Lib Dems offer dignity and security for elderly - Foster

12.21.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 29th Apr 2005

Liberal Democrats announced today policies that allow elderly people to live with dignity and security in their retirement.

Liberal Democrats policies for the elderly include:

· Introducing a Citizen's Pension for over 75s, with an end to means tests

· Free personal care for the elderly

· Replacing the council tax with a fairer local income tax

The Institute Of Fiscal Studies confirms that pensioners will be financially better off under Liberal Democrat policies compared with other the parties.

Don Foster said:

"There is no dignity, no respect and no security when the basic state pension you are offered is an undignified 25% below the poverty line.

"Britain's pensions system is on course for disaster and it is Labour's obsession with the development of more and more means-testing that is driving us there.

"Our Citizen's Pension for the over 75s will lift over a million pensioners out of means testing with an extra £100 a month on the basic state pension.

"Pensioners deserve better than the unfair Council Tax which hits them the hardest.

"We will introduce a Local Income Tax based on ability to pay.

4 out of 5 pensioners will see lower bills. Six million pensioners will pay no local tax at all.

"Free personal care for the elderly will mean that no-one will have to use up their life savings, sell their home, or be a burden on their families to pay for help with washing, feeding and dressing if they contract a long-term illness such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.

"For pensioners, the Liberal Democrats are the only real alternative at this election."