Members of the NPC filled Committee Room 14 in the House of Commons on October 26 for a rally in support of the Convention’s Rights in Retirement campaign.
Pensioners came from across the UK to support the event and lobby their MPs on three key rights:
- The right to a decent state pension set above the poverty level
- The right to be cared for properly through a National Care Service
- The right to be free from fuel poverty through a higher winter fuel allowance
Support for the campaign came from the chair of the NPC’s Parliamentary Group, Kelvin Hopkins MP, Green MP Caroline Lucas and trade union leaders Dave Prentis, Unison, Christine Blower, NUT and Diana Holland, Unite.
The new shadow pensions minister, Gregg McClymont also spoke for the first time to a NPC audience and said he looked forward to discussing the issues further, but the pensions minister Steve Webb declined to confirm that next year’s state pension would rise by the Consumer Price Index figure of 5.2% – saying that the issue would be determined in the Chancellor’s autumn statement due on November 29.
The Rights in Retirement campaign week continues with a Decent Care for All march and rally in Sutton on Saturday 29 October, at which the care minister Paul Burstow will address a rally. See Campaign page for more details.
A packed committee room