Increase State pensions to £380 a week, and lower retirement age to 60
The Parliament petitions site records 111,010 signatures for this petition, which closed on 20 December 2022. The Government responded on 21 September 2022. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 12 December 2022.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Increase State pensions to £380 a week, and lower retirement age to 60
The British State pension is far too low. We want the Government to increase the basic state pension to £19,760 a year (£380 a week), and extend this to anyone aged 60 or over. This should lift thousands out of poverty, and give our elderly folk more spending power and help grow the economy.
The Government should restore the state pension age back to 60 for men and women, because, people should not have to wait until their mid to late 60's to claim the state pension, as many people have worked from a young age, and their health deteriorates long before they are able to claim the state pension.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 21 September 2022; the petitions site lists the Department for Work and Pensions as responsible. Its summary:
The Government has no plans to increase State Pension to £380 per week or reduce State Pension age to 60.
The opening 375 words of the 665-word response:
The Government is committed to a decent State Pension as the foundation of support for people in retirement.
The Government spends over £134 billion each year on benefits for pensioners, including over £110 billion on the State Pension. This is likely to increase substantially in 2023/24. This proposal would add significant costs and make the system unsustainable, creating additional burdens on the working age population.
Since 2010, the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension has risen by over £2,300, in cash terms. That's £720 more than if it had been uprated by prices, and £570 more than if it had been uprated by earnings. The Government has committed to implementing the Triple Lock in the usual way for the remainder of the Parliament.
The Government also provides additional support to older people, which includes the provision of free bus passes, free prescriptions, Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments.
The Government is committed to alleviating pensioner poverty. There are 400,000 fewer pensioners in absolute poverty (both before and after housing costs) than in 2009/10.
Around 1.4 million of the most vulnerable pensioners also receive some £5 billion of Pension Credit, which tops up their retirement income and is a passport to other financial help such as support with housing costs, council tax, heating bills and a free TV licence for those over 75.
Pension Credit is a means tested benefit and provides a top up for people of State Pension age to a weekly minimum amount, (currently £182.60 for single people and £278.70 for couples). These amounts may be higher for those with caring responsibilities, a severe disability or certain housing costs. This approach ensures that spending is targeted at those most in need. Information about Pension Credit is available from the Government website – www.gov.uk - by entering ‘Pension Credit’ into the search bar.
The Government has also acted to protect pensioners against the current Cost of Living situation. This includes a £650 Cost of Living Payment to more than 8 million low-income households on Universal Credit, Tax Credits, Pension Credit and legacy benefits, with separate one-off payments of £300 to pensioner households (through and as an addition to the Winter Fuel Payment) and £150 to individuals receiving extra costs disability benefits.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 396, came from West Dunbartonshire.
109,641 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,369 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| West Dunbartonshire | 396 |
| Inverclyde | 393 |
| Knowsley | 391 |
| Rutherglen and Hamilton West | 379 |
| Leicester East | 374 |
| Central Ayrshire | 362 |
| Kilmarnock and Loudoun | 361 |
| Paisley and Renfrewshire North | 360 |
| East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow | 349 |
| Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | 347 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| North West | 14,560 |
| Scotland | 13,929 |
| London | 11,376 |
| South East | 11,180 |
| West Midlands | 9,300 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 9,284 |
| East of England | 8,714 |
| East Midlands | 8,606 |
| South West | 7,983 |
| Wales | 6,224 |
| North East | 5,202 |
| Northern Ireland | 1,885 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 12 December 2022. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/617603.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
2e901f3f99baa4e6… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.