The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) must cough up weekly payments of £549.12 to every person aged over 60 in a “universal” pension, a petition has demanded.
The online poll is calling on the Government to scrap the current state pension system in favour of a new scheme linked to the National Living Wage.
Michael Thompson, who created the petition, wants a Universal State Pension that will pay claimants £28,554.24 a year, the Daily Record reports.
The state pension is already set to rise by 8.5 percent from April 8 this year meaning that payments for those on the full plan will rise from £203.85 to £221.20.
That puts the new annual income at £11,502 – less than half what the petition demands, with the suggested amount being equivalet to National Living Wage pay for 47 hours of work.
Similarly, someone on the full rate of the old or basic state pension will see payments go up from £156.20 per week to £169.50 – £8,814 over the 2024/25 financial year.
The ‘Offer the State Pension to all at 60, increase to equal 48hrs at the Living Wage’ petition has been posted on the petitions-parliament website.
It states: “We want the Government to make the State Pension available from the age of 60, and increase this to equal 48 hours at the National Living Wage.
“Hence from April 2024 a universal State Pension should be £549.12 per week or £28,554.24 per year as a right to all, age 60 and above.”
It continues: “Government policy seems intent on the State Pension being a benefit, while increasing the age of entitlement. We want reforms so the State Pension is available from age 60, and linked to the National Living Wage.
“If we can’t pay a fair Pension, then how can we afford foreign adventurism, nuclear weapons, armies, royals, pageantry, MPs’ salaries, etc?”
At 10,000 signatures the petition would be entitled to a written response from the UK Government, and at 100,000 signatures it would be considered by the Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament. You can read it in full online here.
The State Pension is a contributory benefit and how much someone receives depends on the number of years worth of National Insurance contributions they have made. Around 35 is needed for the full New State Pension, but this may be more if you were contracted out – find out more here.
