffoons play with our money that many of us rely on to survive!

    47. The triple lock must be maintained. Those that rely solely on state pension and possibly pension credit could end up in a desperate situation with rocketing energy prices and rising food prices, many items increasing in price by 10% or more. The Government have already saved many billions of pounds from the rises in pension age, and sadly will be saving billions more from those pensioners that have died from COVID 19, to scrap the triple lock would be criminal.

    48. I have worked since I was 15 paying full stamp. I’ve lost thousands like many others. Please do not take any more of our money and let us have what we are owed.

    49. Keep the triple lock I deserve it! At the age of 59 had to leave full time work after working 42 years non stop in order to care for my dad with Alzheimer’s so lived on carers allowance and my leaving package. He passed and I carried on caring for my mam who now was very frail plus my husband had dementia, she passed away. I’m 67 in February so finally have my state pension which would of helped me along these last 6 years was hoping to retire and enjoy my twilight years but not to be as now it’s full time caring till the inevitable. The government has us tied in knots in all ways!!!

    50. Given that pensions in Germany & France are much higher than the U.K. & this Is not related to the increase taxes people pay. The triple lock needs to be protected. With fuel & the price of food going up, things are getting scary for pensioners & other people.

    51. Government is getting more like the Sheriff of Nottingham, taking off the poor. Pension is not a benefit, they need to keep triple lock. Pensioners are going to be underclass at the governments hands…

    52. The Triple lock was a manifesto promise and needs to be kept. As a 1950s woman I have had to work the last 4 years and still have to work many more months. Pensioners in this country are on the poverty line despite what the government would have the public believe. Broken promises all round and everything else to blame apart from themselves.

    53. To break the triple lock sets a dangerous precedent. It seems that the Conservatives are turning out to be the party of broken promises and false manifesto pledges. Apart from levelling up it seems they select the most vulnerable in our society to shoulder the burden of pandemic costs. In the face of rising energy costs and shortages caused by lack of HGV drivers causing escalating food prices, they choose now to break the triple lock on pensions to those who can’t increase their income through work. On top of the delayed and unfair rise of pension age to WASPI women, this will cause severe hardship to pensioners which you can be sure will be long remembered by the electorate at the next election. This seems like such a knee jerk and unnecessary reaction to the unusual wage and price rises and furlough costs when other solutions are available such as using ONS data to indicate a more realistic pension increase which would avoid the need to break the triple lock promise. Even with the rise, pensioners will struggle to meet the increased costs of living forecast. Please do everything in your power to persuade the government from this disastrous course of action.

    54. The triple lock should definitely stay in place, the meagre pension I receive is abismal, I’ve worked 45 years and only recently received my state pension, government again targeting the pensioners. 😡😡😡

    55. They can’t keep moving the goal posts to suit them, with little or no notice to the public. I see the same rules don’t apply to their wages or pensions, they get there’s way before age 66. Keep the triple lock in place, and honour your word!

    56. Thank you Ros Altmann for defending the Pension Triple Lock, its about time the government stopped boosting their own pensions and bumping up their pay with obscene amounts and pay us what is rightfully ours, I am already living from week to week and do not get my state pension for another year something they have no idea what it feels like to rock bottom, to lose the triple lock will put more of us pensioner in poverty.

    57. I think this is a slippery slope, a Manifesto promise should be upheld. It should not have been made if the figures had not been tested. The people behind these promises are some of the brightest and best , or is that another misleading scenario. Thank you Ros for your support in this matter. Did you ever think when you joined politics the Government of the day would target a small group of women born in the 1950’s, 3.8 million of us who had very little opportunity to fight back. This has been the cruelest policy, to burden us at the end of our working life with the full cost of Equalisation, something talked about from the very beginning of the provision of the State Pension. This money is not charity, we paid via our salaries, our employers paid, the Government was only the custodian. Where did our payments go because £77 billion was taken by George Osborne or so he boasted. Now to lose the Triple Lock is yet another nail in the coffin of older women, who do we trust. We need all that was promised us to survive, what a shocking indictment of Government, we have never been able or allowed to plan because we live on shifting sand constantly. What will the next theft be?

