I switched on the radio and, almost immediately, they were talking about the triple lock. It seems to be everywhere at the moment, and lately the argument has sharpened. It is no longer just: can we afford this? It is: wouldn’t that money be better spent on younger people who are struggling to find work?
I am one of the people they were talking about. My state pension has suddenly become money that might instead help somebody decades younger than me get a foothold in life.
My first instinct was slightly defensive. I have worked since I was 16 and paid national insurance for decades. I do not think older people should be made to feel as though we are taking money from the young simply by receiving the pension we were told would be there.
Shorts
But then another thought followed. At 69, I receive the state pension and would struggle without it. But I also have an occupational pension, savings and freelance income. I also own my home outright. When the state pension rises, I notice it and I am glad of it, but I cannot honestly say an extra few pounds a week changes my life in the way it might for someone living almost entirely on that income.
