Towards a pensioners' manifesto

The National Pensioners' Convention is seeking to put together a Pensioners' manifesto for the election. This is my two penn'orth:

TOWARDS A 2015 PENSIONERS’ MANIFESTO

The General Election will take place on 7 May 2015, and in line with previous campaigns, the NPC will be putting together a Pensioners’ Manifesto which can be put to all the candidates. This survey has been produced in order to ask our supporters to indicate what issues they think are the most important to older people and should be put into the NPC’s manifesto. Please therefore indicate your preferences below. Thank you.

Please choose no more than 5 issues from the following:

ISSUE	PREFERENCE
Reintroduce the RPI (Retail Price Index) as the measure of inflation for uprating all pensions	3
Apply the Triple Lock (the best of 2.5%, CPI or earnings) to future increases in state pensions	4
Ensure pension indexation is the same for the existing state pension and the new single-tier state pension
Increase the basic state pension for all pensioners to at least the official poverty level of around £175 a week	5
Include existing pensioners in the new single-tier state pension where it would be financially beneficial for the individual
Maintain all existing universal pensioner benefits (bus pass, winter fuel allowance, TV licences for the over 75s and free prescriptions) without means-testing	2
Create a National Health and Care Service which is free at the point of use and funded through a range of taxation measures	1
Improve the quality of care for older people by putting the NPC Dignity Code into legislation
Introduce a minimum visit time of at least 30 minutes for social care at home
Tackle fuel poverty by expanding the programme of insulation and energy efficiency measures for those pensioners in need
End standing charges on all utility bills
Provide access to free lifelong learning opportunities for all pensioners
More action to combat the negative portrayal of older people in the media and elsewhere
Introduce a fairer system for local government finance based on the household’s ability to pay rather than property values
Other (please state)

Please return before 6 June 2014 to the

NPC Walkden House, 10 Melton Street, London NW1 2EJ. Thank you.