    58. How can the government go back on their word? They make promises and then break them. please don’t treat pensioners like this, with rising energy costs we are not going to be able to survive. Keep the triple lock

    59. Please, please keep the triple lock. I am due to retire next summer and will be struggling so much after a lifetime of working. This is so unfair

    60. Pension in the UK is amongst the lowest in Europe, life expectancy is falling and yet the government are increasing SPA whilst reducing the pension by removing the triple lock. Women are particularly hard hit with the lack of notice to the increase to SPA, thousands have had to juggle work with caring responsibility whilst having their agreed pension stolen to accommodate government mismanagement. Time to stand up for pensioners who have worked throughout their lifetime to support the economy! Thank you.

    61. Another broken promise, they stand to lose the grey vote if they go ahead and cancel the triple lock.
      Work all your life and get a pension you can’t live on, then use your savings to supplement your income.
      Yet those who have never worked get the same, if not more , and are subsidised by those who worked and saved… this country is a joke.

    62. The pension is little enough, and doesn’t reflect rising energy prices, without removing the triple lock as well. Poorer pensioners means poorer health.

    63. Ros. This Government treats old people as invisible. The Triple Lock needs to remain. We are the eighth richest country yet the State Pension is one of the lowest? Since the removal of triple lock has been announced we have seen fuel, energy and food prices rise considerably with more increases to follow in the next 12 months. We need the triple lock to remain after working for this country for over 48 years + we have ear to this. Pensioners have no chance of increasing their income now. I waited an extra 6 years for my pension and was always told in my letters ‘at least your pension will be triple locked when you receive it !’ One year, REALLY another broken promise by this government. They will not be getting my vote!!!!

    64. Yet again another manifesto promise broken by the govt and yet again it’s the pensioners who will suffer. People who have worked and paid in all their lives only to be treated with contempt and total disregard. 1950s women in particular have been completely shafted by successive govts by having to wait up to 6 years longer for their earned pensions. What happened to elders being treated with respect and dignity in their latter years? We are being treated like second class citizens. The triple lock MUST stay.

    65. This should be kept in place as so many people who are in receipt of they’re SP rely on getting a slight increase to pay for all the consistent price increases in every day life. Unfortunately, like so many women born in the 1950’s and now men, I’m still waiting on my SP. Removal of the triple lock will affect everyone’s future pension.

    66. Pensions should be protected , they don’t even come up to what the government state is a living wage . It’s unfair for people who have contributed throughout their working lives ..yet we support many who have never contributed or even lived in this country it needs to be equitable.

    67. The Government will take everything they can to not pay what everyone is entitled too. We paid into this what we could, taking part time jobs and looking after our family. No chance to pay a private pension in those days so we all suffer at their hands. If the triple lock is taken off even thousands of more pensioners will suffer. I think this should stay and if we keep then pressure on then maybe there is a chance

    68. Worked since school always thought could retire at sixty worked somewhere with no pension scheme paid national insurance take away triple lock would be devastating

    69. The triple lock must be protected,the government have already stolen millions from the 50 s,ladies.Any pensioners,or people approaching pension age,that vote conservative,after watching them trample all over the elderly,must be insane.

    70. Please keep the triple lock, pensions are far below the living wage as it is & we have paid in all our lives.

    71. Please keep the triple lock, pensions are far below the living wage as it is & we have paid in all our lives and deserve to have enough to live on.

    72. We worked a lifetime on the promise of a decent pension, but at current level it is one of the worst in the developed world, it is far below a living standard, and still at every opening they can think up this government squeeze pensioners and the poorest in our society to unbelievable low levels of existence, way belong the poverty margin. They are turning our country into a third world one, and even that is insulting to third world countries many of whom give better respect and pensions to their elderly. They must NOT be allowed to keep welching on promises and punishing the poorest. Pensioners cannot recover from years of punishment. Extreme poverty brings with it increasing bad health that doesn’t help society or the NHS. As usual they ignore the hidden cost of their actions! If I ever meet certain people in public I may loose my temper with them.

