Pensioners are finding it hard to cope with rising living costs, with 47% saying they are "just getting by", research suggests.
In a study for Age UK, 11% described themselves as finding it difficult or "really struggling" to cope.
The face-to-face survey of 1,258 people suggested 19% cut back on heating this winter in order to manage their money.
Age UK is launching a campaign for over-60s to claim all the benefits they are entitled to receive.
The research found some 26% pensioners said they were buying cheaper or less food and 19% going out less.
Among poorer pensioners, the figures rose to more than a third, or 35%, buying cheaper or less food, and 21% going out less.
A total of 11% said they were in debt through mortgage, credit cards or bank loans.
Missed benefits
The findings were released to coincide with Age UK's More Money in Your Pocket campaign, which says as much as £5.4bn in pensioner benefits goes unclaimed each year.
The charity says this is often because people are unaware of the help available.
It says just under a half of pensioners are entitled to pension credit but a third of people eligible do not claim, while up to 1.97 million pensioners are also missing out on council tax benefit worth £1.5bn a year.
Michelle Mitchell, Age UK charity director, said: "At a time when so many people are struggling financially, it is unacceptable that vital benefits are failing to reach some of the poorest and most vulnerable older people in our society.
"This is money that could make a huge difference to people's quality of life. Ultimately, the best way to ensure that people receive the benefits they are entitled to is for them to be paid automatically.
"But in the meantime, the evidence shows that clear, independent information and advice and face-to-face communication are key to improving the take-up of benefits."
PDF version This paper examines changes in health and disability related transfers in the UK over the last thirty years, and describes how they are related to changes in labour force participation. The objective is to present a comprehensive description of the reforms to the institutional setting, along with available time series coming from administrative data on benefit receipt, cross-section or panel data on self-reported health and their interactions with labour force status. By providing systematic evidence on institutions and data, we hope to help future research providing a fuller picture of the trends over this period. We also present evidence on the impact of two large reforms to disability benefits in the UK.
Making longer journeys is about to get more difficult for many older people.
From 1 November 2011 older people will not be able to benefit from a 50% discount to coach travel.
At the moment coach operators claim subsidies in return for offering a half-price concession to older and disabled people.
The move to end this arrangement was quietly announced by the government in an annex to the Department for Transport’s Spending Review last year.
Higher prices
We have heard concerns from older people who depend on the coach concession to get out and about, to see friends and family or travel further afield if they wish.
Removing the concession will mean higher prices and some people will think twice before travelling. People in later life that are at risk of facing loneliness and social isolation will be further put off from leaving their home.
The increased cost will also have an effect on demand, which in turn could mean some coach services are no longer viable.
National Express run 18 routes where 32-51% of passengers receive concessions.
This is a particular concern on some rural routes where concessionary passengers currently make up a significant proportion of travellers.
Without their custom the route may not be able to run.
Pressure on public transport
The implications of removing the concession should also be seen in the context of other changes to public transport.
Over the last couple of weeks we have seen reports of rising rail prices and cuts to subsidies that keep bus services running.
For people without access to private transport the options for affordable travel are becoming more and more limited.
Delay plans
It has been reported that the government has to make this cut to meet the budget deficit.
While we recognise that something has to give, the cut to the coach concession feels arbitrary with no proper consideration of the impacts.
There has been no public consultation on the change to coach concessions, which means disabled and older people have been excluded from the debate and decision-making process.
The government should seriously consider delaying plans to cut the concession to allow enough time to consult properly with both concession pass holders and operators.
With proper consideration an alternative solution could be agreed.
Age UK is working with Disability Alliance and Campaign for Better Transport to make sure the government recognises the impact this will have on older and disabled passengers.
http://ageukblog.org.uk/2011/08/30/government-ends-concessionary-coach-f...
Disabled and older people lose 3 million discounts as Government ends concessionary coach fares
The Government is abolishing half price coach concessions for older and disabled people from 1st November 2011. In the last year 2.9 million concessionary journeys were made on National Express coaches alone [1].
Disability Alliance, Age UK and Campaign for Better Transport believe that the cut to the concessionary fare scheme will significantly disadvantage disabled people and older people.
Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director of Age UK says:
“Many older people depend on the coach concession to get out and about, to see friends and family or travel further afield if they wish. The coach concession is an effective way of preventing loneliness and social isolation of people in later life. Age UK is calling on the government to delay plans to cut the concession to allow enough time to consult properly with concession pass holders and operators.”
The end of coach concessions also risks the future of some coach routes, especially in rural areas. On many coach routes in the UK, concessionary pass holders make up a significant proportion of passengers. National Express run 18 routes where 32-51% of passengers receive concessions. We fear that the knock-on effect of axing the concessionary fare scheme will mean some routes are abandoned and we believe that older and disabled people in rural areas are likely to be worst affected.
Neil Coyle, Director of Policy at the Disability Alliance says:
“A third of disabled people already live in poverty in the UK and discounted travel – especially long distance – has been a significant help to see family or to be able to take a short break. Many disabled people will be unable to travel at full cost on coaches and train fares can seem out of reach, especially with half working age disabled adults out of work and disabled people in work earning less than non-disabled colleagues” [2].
Sadly, no public consultation has been conducted on this issue and disabled and older people have been excluded from the debate and decision-making process – possibly unlawfully.
Legislation requires the Department for Transport (DfT) to ensure the impact of decisions on disadvantaged groups, like older and disabled people, is fully analysed [3]. But the assessment for this decision was rushed and we believe is inadequate, failing to take into account the full value of the scheme for health, economic activity and wellbeing of the people who use it. The DfT assessment also fails to consider the potential loss of coach services most used by concessionary passengers and the broader communities affected as a result.
Sophie Allain, a campaigner at Campaign for Better Transport says:
“This has been a hasty and poorly assessed decision which is bad news for older and disabled bus passengers but also threatens to tip a number of coach routes into decline and closure especially in rural and disadvantaged areas. When difficult decisions have to be made it is vital that the Government assesses the impacts fully, consults the public and communicates with operators. Unless the Government pauses to do these things it will be vulnerable coach passengers who lose out.”
Many disabled and older people fear that the Government decision may be the first stop en route to ending the broader concessionary schemes for bus use. Most political parties pledged to protect free bus travel at the last election despite efforts to cut public spending.
Notes
[1] 2,887,773 concessionary journeys were made between April 2010 and March 2011 on National Express services. National Express is the largest UK coach operator.
[2] For information on disability poverty please see Tackling Disability Poverty Disability Alliance, 2009.
Age UK is the new force combining Age Concern and Help the Aged, dedicated to improving later life. We provide free information, advice and support to over five million people; commercial products and services to over one million customers; and research and campaign on the issues that matter to people in later life. Our work focuses on five key areas: money matters, health and well being, home and care, work and training and leisure and lifestyle. We work with our national partners, Age Scotland, Age Cymru and Age NI (together the Age UK Family), our local Age UK partners in England and local Age Concerns. We also work internationally for people in later life as a member of the DEC and with our sister charity Help Age International. Age UK is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England (registered charity number 1128267 and company number 6825798).
Media contact: Liz Fairweather: telephone: 020 3033 1718, out-of-hours: 07071 243 243, email: liz.fairweather@ageuk.org.uk. For Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland media enquiries please contact the appropriate office: Age Scotland: 0131 668 8055, Age Cymru: 029 2043 1562 and Age NI: 028 9024 5729.
Campaign for Better Transport is the UK's leading authority on sustainable transport. We champion transport solutions that improve people's lives and reduce environmental damage. Our campaigns push innovative, practical policies at local and national levels. Campaign for Better Transport Charitable Trust is a registered charity (1101929). See: www.bettertransport.org.uk/ for further information.
Media contact: Sophie Allain: 07984 773 468
Disability Alliance works to relieve the poverty and improve the living standards of disabled people. Our aim is to break the link between poverty and disability. We provide a range of free information services, including over 50 Factsheets accessed by 328,000 people in 2010/11. Further information on DA is available at: www.disabilityalliance.org Registered charity: 1063115.
