The UK Government has rejected calls for a minimum weekly State Pension payment of £416 for all men and women over the age of 60. More than 34,250 people have signed an online petition asking for the current payment rates to be increased and the official age of retirement to be lowered back to 60.
The current State Pension payment rates are worth up to £185.15 for those on the New State Pension and up to £141.85 for people receiving the Basic State Pension. The contributory benefit is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and will increase in April by 10.1 per cent, under the Triple Lock rule, taking the New State Pension to £203.85 per week and the Basic to £156.20.
Petition creator, Michael Thompson, said that increasing the payment rate for everyone over 60 to £416 per week would result in an annual income of £21,673.60, lifting “thousands out of poverty”.
