State pensioners urge Rishi Sunak to increase sum to £400 per week | Personal Finance | Finance
Many people are reliant upon the state pension to provide a source of income in retirement. However, for some, the amount provided is too low, especially as inflation is skyrocketing the cost of bills.
Now, a Parliament petition has urged the Government to increase the state pension to £400 per week.
It has also called for an implementation of free adult social care for all.
It reads: “This is what we pay National Insurance contributions for when we are working!
“A significant proportion of elderly people in Britain today are living in poverty, having to choose between eating, and heating their homes because the UK’s basic state pension is so low at around £7,000 a year.
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At the time of writing, the petition has garnered 2,590 signatures, meaning it is some way away from receiving a formal response.
At 10,000 signatures, the Government officially responds to Parliament petitions.
It is only at 100,000 signatures that a petition is considered for debate in Parliament.
All Parliament petitions runs for a six month period, and the deadline for this petition is May 22, 2022.
The state pension cannot be received automatically, and people will have to claim it.
The sum is also set to rise as a result of the new tax year next month.
The basic state pension will increase from £137.60 per week to £141.85 per week – working out as £7,376 per year.
The new state pension will rise from £179.60 per week to £185.15 per week – or £9,628 per year.
A DWP spokesperson told Express.co.uk: “We want pensioners to receive all the support to which they are entitled.
“Our Winter Fuel Payments are supporting over 11 million pensioners with their energy bills and we are continuing to encourage those eligible for Pension Credit, and the wide range of other benefits it can provide, to make a claim.”
