Mike Penning welcomes this week’s launch of the Conservatives ‘Older People Manifesto’.

The Conservatives have, this week, launched their ‘Older People Manifesto’. Conservatives recognise and respect that it is older generations who have made Britain great and that they have a lot more to give and a big part to play in keeping it that way.

Conservatives will:

• protect key benefits – the Winter Fuel Allowance, free bus passes, free TV licences and the pension credit. And unlike Labour, we will not scrap Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance for the over 65s.
• provide a better basic state pension by linking it to earnings in 2012.
• freeze council tax for two years in partnership with local councils, saving a typical Band D pensioner household over £200.
• protect NHS spending so it has the resources it needs to meet people’s rising expectations about the quality of care they should receive.
• scrap Labour’s jobs tax, and using the £200 million a year this will save the NHS to create a Cancer Drugs Fund – making sure that everyone has access to the cancer drugs their doctors think will help them.
• Get older people involved in new programmes of civic action and volunteering, at the vanguard of a new army of activists who will help build the Big Society.

Mike said:
“I welcome the launch of the ‘Older People Manifesto’. It is about time we changed the mindset of the way we view older people in this country. There is often too much emphasis on ‘new’, ‘modern’ and ‘youthful’. Employers, the media, the advertising industry, the BBC – everyone needs to play a part.

“B&Q recently opened a store in Macclesfield where every employee was over 50. They saw an 18% increase in profits, staff turnover was lower and there was 40% less absenteeism. Older people have a lot to offer and they make great employees.

“I know of many people who, on reaching 65, would like to carry on in some capacity so we need more options available – part-time work and flexible retirement ages for example. For many, retirement proves to be just what they hoped it would be, but for others it comes as a real shock. There’s nothing worse than for people who have been active all their lives, who have had people depending on them, to feel like they are no use anymore. There is no need for this.

“So often older people are perceived as being passive recipients of voluntary help, but in reality it is in many cases older people who are providing much of this help and care. Already one in five people aged over 75 volunteers for their community at least once a month. The Conservatives will invite all older citizens to make use of their life and work skills by joining our vision of a Big Society. Helping to keep Britain great!”

| Older People Manifesto [1].