    73. Thank you Ros Altman for your very valued support.
      The National Living Wage per adult is set at circa £16k per annum determined by the the Gov. How then are we as pensioners expected to live on just over HALF that amount?….because we are old, eat half as much, never go out, stop paying bills, cancel holidays and stop running a car??…..its a deliberate targeted attack on seniors by this shameful government. They should do everything in their power to put seniors first. We have worked for pensions, not a benefit. The triple lock should remain, plus bring us equality by paying us a national living wage (pension), they wouldn’t want to discriminate against us, surely! Thank you

    74. It’s easy to remove money from something when it won’t affect you.
      If politicians had to live solely on their state pension, they’d be voting to raise it the way they do their salaries.
      Leave our money alone!!!!!

    75. The triple lock should most definitely be kept.
      I have been working from the age of 15 and have to keep working because you keep giving all of our money away. We have paid our stamp, it is not a benefit we have worked for our pension. Give us what is rightfully ours.

    76. Plain and simple – Pensioner povery is increasing. I am ashamed to admit I have voted Tory all my life BUT never again.

    77. Ros, please do not fail 1950s’ again. Press the government that it is essential to keep the triple lock. Pensioners are paid well below the minimum wage but still have the same costs as working people. It is a sin how poorly paid pensioners are.

    78. Triple Lock should be kept. The UK STATE PENSION is small enough as it is, and we have had to wait an extra 6 years !

    79. Please do all you can to ensure the government retains the Triple Lock on state pensions. We have worked hard all our lives and made full NI contributions to ensure we can enjoy what life is left to us in retirement. The state pension is not a benefit – its an entitlement – and yet we receive less each week than the living wage. At a time in our lives when age robs us of our health, and we are not living to a great age, we need to retain our dignity by remaining as independent as possible. The more our state pension is eroded away makes this impossible.

    80. Keep the triple lock. UK pensioners now have the second lowest pension in the western world, far below minimum wage. How did that happen?

      We have paid in, in good faith, all our lives and have been treated appallingly. Stop robbing us as a political expediency every time there is a crisis not of our making.

    81. The government have reneged on their promise to protect the triple lock, why are we surprised? What they did when they escalated the pension age for women born in the 1950s is testament to their lack of principles…and not just this Tory government but Labour and Libdems are just as guilty…My husband and I both worked hard all our lives , brought up our family, looked after elderly relatives, I retired but returned to work on reduced hours, My physical and mental health was suffering due to the stresses at work, and in the year before we retired our family had the misfortune of having multiple family deaths…but we had saved and paid into a private pension…unfortunately a few months after retirement we found out my husband had terminal cancer, so I nursed him and transported him to him many hospital appointments, my husband was in receipt of his state pension for all of 4 months, when he passed away…over the remaining years till I finally got my reduced state pension at the grand age of 65 years and 11 months, my savings are totally depleted..and now I am existing on my small work pension and £582 a month, with fuel prices having risen by a major sum earlier in the year, council tax also gone up and every other service tv license, phone bill etc my budget is being stretched …how society look after their elderly, disabled and children is testament to how civilized our nation is, and how this government have treated us all, and especially the 1950s generation proves without a doubt this country and our government is most certainly not civilized…

    82. Pensions should be paid fairly and decently no matter where you live. Everyone pays in and should get the same out. Triple lock is important and part of our pension contract now. So to mess about with it and break promises made to elicit votes is very wrong. The Govt already denies the triple lock for some people by denying increases for “frozen pensioners” based soley on where they live! This is already totally unfair. Most of them don’t have a voice either. In life people need to understand how they will survive. If the Govt keeps moving the goalposts without a second thought for the impact on individuals, people will be devastated. Not all pensioners are loaded. The UK state pension needs to be brought up to the living wage levels. Not used as a convenient way to earn or save money. The Chancellor’s decision to change what was promised in the manifesto will not only be harsh, it will be indecent and cause further poverty. Leave pensioners alone. We worked hard for 40 years and more. Now pensioners deserve not to have to make a decision or have to think about if we can afford to eat, or heat our homes. Another broken promise to pensioners is disengeneous and totally immoral. Please ask the Chancellor to rethink this decision. Security in Old age is a right and should be the one thing you can rely on when you are old and vulnerable.

