A PENSIONER'S RIGHT

Remember a pension is a RIGHT and not a benefit. It is earned and paid for by Pensioners themselves and is an entitlement - it must never be regarded as a benefit. Some agencies are beginning to use the term 'benefit' erroneously and this should never be allowed. A Pension is a right, not a benefit.

UPDATE: !!!!
This week's "You and Yours" on BBC 4 illustrated how important it is to maintain that the Pension is a Right as opposed to a Benefit. One listener described how when applying for carers allowance, his Pension was taken into consideraton -unfavourably for him- as a benefit, so his total benefits erroneously included his pension as being a benefit when in fact it is not. A Pension should NOT be taken into consideration when assessing allowances. This is a right, it is inalienable and its inclusion in any calculations for assessment is totally wrong.

We at the GLPA hereby call upon Help the Aged, Age Concern, The National Pensioners Convention and The Greater London Forum for the Elderly to strenuously resist the Government classifying a Pension as a benefit when assessing the granting of allowances for carers. We also ask that all Pensioners reading this update write to their MP's objecting to this unjust classification. Pensions must be regarded as income other than benefits. Only by the exclusion of a pension as a benefit can a fair assessment be made.