The age at which workers in the UK can retire and receive state pension has gradually been increasing over recent years. While some welcomed changes to certain rules, such as there is no longer a forced retirement age, others have railed against the increasing years before you can claim the government benefit. Currently, state pension is paid to men and women in the UK from age 66.
An online petition, entitled 'Increase State Pensions to £380 a week, and lower retirement age to 60' was lodged and received more than 111,000 signatures, triggering a debate and response from Parliament. Nottinghamshire Live sister publication, Daily Record, reported on the parliamentary debate on the topic.
The points raised by the petition - the proposal for a minimum weekly State Pension of £380 to be made to all men and women over the age of 60 - was rejected by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The petition argued current payments are “far too low” but suggested by increasing the Basic State Pension weekly rate from £141.85 to £380 - equivalent to £19,760 per year - to everyone aged 60 or over, this “should lift thousands out of poverty” while giving older people “more spending power and help grow the economy”.