    83. We deserve better after all the years we have worked & cared for elderly relatives only getting a pittance for it when my father in law passed away apart from pension credit which my husband received I got nothing in my own right for all the work I had done x we just want justice not asking for much x

    84. Robbing pensioners of the money that they have invested for their retirement, increasing the pension age and not progressing the increases that should apply is not only morally wrong but criminal… as costs increase this will lead to further pensioner poverty and suicide which unfortunately is becoming the only option for some.

    85. I am 64 years old so still waiting for my pension that I was told I would get at 60. No job and my husband who had paid NI all his working life passed away at 57, four years ago and guess what?, no widows pension either . I also have an apartment that has cladding issues so I have to try to find somewhere in the region of £50k to fix those issues that are not my fault. I can not even sell my apartment so as far as I am concerned this government have seriously let millions down and continue to do so. I don’t know how they sleep at nigh.
      Thank you for all your help and support.

    86. Thank you for supporting us. After losing 6 years of my pension the Tories have taken the triple lock. What saddens me is all the women who have lost their lives before they got to the age of 66

    87. Triple lock needs to remain..pensioners are being treated disgracefully..we have worked since 15 years old and still waiting for pension..we worked and payed into this all our life only to be robbed by the government..its about time we received what we earned..

    88. Stopping the triple lock is a step to far and with a large number of pension age people in the population it will incentivise change in the way we vote.

    89. Sick of this government say one thing then do the opposite. How are pensioners supposed to survive with more and more being taken away from them. Enough is enough.

    90. The triple lock was designed and agreed for a good reason. C9nditions have not changed, except for the worse, and poor pensioners are made to suffer yet again. This government has targeted the elderly and frail for too long. Their discrimination against women is appalling. They do not care about those who have contributed to the success of the country… shame on you. I only hope The Lords will see reason…

    91. I am 65 and working part time but living in poverty nearly all my wages go on rent. I will retire next September and the triple lock on my pension would actually mean I will be able to exist but if that’s lost too, I will still be struggling. They took my pension and now breaking promises on the triple lock. Most pensioners I know can’t afford to live. We need it,

    92. Please help us keep the triple lock, pensioners are already living on the breadline, and we always seem to be an easy target.

    93. UK pensioners have become the financial punch bag by this Government. Made to feel ,after working all their lives in an unequal environment, completely worthless. Bad enough 1950s waspi women had 6 years pension stolen by underhand, stealth tactics. This seems to have given the Government more confidence to continually inflict hardship, rob and disrespect the older generation.
      That triple lock was a promise, a guarantee reinforced in the tory manifesto. They say a person is as good as their word, well enough said.

    94. The triple lock MUST be kept. Having just retired with a very small works pension as well as the state pension I am finding it extremely difficult to cope financially. Yes I did all the sums and it looked like I should just about have enough to survive – as long as I don’t ever want a break or holiday!! But that was before all the increases in cost of living. As I write this I am sitting in an unheated room with extra layers as I dare not put the heating on!!
      At the start of the pandemic I felt sorry for Boris and gang dealing with something totally unprecedented but I have certainly rethought that. It seems that they have targeted the poorest in this country to pay to keep the upper echelons in the manner they have become accustomed.
      Keep the triple lock and what’s more- increase the winter fuel payment. Come on conservatives do something to earn the big bucks WE are paying you!!!

    95. IT’S a disgrace to penalise the pensioners yet again.We have one of the lowest pensions in Europe .We have paid our taxes for years many over 50 + years!! Yet we are expected to struggle in our latter years.The government needs to find funding elsewhere this time.Why not stop the hundreds snd thousands paid to France to stop people travelling by boat across the channel.Because that really works doesn’t it!
      They need to get their houses in order why not take from the pensioners in the Lords claiming £300 per day with subsidised meals! It makes my blood boil how ordinary people who have worked hard and paid their dues seem to be easy pickings for the govt. Ageism should be treat as sternly as rascism is then we could all be on the telly telling everyone how hard our lives have been.Especially without all the benefits that people receive today and still they want what little we have paid for.

    96. Please keep the triple lock on pensions. When reliant solely on State pension the triple lock is the only means of trying to keep pace with inflation etc. Pensioners cannot go out to earn extra money as no one will employ us!

