An alliance led by the International Consortium of British Pensioners has written an open letter to raise the issue of frozen pensions with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II:
The letter has been signed by:
Rob Berkeley – Director, Runnymede Trust
Tony Bockman – Chair, International Consortium of British Pensioners
Frank Cooper – President, National Pensioners Convention
Mervyn Kohler – Special Advisor, Age UK
Wilf Sullivan – Race Equality Officer, Trade Union Congress
John Sykes – Chairman, Equality for Veterans Association
The letter has been reported by The Daily Telegraph and the Mature Times
"Over half a million people receive pensions which lose value each year as the cost of living rises, leaving them with less and less to live on. This traps older people in poverty and forces many of them to move back to Britain. Half of middle aged people in the UK are considering moving abroad when they retire, but the prospect of a frozen pension puts many of them off, thus limiting their choices. This also affects people from other Commonwealth countries who have spent their working lives in the UK and want to retire to the country of their birth. Your Majesty, we hope that in your Diamond Jubilee year that progress can be made to end this unfortunate situation and ensure that all Commonwealth pensioners receive the pension they deserve."
