Sarah Carr, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Hereford and South Herefordshire, has criticised the £2.40 planned increase in the basic state pension as pitiful and not enough for the majority of pensioners to cope.
A recent poll by Age Concern suggests that 5.2 million of the nation's 13 million pensioners will go cold at some point this winter as a result of cutting back on gas and electricity.
"The extra 34p a day will not cover the inflation rate for most pensioners who face the double whammy of mounting food and fuel costs and soaring council tax bills. It is evident that the government is doing little to challenge the poverty many face in old age. By delaying action on restoring the earnings link to state pensions until 2012, the government is failing to address the urgent needs of many pensioners.