    97. I am a 1950 female I was one of the ladies who didn’t have to wait till I was 66 but still kept on working as my husband did to make up for the pension I had lost.
      But now to also be facing the government taking away the triple lock is yet another stab in the heart for all of the people who lost out on getting their pensions at 60 and 65 and of course the powers that be will not have the same problem because of the high wages they have been afforded working in a government office.

    98. The triple lock should be kept otherwise more pensioners will be thrown into poverty. We have the lowest state pension in Europe so UK state pensions need to be ‘levelled up’ . School leaving age for my year of birth was 15 and pension age is 66 = 51 year working life. I was without income in recent years and denied welfare benefits. It was a relief to reach age 66 this year and finally get my state pension since I do not have a private pension. Yet again I am feeling depressed that we are being treated so badly by the government, that they despise us and think of us as a burden. I worked for many years and paid into the system to support others but the government clearly thinks I and others are merely a burden on society now we are older yet at the same time we are expected to care for those older than ourselves as well as grandchildren despite our own failing painful bodies but keep us short of income which means we cannot look after ourselves properly in our old age.

    99. With State Pension a miserly 26% of average wage and significantly lower than the living wage a link to earnings must be maintained.
      The huge energy price increase as we approach winter coupled with the food prices increasing and other bills such as Council tax and for some having to restart paying the TV licence fee to the BBC a percentage increase of a pitifully low pension is inadequate to prevent a real crisis this winter.
      The UN envoy Philip Alston stated that in a wealthy society this level of poverty is unacceptable.
      Keeping the triple lock won’t solve the inadequacy of State Pension but will be a step in the right direction for correcting pensioner poverty.

      There are thousands less pensioners after the cull of Covid which will be saving the Government millions and rightly should go to receiving poverty of those remaining.

      Taxing the better off is an eminently more sensible way to raise income. The new-NHS levy is fundamentally flawed as it takes proportionately more from the least well off. It starts at a lower threshold than income tax thereby taxing previously tax free income and again, disproportionately more us paid by those earning the least. Then NI is tapered so the well off pay less than the poorest. Fundamentally unfair to those with the least.

      Pensioners who work past retirement age are again those with the least retirement income and again these are disproportionately taxed with NI levy. Those who retire early on generous pensions pay nothing. Those who have dividends already enjoy an extra tax free allowance on their dividend income and the remaining income is taxed at 7.5% well below the income tax that a working pensioner is paying of 20%. Yet again the most wealthy sheltered from tax unfairly.
      The NHS levy is also going to hit the NHS as an employer with no extra funding for the tax levy and the 3% pay rise for nurses is reduced instantly by the levy and was already below the rate of inflation. Clap for carers seems that’s all they are getting and many will see their standard if living fall this winter.
      We need the Government to address the needs of the people in poverty and start sharing the wealth of thus country more equitably.
      No one should have to choose between food and heat thus winter but that’s what dropping the triple lock and the NHS levy is doing to people.
      We have to do better than this.

    100. Many Pensioners rely entirely on the State Pension which in itself is not a huge amount of Money . The Government should keep their Promise and leave the triple lock in place .

    101. To be robbed of our pension for 6 years, also lost out on a full pension because of the rise in contributing years and now to lose the triple lock is an insult to pensioners. Why target the old and vulnerable all the time, is it so we die earlier through poverty, and thus saving the Government more money to fund their pay rises

    102. When will the government learn that pensions are a right and as Britain has one of the lowest pensions it needs to do the right thing and start looking after it’s senior citizens. You take money from our pensions, namely cancelling the triple lock, just because the unexpected happened and inflation has soared. Actually, even if we did get the triple lock, it is still not a great monthly pension is it. Most government officials do not live in the real world. They will all have fantastic pensions and live in their own comfy bubbles and it’s about time the government stopped wasting our money in countless ways and looked after there senior citizens who have worked for years to receive a paltry pension. Women have missed out on thousands as the age for pensions jumped from 60 to 65 without ample warning. I could go on and on but please, do the right thing now and give us what you promised, our Triple Lock.

    103. Yet again they break the promise of keeping the triple lock on pensions. Pensions are the worst in Europe and they should all be ashamed of this and of how they have treated the 1950 s born women.

