OLDER PEOPLE WILL BE PRIORITY FOR SNP IN PENICUIK

The Scottish National Party's Social Justice spokeswoman and parliamentary candidate for Penicuik, Christine Grahame has said improving the lives of older people in the town will be a top priority for an SNP government. Ms Grahame, who has been undertaking a series of local visits to sheltered and residential complexes across the constituency will tell residents at Broomhill Day Centre on Tuesday that the growing elderly population represents one of the biggest challenges facing public service providers in coming years and that its imperative that the right support is put in place to enable older people to live as independently as possible in their retirement. Ms Grahame said:

"The SNP and myself are absolutely committed to ensuring the right resources are in place for older people. Its not simply a question of having services in place that do everything for them, but to ensure they have a quality of life which is an independent as possible and which is also there to support them fully when and if they need it.

"Our priority is to scrap the means tested aspect of the state pension which demeans older people and which currently sees over 48 percent of those eligible for pension credit failing to claim for it. The current system, which requires pensioners to fill out a 60-page application form, leaves pensioners impoverished and struggling to get by. The SNP is committed to increasing the state pension from £87 a week for all single pensioners to £120 and for all couples we will increase the pension to £182 per week. On the back of that we will restore the link with earnings which was broken by the Tories and which Labour refused to reinstate.

"We are also committed to scrapping the unpopular council tax, which disproportionally hits our pensioners hard, and our plans will see 90% of pensioners in Penicuik better off under the SNP. The Labour Party have called on pensioners to sell their homes to make sure they pay the unpopular Council tax. Labour are also committed to a revaluation process which risks placing pensioner homes in higher council tax bands, potentially costing them hundreds of pounds a year more. These proposals would be a disaster for pensioners in Penicuik and the SNP and myself are utterly opposed to them.

"I have long campaigned for improved warden services and our commitment is to ensure these are expanded and given the right levels of funding to support older people living in their homes as independently as possible.
population.

"None of us are getting any younger. As a pensioner myself I am becoming acutely aware of the concerns and needs of older people. The SNP is determined that our older people don't just simply survive and get by, but that they have a quality of life which allows them to take a full and healthy part in the communities of which they are a part here in Penicuik and beyond.

"There is a challenge ahead but I am absolutely committed to making sure we meet that challenge in Penicuik by working positively to support our older people."

SNP It’s time.....