THE Prime Minister has changed the pension payment system after he was grilled by a campaigning Leeds pensioner.
And at the end of the letter to 79-year-old Ivy Needham, informing her of the change, the PM said: “Let me know what you think.”
Mrs Needham received the personal reply from Tony Blair after she tackled him in public about the phasing out of pension books.
She put the Prime Minister on the spot during a YEP readers’ exclusive question and answer session in January.
Mrs Needham, who is deaf and blind, delivered a blow on behalf of senior citizens suffering under the Government’s new system which means they have to input a pin number in order to get their pension money.
At the time the Prime Minister pledged to look into the problems faced by scores of disabled pensioners, which have left them upset and short of cash.
Now pensioners can receive a cheque if they wish. But Mrs Needham still isn’t happy. She wants to return to the pension book system which can be cashed in at the Post Office.
Mrs Needham, of Belle Isle, who has campaigned against care charges, day centre closures and headed the Maxwell Pensioners Campaign in the 1980s, told him she struggled with the new card system and pleaded with him to give her back the pension book.
Problem
Mrs Needham said: “I demand that pension books are brought back.
“The feeling is so strong that I am now gathering a petition and will personally take it to Downing Street to hand it over. I will stand in supermarkets, day centres and the post office.
“The problem with inputting a pin number is that you are not allowed to let anyone help you, and if you get it wrong three times, then your card is taken from you.”
In his letter Mr Blair said: “I do understand the anxieties that arise when a long-standing system is changed. Payment into a bank, building society or Post Office card account is now the normal method by payment for benefits and pensions for the vast majority of people.
“However, we have always recognised that it will not work for everyone. I promised to look into whether keeping your order book was the answer to you concerns.
“Some people will simply not be able to use PIN pads. For these people, we will send a cheque every week which they can cash at the Post Office.”
Mr Blair added at the end of the letter: “Let me know what you think.”
Mrs Needham added: “I will certainly let him know what I think. There should be a choice available over which method you want to use to receive your pension.”
alison.bellamy@ypn.co.uk
