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Article from Yours magazine October 2008 edition:
You may think that today's state pension is pretty poor, but it's worth knowing that 100 years ago it was a lot worse.
The Old Age Pension Act was passed in Britain in August 1908 with the first ever payments made on January 1, 1909.
To be eligible for a state pension you had to be a least 70 years old; at the time only about five per cent of the population reached that age. And you were only eligible for the payment if your income was less than 12 shillings a week.
Amazingly, your pension could be reduced if you had too much furniture! You also had to be of impeccable character; anyone who'd been in prison in the precious ten years, was a habitual drunk, or had never worked when able to do so, was denied payment.
If you were eligible, the maximum pension a single man or woman could receive was a payment of five shillings, the equivalent of £19-30 today. Todays full single pension available today (£90-70 a week) is more than four times more.
"In 1908 people just could'nt survive on their pension alone. They had to rely on their families, the poor law or would have to carry on working," says Pat Thane, professor of contemporary British history at the University of London. "Very few people owned their own property at that time so many would have to pay rent as well as fork out for food and fuel. The majority of pensioners at that time were women-not many men reached the pensionable age."
Although pensions have significantly improved in modern times many still live on the breadline.
Gordon Lishman, Director of Age Concern, told YOURS:
"Pensioner poverty has this year risen for the first time in more than ten years. Up to 2.1 million pensioner households are in poverty, with billions of pounds in benefits still failing to reach millions of pensioners who are entitled to claim."
PENSIONERS THEN AND KNOW.
1908
There were 500,000 pensioners
There were 1.2 million people over 70
1 in 200 lived to the age of 100
2008
There are 12 million pensioners
There are 7.2 million people over 70
1 in 4 people will live to the age of 100
THE COST OF LIVING THEN AND NOW
1908
5 Large loaves of bread 1s
Half lb of tea 10d
1lb of sugar 2d
1lb of cheese 8d
7lb of potatoes 3d
2lb meat (cheap cuts) 1s 1d
7 pints of milk 1s
_________
5s
2008
5 large loaves of bread £5.00
250g tea £1.28
500g white sugar £0.48
500g cheddar £3.38
2.5kg potatoes £1.98
1kg Value stewing steak £4.49
7 pints whole milk £2.54
________
£19.15
If a pensioner had to pay rent (3 shillings) and fuel (6d) from their pensions they would have less than two shillings to spend on food.
Stephanie.
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