A protest on the steps of the Town Hall on Halloween
AHEAD of the new government’s fiscal statement later this month, protesters gathered on the steps of the Town Hall in defence of the “triple lock” on state pensions.
Islington Pensioners Forum (IPF) staged a protest on Monday calling for chancellor Jeremy Hunt to confirm his support for the triple lock on state pensions in his upcoming fiscal statement on November 17.
The triple lock is a pledge to increase the state pension each year in line with whichever is highest: the average wage increase, inflation as measured by the Consumer Prices Index, or 2.5 per cent.
“The fact is that the government has a contract with pensioners to ensure the state pension is increased each year… that’s what a triple lock is,” said former secretary of the IPF Dot Gibson.
Ms Gibson, 88, from Highbury, said the campaign was also about protecting the future pensions of current workers.
“The Islington Pensioners Forum stands up for today’s pensioners. But we also see ourselves as protesting for future pensioners.”
“All workers are taking part in strike action because wages are below the cost of living. We see ourselves as supporting them – a basic state pension must be protected for these workers who will be pensioners in the future.
“One of the many prime ministers we’ve had in the last few weeks said they would stick with it – but we haven’t heard anything from the new chancellor about whether they will include a triple lock in the new budget.
“And we can’t stand up for pensions without a reckoning on the attacks on services.”
She added that Islington Council has lost 70 per cent of its funding since the onset of austerity measures in 2010.
According to Town Hall statistics, Islington has lost 300 local police officers since 2010, local schools have £300 less per pupil, and people across the borough are stuck on long NHS waiting lists, Ms Gibson said.
“Austerity is undermining local services. We feel we can’t simply take a stand on state pension without standing side-by-side with the council on cuts,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions said: “As is the usual process, the secretary of state is currently conducting his statutory annual review of benefits and state pensions using the most recent prices and earnings indices available.”
