Elderly citizens will be hit by government cuts: McClure

He said that while there was encouraging news in parts of the Chancellor’s announcement, pensioners in this area are concerned about what the future holds for them.

Alderman McClure said: “On the face of it, the elderly appear to have been the least hit by the spending review, but older people groups I have been talking to remain cautious about the wider impact the cuts could have on the people they represent.

“I welcome the fact that winter fuel payments, free television licences and free bus passes have all been kept but the state pension age will rise to 66 by 2020 for men and women while the maximum savings award - the amount paid in pension credit to over 65s on modest incomes with some retirement savings - will be frozen until 2015.

“How the Health Service emerges from the demands being made on it is another area of acute concern as an ageing population will strain already fragile resources in health provision across the board.”

However, he stressed: “The retention of universal benefits and the increase in social care spending are good news to but the impact of the cuts in local government funding could still hurt older people.”

“The rising cost of living, reduced value of savings and impending water charges make the future even more bleak for those over 60 who are already spending an increasingly large proportion of their income on basic items such as fuel and food.”