State pension increase 'not enough'

Pensioner poverty and proper care support for the elderly have not come close to being tackled by the

It compares the £95.25 a week full basic state pension with the 2006 official poverty level of £151 a week, which is now estimated to be £165.

Said general secretary Dot Gibson: "The increase doesn't go anyway near far enough to help protect pensioners against the economic crisis."

She said that the situation is even worse for those who do not have a full NI contribution record, many of whom are women, who receive only £57.06 a week.

The NPC warns that according to the official figure, 2.5 million pensioners are today living in poverty, with 15% of them - more than 1.5 million - enduring persistent poverty.

It says that unpopular means-tested benefits are not reaching 1.8 million people who are eligible to claim them. Two days of protests to emphasise the need for an improved basic state pension and better elderly care support are now being planned.

Copyright © Press Association 2009