    104. Having worked for 50 years contributed to the economy of this country i feel let down my pension is not a benefit i have well and truly earned it but pensioners in this country are treated so unfairly i,e taking away the triple lock we deserve better because we all know once it’s gone it’s not coming back

    105. The vast majority of people relying solely on the State pension are women. The women have no private pensions to help with their living expenses, but have taken time to have their children and then often returned to part time work to accommodate their families. The state pension is already making people live below the poverty line. It isn’t sufficient to live off. Removing the triple lock will, without doubt affect the poorest in our society and will yet again, be a broken promise by the Government. It’s appalling that in a country such as the UK that the State pension is one of the poorest paid in the world. It’s shocking how our pensioners are treated. The triple lock was promised for a reason, to remove it because it doesn’t suit is an act of wilful cruelty to many.

    106. Once again pensioners in this country are being downgraded we have worked for 50 years contributed to the economy our pension is not a benefit we’ve earned it removing the triple lock pushing pensioners into poverty it’s not a game it’s reality they should come and walk a mile in our shoes

    107. Cut the triple lock at your cost. Conservative voters all our lives. Go back on your manifesto and you will loose the vast amount of grey votes. People who have worked all their adult life until retirement. People nowadays don’t start work or pay taxes till well into their 20’s. Plus lots of others who are abusing our system.

    108. I have never taken any benefits throughout my life. I planned on a pension when I was 60, but had to wait until I was 66. My future budgets are carefully worked out. We were guaranteed a triple lock on pension in this governments manifesto. So why if they are short of funds are the pensioners the first group to be hit. Are we the easy target?

    109. we are the poorest pensioners in the 5th richest enconomy and the amount falls so far short of the living wage that an drop in potential increase is devastating. not only did you kill of the elderly during the pandemic you are now plunging us further into poverty. I would get treated far better if I had committed a crime and been locked up in prison. at least there I would be warm, fed and educated. my television licence and clothes paid for by the public purse. how best you treat the vulnerable is indicative of a powerful and developed country. shame on you

    110. I have never taken any benefits throughout my life. I planned on a pension when I was 60, but had to wait until I was 66. My future budgets are carefully worked out. We were guaranteed a triple lock on pension by this governments manifesto. So why if they are short of funds are the pensioners the first group to be hit. Are we the easy target?

    111. Last year I was still working, and receiving working tax credits. Which gave me an income over £200 per month more than I now receive on full state pension. Last year I was spending more than 25% of said income on heating costs. Taking triple lock away will kill many like me who are struggling to pay heating bills.

    112. The triple lock should remain, pensioners, even relatively well off ones are facing rapidly rising costs of fuel for heating which many are struggling to pay. As for myself I’m still waiting for my pension despite being 64 and having expected to receive the state pension four years ago.

    113. The Tories are going to lose a lot of votes over this. Please keep the triple lock. I now have to work to 66 and 4 months so have lost out big time, but more important is that I still have both my parents who may well find things hard with massive fuel price increases and who I can’t help as much as I would due to having to work! Your support is really appreciated.

    114. Please do not remove the triple lock. Lots of pensioners, particularly the 1950s Ladies have already lost up to £50,000 so certainly can’t afford to lose anymore. The poorest pensioners don’t stand a cat in hells chance of getting out of the poverty trap without a boost to their income. Saving the triple lock could make a difference to these peoples’ lives so PLEASE PLEASE reconsider and leave the triple lock in place

    115. Thank you for you support, I worked from when I was 15 paid all my tax and ni, finally stopped working when I was 66yrs and 7 months, the gvmt should keep the triple lock it was promised in the manifesto, and you should keep promises, not keep having a go at the pensioners every time you need money,

    116. This government takes the easy way to raise money yet again. First the Waspi women debarcle now the easy target of triple lock. They know it can be done through the back door without any protests. Well enough is enough we must not let them get away with it.

    117. Honour the promise of the government, retain the triple lock. Prices are rising, have risen, and if pensions fall behind earnings this will place even more pensioners into poverty. So many have to decide between to eat, or to heat. Please stop robbing the elderly.

