It is a crisis now for poor pensioners (and over half have an income of less than a tax threshold of £12500 a year). Now there is this year an end to the triple lock, a state pension drop after inflation, a cut back of £20 per week Universal Credit, required Payment of TV licence for over 75s, (unless you are registered for Pension Credit Reduction in times of free pensioner travel, 1.5% rise in NI, paying NI when working after pension age.
Where is the support for the millions of older working and pensioners in the face of terrifying rates of inflation, (likely to be over likely 8% this year), energy prices going through the roof, as are food and fuel? Currently, there are just localised pockets of support on top of the voluntary sector food banks. As the terrible stories of individual hardship, the question of eating or heat and the consequent mental ill health that we hear at Wise Age and in the media become louder and more frequent we need to raise our voices to the government at all levels, the public and the media to demand sufficient support for people of all ages to live with at least enough to eat and heat.
In the meantime, we are researching sources of support available some of which you will see below.
More support from Hackney is here:
https://news.hackney.gov.uk/more-residents-can-now-get-help-and-support-from-hackney-council/
Tower Hamlet’s support for people struggling is detailed here:
There is also this from Citizen’s Advice: