DWP state pension petition demands £549 weekly payments to people over 60 | Personal Finance | Finance
A petition calling for the DWP to bring in a £549.12 a week state pension for all Britons aged 60 and over is gathering pace.
The Parliamentary petition has had 35,000 signatures meaning the Government is obliged to provide a response.
Supporters want the state pension to be made the same as 48 hours of the National Living Wage. The wage for those aged 23 and over is currently £10.42, but this is increasing to £11.44 in April – 48 hours of work at this latter rate would be the same as £549.12, which is around £28,500 a year.
This is well over double the current full new state pension, which is £203.85 a week. State pension payments are increasing 8.5 percent in April, with the full new state pension increasing to £221.20 a week.
A person on the full basic state pension will see their payments go up from £156.20 per week to £169.50, or £8,814 a 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 100,000 signatures, the petition will 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.
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