Don’t blame us for living longer

– we’re putting more into Britain than we take out!

It’s about time that we hit back hard against that unholy alliance of politicians and economists who claim that older people are a burden on the country because we are part of an ageing population, pushing up the cost of pensions and health care to unaffordable limits.

This is the dangerous line trotted out by our Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) – a quango created to advise Chancellor George Osborne – and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which apparently takes no account of the economic benefits contributed to the economy by older people. It’s dangerous because it places our generation against our younger families.

David McCullough, the new head of the WRVS which has some 48,000 social care volunteers, said: “When the NHS was founded half the population didn’t reach 65. Now we are living much longer, this is something that is a triumph rather than a disaster”.

The WRVS produced a powerful in-depth report - barely reported in the national press - which found that in 2010, the over 65s through their taxes, spending power, provision of social care and the value of their volunteering, made a contribution of at least £40 billion to the UK economy. We helped the country financially through our spending money, bequests to organisations, gifts and donations to worthy causes – and invested savings.

Britain has some six million unpaid carers and Carers UK in a 2011 report said this was saving the government an average £18,473 a year for each of them – a total of £119bn. Here in Enfield, there are over 29,000 people living in the borough who provide unpaid care for their family, friends or neighbours. Based on the above calculation that means they are saving the government approximately £473 million a year.

Also in Enfield there are 2,695 volunteers – including many Forum members – who have so far received the 100 hours a year LBE volunteering award and the scheme is still running and saving the council and government even more money. And there are countless more unpaid volunteers in local schools, hospitals and voluntary groups beavering away week after week.

There are some 822 carers in Enfield who freely give more than 50 hours care a week, 2,850 carers provide care for 20-49 hours per week and the remaining 16,641 carers do so for under 20 hours per week. 11% of carers say they suffer from poor health because of their caring role, which is never noted by those eager to denigrate older people.

The WRVS estimates that by 2030 the positive net contribution of the over 65s will grow from the current £40 billion to £77 billion, because people will remain healthier for longer and thus creating more opportunities to work longer, pay taxes and increase volunteering.

About 5.6 million people receiving the basic state pension pay income tax yet this is never mentioned. In fact, for them the recent £5.30 a week increase was reduced to £4.24 after tax was deducted. And well over one million pensioners are higher rate taxpayers– all putting money back into the Treasury coffers.

Dot Gibson, general secretary of the National Pensioners Convention, says that we all need to start appreciating the contribution older people make to society. “The figures show that after the state has paid pensioners, for example, in pensions and bus passes, they are still making a net contribution of £40 billion. “Many carry out voluntary and charity work of some kind, while others care for their grandchildren or their spouses, families and each other. The state does not do that. Old people are making a massive contribution to society that is too often hidden.”

Every year more older people are getting involved in community organisations, taking on formal volunteering roles that are estimated to save the economy at least £10 billion a year.

Alan Walker, professor of social policy at Sheffield University and director of the New Dynamics of Ageing says:: “It is time that British society caught up with the remarkable changes taking place among the older population, by creating the possibility for active and healthy ageing to be the norm. “Age is still invariably associated with decline. Look at the adjectives used to describe ageing – retired, dependent, redundant. That kind of term implies that older people are on the sidelines, somehow useless.”

In fact, more over 65s are working than ever before – and paying their taxes. In the last ten years the number in work has shot up by 358.000 - from 418,000 to 776,000 - according to the Office of National Statistics. Commenting on the figures, the Spectator magazine said the idea that over-65s are a burden on the young does not stand up to scrutiny “The changing nature of the British workforce has not just meant Polish plumbers, but also British pensioners behind the tills of Tesco. Indeed, many employers prefer to hire pensioners because they can be relied upon to turn up on time and don’t turn their noses up at work.”

One in eight women now work past the age of 70, while one in ten men do the same. Despite these facts and figures we have the OBR issuing reports that produce press headlines warning of tough times ahead to pay for an ageing population and Britain faces an era of austerity as it grows old. The Washington- based IMF tells its 180 plus member countries to act now to reduce the huge cost of ageing populations which for the UK would mean public debt rising by £750 billion.

Our answer must be to show the positive contribution we are making every day. We are the first generation of older people to be healthier, more active, more independent, better educated and skilled than any previous over 50s generation.Without us Britain would be a lot poorer and it’s time this was more widely recognised.

Monty Meth