"Elderly should do community work or lose their pensions" (Lord Bichard)

[Phillip J H]

Older people should lose their pensions if they refuse to do community work to stop them being a “negative burden on society", a former senior Whitehall official has suggested.

Lord Bichard, an ex-chief of the Benefits Agency, said the elderly should get rewards and fines to make sure they are taking a more active part in the world.

The crossbench peer, who also chaired an inquiry into the murder of two Soham school girls, suggested the same tough attitude towards benefit scroungers should be taken with older people.

“Older people who are not very old could be making a very useful contribution to civil society if they were given some incentive or recognition for doing so,” he told a committee of MPs.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9630862/Elderly-should-do-community-work-or-lose-pension-peer-says.html

Who is this clown? Having put in a shift and done their bit over the years this guy still wants more.
Well I'm quite happy to turn up at the House of Lords at £300 quid a day for a nap and a subsidised meal and a bevy along with him.
Otherwise he can do one.

[stuart torr]

Well all the pensioners should turn up with you,they have done their work and time to relax with what family they have left, and a drink with their sunday roast.
Sod what he says mate.

[Ivan]

This story dates from October 2012 - maybe it belongs on the history board?

[stuart torr]

OK Ivan

[boatlady]

Actually, someone put it up on Facebook this morning which might account for a sense that it is still current.

As it goes, most retired people do in fact contribute hugely in the form of providing free childcare, care for the elderly and disabled in their families, general neighbourliness (eg taking in parcels for neighbours who are out at work, cat and dog sitting and the like) as well as voluntary work and political activism of various sorts

[stuart torr]

Well boatlady even though I am not a pensioner (phew) I am classed as disabled, but until he died a month ago I was looking after a neighbour of mine who was not well because he would not let the carers look after him and they were coming round to me all the time to talk to him to help them.
At the moment I visit two ladies and when I leave they have a big smile on their faces which makes me know my visit has helped.
I am always taking in parcels for my neighbours too, so where they would be without my help and knowledge of the dwp also which has helped their monies I do not know.

[boatlady]

What this government does not realise (or maybe chooses to ignore) is that you can make a very valuable contribution to society and support the economic welfare of the country without being economically active (gainfully employed) yourself.

Most people who are unable to work in the economy are performing very valuable work in their families and neighbourhoods - work that needs to be done and that would cost the State millions

[stuart torr]

It is the neighbourhood that knows me boatlady,because if somebody needs something or a question to ask it is myself they come to funnily enough.

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