19,651 LOCAL PENSIONERS WOULD GET £100 A MONTH BOOST FROM LIB DEM PENSION PLANS

1.07.42pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 11th Mar 2005

The Liberal Democrats have launched the most generous package for older people on offer from any major political party.

Among other proposals in the Liberal Democrat Manifesto for Older People, 19,651 pensioners in Arun District Council area, aged over 75, would get more than £100 a month extra on their pension, or more than £140 a month for a pensioner couple.

The Arun District Council Lib Dem Opposition Leader has warmly welcomed the plans, saying:

"It's time that older people were treated with the respect they deserve by politicians.

"Our carefully costed package is worth nearly £7 billion a year over and above what Labour is currently offering to pensioners - and over £4 billion more than the Conservatives.

"Our proposals will lift the most vulnerable pensioners out of poverty and tackle the scandal where so many women pensioners are not entitled to a basic pension in their own right.

"Our plans to scrap Council Tax will benefit eight million pensioners, with six million paying no local tax at all. Pensioners would save far more than under the Conservatives' rebate proposal.

"And it is wrong that many elderly people are forced to sell their homes to pay for their care. We will bring in free long-term personal care for the elderly.

"Neither of the other parties are offering any of these policies. This will be by far the best deal on offer to pensioners from any party at the coming general election.

"The Liberal Democrat message to older citizens is: we understand our debt to you. We have the policies that will deliver you a fair deal in your retirement."

___________________________________

The Liberal Democrat package includes:

> The Citizen's Pension guaranteeing more than £100 a month on the pension for single pensioners over 75 (more than £140 for couples)

> Free long term personal care for the elderly, which will benefit 220,000 people in 2006.

> The abolition of Council Tax and its replacement with Local Income Tax -

8m pensioners will pay less, 6m pensioners will pay nothing at all.

The proposed Citizen's Pension will be considerably more generous to pensioners than the Conservative's plans to restore the earnings link. In 2006/07 the Tory plans would give pensioners a paltry £1.64 a week more, compared to an extra £27 for the over 75's under Liberal Democrat proposals.

Pensioners in Britain

Under the current pensions system women and the over-75s are the most vulnerable. The Liberal Democrats are committed to helping raise these pensioners out of poverty and removing the inequality between men and women.

> There are 10.7m pensioners in Britain - 6.8m women (64%) and 3.9m men (36%)

> There are 4.4m people over the age of 75 - 2.8m women (64%) and 1.6m men (36%). In England and Wales the total number is 3.95m

Who will give older people dignity? How the 3 main parties compare

Taking the Labour Government's plans as a baseline, this is the additional money that the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats would invest in policies for Older People for 2006/07:

Additional spending commitments of benefit to pensioners in 06/07

The Tories plan to spend an additional £2.3bn on pensioners - the Lib Dems would spend £6.7bn on pensioners.

______________________________________________________________________________