Bring back state pensions

The pensions system is a mess. Instead of sending advisers to explain the complex pension credits system, the government should bring back a decent state pension that works for everyone.

You couldn't make it up. The Government is apparently sending thousands of advisers to knock on the doors of elderly citizens to explain the Pensions Credit. Last year, 2,500 staff of the Pensions Service made 900,000 visits to people approaching retirement, or already of pension age that's about 17,000 visits a week, says Lucy Warwick-Ching in FT Money. The initiative is absurd. First, if the Pensions Credit is so complicated, why not simplify it? It would be a lot easier than sending an army of Whitehall wonks onto the streets.

Second, the cost of administering the Pensions Credit is already huge. Does it really make sense to add even more to the cost pile? The Government is rightly embarrassed that nearly four out of ten people who are entitled to the credit are not claiming their benefit. But should the taxpayer really fund the vainglorious ambitions of Gordon Brown? "At what point will the Government acknowledge that we will never get 100% take-up of means-tested benefits and simply provide a decent basic state pension that would work for everyone?" asks Kate Jopling of Help the Aged. couldn't agree more.

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Naomi is a money expert and personal finance journalist with more than 20 years of experience in the industry. In her time she has written for The Times, Herald Scotland and MoneyWeek, and Naomi is currently at MoneySuperMarket as a money expert. Naomi shared her expertise on personal finance topics from travel insurance to the best savings accounts on MoneyWeek.