THERE have been a number of people lately, including the Welsh Nationalist Andrew Nutt, who are worried about the so called targeting of pensioners. Let’s answer Mr Nutt.

Currently we would have to pay for care until we only had assets of £23,500. That is going up to £100,000.

I live in Islwyn where the average house price is £110,000. So many people would be left with an extra £76,500, a big improvement. U-turn or not, there will be a cap on the amount people who will pay for care, which will be an improvement on the lack of any cap that is currently in operation.

The second point is losing the minimum guarantee of a 2.5% increase in your pension. But we would retain the inflation rate which is currently 2.7%, so there would be no loss. If inflation were to drop to say 1.5%, is it not fair that pensioners should shoulder some of the drop in income? People who are in employment, are getting no, or minimal increases in pay.

Lastly if we can put more into the care system we will all need, then that must be a good thing. But the means tested system must be set out fairly, and must not target low income pensioners.

I’d also like to state that unlike Mr Nutt, I am a pensioner, not a scaremonger.

John Richards
Newbridge
Newport