Action call over pensioner poverty

Jul 27 2009

Urgent action must be taken to stamp out pensioner poverty after a report found nearly a third of British over-65s are living in poverty, campaigners have said.

The European Commission statistics, published by Eurostat, place the UK's elderly among the worst in Europe, with 30% living on incomes far below the national average.

This is the fourth highest level in Europe, the figures show.

Age Concern and Help the Aged called for ministers to act through measures such as reforming the benefits and pension system.

The figures come ahead of the Work and Pension Committee's review of Government efforts to tackle pensioner poverty, which is published on Thursday.

The EU research, which compared relative poverty in the 27 member states, showed nearly one in three UK over-65s were at risk of poverty in 2007, the same proportion as in Lithuania (30%).

It revealed that in most leading European economies, pensioner poverty levels were either below or slightly above the EU average of 19%.

While the UK fared better than the 51% in Cyprus (51%), Latvia (33%), and Estonia (33%), the figures show British pensioners are worse off than Romania, where 19% fell below the poverty threshold, Poland (8%) and France (13%). Pensioners in the Czech Republic are least likely to be living in poverty, with 5% below the threshold of an income of 60% of the national median, according to the figures.

Michelle Mitchell, charity director for Age Concern and Help the Aged, said: "What this report clearly shows is that, even before the recession set in, many older people weren't keeping up with the pace at which the general wealth of the nation has increased over the past years. This means they risk being increasingly excluded from community life."

Recent research by the charity showed one in five people aged 60 and over are skipping meals to save money on food, while two-fifths are struggling to afford essential items.