    118. This government and anyone who supports them are a disgrace to the country, I’m sick of reading and hearing of how they so blatantly target us pensioners, constanly finding more ways to take away our hard earned cash.
      Most of the 1950s women left school and went straight into work, contributions were the norm, tax and NI contributions were automatically taken from weekly wages. We waited till our retirement (which we thought was 60yrs) only to be told we have to wait another 6 yrs, now to push us further into hardship they decide to scrap the triple lock, what more can they do to make our lives more financially difficult? Oh yes lets increase costs of living, energy, food etc.
      We’ve done our duty working over 40ys in whatever trade we had, do we not matter anymore?

    119. Losing hope after battling on trying to work two part time jobs with chronic pan, arthritis etc etc. This Goverment do not care about the senior citizens in this country, each day people are dying or getting very sick whilst waiting to get their pension 6years is far too long never mind 8, 10 and to stop the triple lock is another ruthless kick in the teeth. Sadly more people in will struggle to survive another cold harsh winter with the dilemma of deciding wether to buy food or heat their homes. More people will get sick with pneumonia and, or covid.
      Our Goverment need to have more empathy and compassion for those less fortunate in society.
      Have a heart we are all somebody’s loved one !
      Please help

    120. The triple lock was brought in as it was deemed necessary, however, it would appear that members of Parliament on an over inflated pension paid for by National Insurance contributions feel it appropriate to vote that the triple lock be removed. A 50’s born female pensioner has to live on what an MP would pay for a meal. If they are going to remove the triple lock because of the expense then revisit MP’s pensions and reduce them accordingly, we could save a fortune!

    121. It is terrible that pensioners are being victimised this way. After working all their lifes this is how this government treat them, with utter contempt. My pension age as been changed twice and by the time I receive it, if I receive it, the payment probably won’t be enough to live on! It doesn’t even qualify to be the same as the living wage, it falls far short of that! Removing the triple lock is kicking pensioners when they are down not every one has private pensions to supplement the inadequate state pension.

    122. A pension is a return on an investment made in good faith. What other organisation would unilaterally withhold their investor’s return on their investment for any period, let alone six years, without prior consultation with said investor? Only a dodgy one. How hard would it have been to phase in the change in SPA for women gradually, for example 61 in 2000, 62 in 2004, 63 in 2008, 64 in 2012, 65 in 2016 and 66 in 2020. Huge sums of money invested in the state pension should have been managed with prudence, diligence and foresight, but it wasn’t.

    123. How many more broken promises, and this one will have a huge financial impact on already struggling pensioners.
      This government cannot be allowed to get away with punishing one of the most vulnerable cohorts in this country.

    124. I just think it is so unfair, the price of everything is going up all around us; fuel, heating,food,transport,plus wage increases will push these prices up even higher , and yet we are expected to live on a pension that is under the single persons tax allowance. Crazy or what???

    125. I have waited 6 years extra for my pension, still got 2 months to go. The state pension is already below the living wage so needs to be brought into line so we have an income that can support us for everyday life

    126. After waiting an extra six years to receive my pension which is an entitlement and not a benefit l can barely afford to live. I have little savings and worry daily about how l will manage with prices increasing all the time. To now have the worry that the triple lock might be removed is awful.

    127. Can imagine anyone from the government living on a pittance of a pension i worked 50 years brought up my family payed into the pension system I had no option had to work 6 years more than I thought just give us a liveable amount to pay our bills and eat a healthy balanced diet

    128. I have had to wait 6 years for my pension The amount paid is inadequate to remove the triple lock is just like a punishment to many people, please think again.

    129. Please do not remove the triple lock. Lots of pensioners, especially the 1950’s ladies, have already lost up to £50,000 so certainly can’t afford to lose anymore. The poorest pensioners will be in dire straits. Saving the triple lock could make a huge difference to their lives especially now that energy and food bills are increasing, so please reconsider and leave the triple lock in place. I’ve worked without a break since I was 15 years old – had no kids so no time off and never been on any benefits in my life. Had to stop work at 64 when Covid hit, so no income at all and had to use what savings I had to survive for 18 months until I turned 66 last month. Applied for many jobs and has a few interviews but got nothing. Ageism is alive and kicking. Not had any payments yet, but letter arrives this morning (after I called to find out when I’d get paid something) I’ve worked 49+ years for. Expecting it at 60 – would have been a godsend as I have osteoarthritis – but just had to keep going. State pension is not a gift – we’ve paid into the system and manifesto promises should be kept to help the older hard working members of society to feel worthwhile after many years’ of contributions (not only financial)!

