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General Secretary Sally Tsoukaris looks back at a year of change for the CSPA – and for the entire country – as the Labour government settled in, with plenty of campaigning in response to ministers’ early decisions.
In the early months of 2024, speculation was rife about the likely timing of the general election, but many were nonetheless shocked by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement, on the rain-soaked steps of Downing Street on 22 May, that it was to be held on 4 July, just a few weeks before the Summer Recess.
The CSPA, working with Later Life Ambitions (LLA) partners the National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPO) and National Federation of Occupational Pensioners (NFOP), had prepared an LLA election toolkit based on our pensioner manifesto, Standing by pensioners, to share with members across all three organisations to equip them for conversations and correspondence with candidates. The manifesto has also proved a useful talking point in our meetings with parliamentarians and others.
We were pleased to see that all the main political parties included in their pre-election pledges commitments to preserve the triple-lock, to keep state pensions rising in line with the rate of inflation (September CPI), average earnings growth or 2.5%, whichever measure is the greater. We took note of the Labour Party’s commitments to reduce NHS waiting lists and work to establish a National Social Care Service, as well as promises to improve transport networks and deliver more
affordable housing.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ announcement on 29 July of measures intended to address the “£22 billion black hole” in the nation’s finances shocked pensioners by restricting Winter Fuel Allowance payments to those on Pension Credit support.
The CSPA joined the LLA, National Pensioners Convention (NPC), Age UK, Independent Age and many other cross-sector organisations in calling for the reinstatement of the universal Winter Fuel Allowance payments.
CSPA members and officers took part in NPC protests around the UK, encouraging others to do the same, and we continue to support this campaign, as well as calling for a more sustainable and cohesive strategy to improve the uptake of Pension Credit.
In April 2024, the new state pension of £11,502 per annum hit 92% of the personal income tax threshold, frozen at £12,570 since 2021. This meant that anyone earning more than £1,068 from an occupational pension was dragged into paying tax.
Some months on, by April 2025, we can expect to see the number of pensioners paying tax climb to more than 10 million – in 2010 the number was less than half that, at 4.5 million. We have promoted our campaign to have the tax threshold uprated in line with inflation to the NPC, who have supported it nationally, so we press ahead with them on this front.
If you would like a printed copy of the report please email enquiries@cspa.co.uk or call HQ on 020 8688 8418 to request a copy.
