UK Suffering From Pension Tension

I really should start thinking about sorting out a pension. After all, what if that Lottery win I’m convinced I’ll bag doesn’t happen?

However, according to new figures, the average income provided by company pension schemes fell last year, from £150 per household in 2004/05 to £146 the following year.

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Hardy Time: Council Tax Pensioner Off To Jail

Not content with sampling life behind bars once already, pensioner Sylvia Hardy, 75, is facing a second jail term over non-payment of nearly £800 in council taxes.

The crusading OAP told magistrates that her bill had increased by 100 per cent in 10 years, far ahead of her pensions.

Hardy is expected to be sent to crown court.

NHS Fat Cat Gets £1million Payout

David Johnson is a happy man today after picking up a rather generous £1million redundancy package from the NHS.

The former head of a regional strategic health authority in Yorkshire was one of around 70 staff who left the NHS in the wake of a restructuring project, but the 50-year-old’s massive payout, which is worth £899,810 including salary and pension, has, not surprisingly, provoked outrage.

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The Pension Black Hole

Prepare to never stop working. That’s the fate which awaits many of the UK’s workforce according to the Mirror.

A new £180billion pension ‘black hole’ has been caused by the fact that workers are now living an average of 27 years after retirement at 65, while most schemes are only funded to pay out for 21 years.

That leaves a six-year gap which would cost employers an extra £180billion to close.

Pensioners Feeling The Pinch

OAPs who continue to live in their own homes are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet as council charges continue to rise, according to a new report.

The research, published by the charity Counsel and Care, shows that pensioners who are able to live semi-independent lives are being left behind, as hospital services aimed at dealing with more needy pensioners are expanded.

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OAP Council Tax Rebel Ready For Jail

There's nothing more annoying to the powers-that-be than a vulnerable little old lady who decides to make a stand. It’s a PR disaster.

In the case of Beryl Pearce, who is refusing to pay her council tax bill on principle, the fact that she spent the Second World War working as an RAF nursing orderly, gives her story even more pinch.

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Low-Wage Pension Scheme Gets £3,600 Cap

The Government announced yesterday that it would place a cap of £3,600 on annual contributions to a low-coast pension scheme in a bid to help workers build up a decent income.

In the new system, workers will contribute four per cent of their salary, which will be matched by three per cent from employers and one per cent in tax relief. According to the Government, this will allow workers to build up a retirement income that equates to two-thirds of their salary.

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We Are The Pensions Champions

Our beloved Government is to introduce a new pensions advisory scheme which will aim to provide confused employees with information and guidance on financing their retirement.

Minister of state for pensions, James Purnell (I’d never heard of him either) announced the launch of the TUC Pensions Champions initiative, which is hoped will de-mystify the complicated issue.

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Councils Plan To Charge More For OAP Home Care

Without home care many of the nation’s elderly wouldn’t be able to live relatively independent lives, but with councils planning to raise fees - in many cases by more than 100 per cent - a large number of OAPs may be forced into homes, or go without the care altogether.

A survey commissioned by the Telegraph has found that older people will face an average increase of 29 per cent in home care fees this year, with a quarter of councils planning rises of more than 40 per cent. London’s Brent and Lewisham councils top the list with their respective fees set to treble.

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OAPs Get a Second Life

Ageists all over the Britain can no longer bemoan the nation’s old folk and pose the question: “Just what do they contribute?”

The old dears contribute a whopping £59 billion each year to the economy.

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