Govt plans to lift state pension to £140 per week

Currently, the basic state pension is £97.65 per week for single people, and pensioners may qualify for pension guarantee credit, savings credit, and around 30 extra benefits including winter fuel allowance. The coalition government says removing means testing and paying all pensioners a flat rate will reduce bureaucratic costs and end the ‘indignity' of means testing. Plans from work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith and pensions minister Steve Webb would mean pensioners get a yearly income of £7,280, or £14,560 for couples. The proposals are expected to be detailed in a Gr...