London Councils has set out its concerns that over a quarter of Londoners are struggling to meet their energy bills - with rising prices and welfare reforms threatening to send even more into fuel poverty.
Fuel poverty in London is defined as when a household has to spend more than a tenth of its income to ‘maintain an adequate level of warmth’ after housing costs. Using this measure, more than a quarter of London homes are living in fuel poverty.
Children growing up in poorly heated conditions are twice as likely to suffer from a variety of respiratory problems as other children, and Early Winter Deaths are three times higher in the coldest quarter of our housing stock compared to the warmest.
Before 2004 fuel poverty had been declining, largely due to a combination of falling prices, rising incomes and the installation of energy efficiency measures. However since 2004 energy prices have more than doubled and progress has been reversed.
To demonstrate how widespread the issue is, London Councils has modelled the impact of fuel poverty on four separate households – a lone parent, a ‘squeezed middle’ couple with two children, a lone pensioner and an extended family.
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related documents
Fuel poverty modelling report (PDF, 66Kb)
http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/news/current/pressdetail.htm?pk=1379
On 23 November 2011, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published its inquiry report ‘Close to Home: An Inquiry into older people and human rights in home care’.
The EHRC’s inquiry into the home care system in England reveals disturbing evidence that the poor treatment of many older people is breaching their human rights and too many are struggling to voice their concerns about their care or be listened to about what kind of support they want.
Click here for details
New evidence suggests disabled people across England are facing “rocketing” fees for the support they receive at home from their council.
The “snapshot study” of 15 councils – carried out by Disability Alliance for the Coalition on Charging – also found that some local authorities appear to be ignoring their legal obligations around their charging policies.
The study found that six local authorities – Hertfordshire, Lewisham, Oldham, Westminster, Stoke on Trent and Richmond – have removed their maximum hourly fees for support at home.
Another six councils – Derby, Derbyshire, Warwickshire, Lincolnshire, Lancashire and Bolton – reported steep rises to their hourly rates of between nine and 78 per cent. Only one of the 15 councils – Poole – reported a fall in hourly rates.
Derby City Council will now be charging disabled people £14.22 per hour, compared with a previous rate of £8 per hour, with Warwickshire County Council increasing charges from £9.66 per hour to £16.45.
Seven of the councils have removed their weekly limit on the amount disabled people can be asked to pay for support, with another five imposing sharp increases.
The coalition said some councils also appeared to be overlooking their legal duty to “meaningfully engage” service-users on changes to charging policy, with disabled people “reporting high increases without adequate warning”.
Some councils are failing to take proper account of “disability related expenditure” – such as equipment and extra transport costs and higher utility bills – in calculating a disabled person’s ability to pay a charge.
And some councils are failing to help disabled people find alternative sources of support, another legal duty.
Neil Coyle, chair of the Coalition on Charging and director of policy for Disability Alliance (DA), said: “Councils seeking to generate income following government cuts are ignoring the potential longer-term costs of limiting support to disabled people.
“Rising charges disincentivise service use and may result in a rise in more expensive service use, like residential care.”
A Department of Health (DH) spokeswoman said: “The coalition government recently allocated an additional £2 billion a year by 2014 to support social care and to protect the most vulnerable in society.
“This funding should enable local authorities to protect people’s access to services and deliver new approaches to improve their care.”
The research was published as DA announced a new partnership with the legal firm Unity Law, which specialises in disability discrimination cases.
Coyle said the two organisations may seek to challenge a council in court for breaching care or equality law obligations in its charging policies.
Disabled people concerned about changes in their council-funded support or disability discrimination can contact Disability Alliance or Unity Law.
Meanwhile, care services minister Paul Burstow has announced plans to strengthen the law around direct payments.
The DH said it would consult on the plans, which would “ensure councils make clear to every person entitled to care and support how they can make use of a direct payment”, and force councils to make a note of decisions taken when direct payments are being discussed.
A DH spokeswoman said: “Some councils are excelling with the roll out of personal budgets, but others are lagging behind and we hope that strengthening the legislation in this area, and issuing a direction to councils, will ensure progress is more evenly spread.”
http://www.dls.org.uk/rights/News/2011/April/5.html