    130. We fifties women have waited long enough. We’ve Lost thousands of pounds. Please help us keep the Triple Lock.

    131. As usual, this government are targeting the most vulnerable in our society. The state pension is NOT a benefit – pensioners have paid into it all their working lives. Stop taking from those who need it and start taking from those who don’t, such as those who use tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share.

    132. A promise is a promise – not to be discarded when it does not suit. If there is a compromise which means the triple can be kept (although modified if necessary) then it should be taken. Bad enough that the poorest pensioners won’t be able to afford to heat themselves this winter – due to mammoth fuel price rises – without being betrayed by politicians on the triple lock. UK state pension is paltry a sit is compared to many other countries – so please protect what little there is of it…

    133. At sixteen as a cadet nurse I signed a contract to pay NI contributions on the understanding I would get my pension at the age of sixty. Having worked as a nurse, midwife and health visitor I lost six years pension…finally getting my state pension at the age of sixty six. The triple lock must be kept as promised.

    134. Why is it acceptable for people of working age to receive a minimum wage, yet retired people have to survive on less
      People of pension age are not easy targets:the government would be wise to consider the fact that those who voted rhem in, can just as quickly vote them out.

    135. Had to wait an extra 6 years for my pension. Still 6 months to go . Now they are stealing from my pension again by stopping their election pledge of keeping the triple lock by getting rid of it. They have moved the goal posts so many times , first only 30 years service needed for full pension , then 35 years needed then no full pension if you were opted out on their advice . They have whittled away at my pension pot until I will get very little I am going to be lucky to get what was due on the old pension scheme. I had to retire after 34 years service due to arthritic knees that prevent me from walking and standing and doing the simplest of chores. So works pension is reduced by 6 year hit but I thought never mind I will get state pension in 3 years I will be able to manage on that . Then discovered I would not get it until I am 66 – 9 years after retiring . It’s been a huge struggle. Now they are taking away even more please do what you can to stop these thieves and robbers using our money to line their own pockets . They don’t give two hoots about the elderly or anyone but themselves .

    136. Always making promises….always breaking them. Bad enough having to wait an extra 6 years before I get my pension and I’m exhausted already. (63) why is it those on benifits had help during covid but the pensioners got no help at all even though temporary the cost of living still increased. (I’m not knocking people on benifits by the way). And now the cost of living is still rising, but pensioners are expected to live on the same amount ! Maybe they are expected to freeze to death or starve, beginning to think that’s what’s wanted, then our pensions can fund something else…not that we will ever find out where all the thousands of pounds have gone by extending the pension age.

    137. The following suggestion/request, made to my MP back in early July, received the usual unreasoned dismissal f I commend this to you for your far more reasonable and rational consideration.

      “Dear Mr Fuller,
      Please convey to our esteemed chancellor of the exchequer the following suggestion, which should allow the calculation of a sensible and equitable pension increase IN THE SPIRIT OF the Pensions Triple Lock but without making an excessive increase on the basis of spurious “average wage” statistics.
      Based on the calculation as expressed (a rise equal to annual price inflation, or average earnings growth, or a guaranteed 2.5% minimum) the calculation should be taken back to the firmer ground of 2019 and then the 2.5% DOUBLED.
      In other words (from a starting point of 2019 figures) the 2021 figure should be:-

      two years price inflation, average earnings growth over those 2 years or a guaranteed 5% minimum.

      I haven’t done the sums, but it would clearly cut out the anomalous pandemic figure which is causing all the trouble and I would argue that by taking this approach “equity should prevail”!! … and the chancellor would not be required to print even more money.

      It would not surprise me to find that the the Chancellor and his teams of civil servants might already have come up with just this scheme; I doubt they could find a better one.

      Of course there will still be plenty of opportunity to refine and polish the presentation to the public.

      Regards,

      Richard Smith”

    Leave a Reply to Dot Faulkner Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *