News story

15th December 2003

MP Takes Pension Book Petition to Downing Street

Steve outside 10 Downing Street with the Save Our Pension Book petition

A nationwide campaign launched in South Gloucestershire earlier this year was last week taken to Downing Street by Northavon MP Steve Webb. The MP handed in a petition with over 10,000 signatures to Number 10 Downing Street calling for pensioners to have the right to retain their pension books and not be forced to have their pensions paid into an account.

Steve Webb, who speaks in Parliament on pensions issues for the Lib Dems, had launched the "save our pension books" campaign in the Summer in response to complaints by pensioners who objected to being forced to give up their pension books.

Under new rules, from 2005 pensioners will have to have their pension paid either into a bank account or into a specially created "post office card account", operated by means of a plastic card and PIN number.

The campaigners are worried that a large-scale switch to bank accounts will devastate post offices which depend on the fees they receive for handling benefits in order to survive. They are also unhappy about the alternative of requiring pensioners to use a card-based account with a PIN number when many are happy with the existing system and can see no reason to change.

Speaking on the steps of Downing Street, Steve Webb said:

"We believe that pensioners should have a right to retain their pension books if they wish. There is already an option to have money paid into a bank account, but many prefer a friendly face at a Post Office and the convenience of a pension book.

"The Government is wrong to force older people against their will to have money paid into an account. I hope that pensioners who receive letters from the Government will refuse to have anything to do with this programme of pressurising pensioners and will insist on retaining their pension book".

Click here to find out more about the "Save Our Pension Book" campaign

Click here for more detail about how post offices may be affected