Pensioners lose out in Brown's budget 29/03/2006

Pensioners lost out in Gordon Brown’s budget. He refused to continue with the £200 council tax refund and the freeze in the winter fuel payment means the average pensioner will now be at least £265 worse off this year. Graham Williamson of Third Way commented:”Gordon Brown should have reinvested the £3.8 billion in unclaimed means tested benefits from poorer older people and kept the council tax refund.”. He continued: “I welcome the free national bus passes in general. But pensioners in Scotland already have free bus travel. Why is everyone else expected to wait till 2008?