When Tracy Birrell’s cooker stopped working over a year ago, she could not afford to replace it. Instead she relies on her microwave and has one meal a day, surviving mainly on soup.
Tracy, 68, who lives in a one-bedroom council bungalow, receives the basic state pension of just over £200 a week – and has been rejected for pension credit as she is just £7 over the threshold.
She told The i Paper that life is difficult enough for her as it is now – so if the triple lock is scrapped, she fears it will make things even worse and “destroy” her life.
“My life is just an existence and I am barely surviving now as everything is hand-to-mouth,” she said. “Sometimes, I haven’t even got enough for a tube of toothpaste.
“When it gets to the last week before I get my pension, that’s when things are really hard. If the triple lock is taken away, it is going to hit people like me really badly.
“We will be even worse off – it is horrible and worrying to think about.”
Andy Burnham announced he intends to water down the state pension triple lock from 2030 to help fund a national care service.
With the existing triple lock, the state pension increases each April by inflation, 2.5 per cent or average earnings – whichever is higher.
From 2030, with what Labour is calling an “adjusted triple lock”, the state pension will still rise either in line with prices or 2.5 per cent each year, whichever is higher – but it won’t rise in line with earnings unless its value has fallen behind.
Tracy, who is a mum-of-six and has 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, says she had hoped Burnham would be a “man of the people”, but she now feels letdown and disappointed.
“There are absolutely no luxuries in my life. I am only eating one meal a day which is usually soup, or sometimes porridge made with water rather than milk. The cost of food is horrendous so I make do with the bare minimum.
“Putting heating on in the winter is a no-no because I can’t afford the bills. I try not to put it on at all and just put layers on, use a hot water bottle or go to bed. When it gets really cold, I might put it on for an hour first thing in the morning, but then switch it off again.”
Tracy, who lives in St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex, receives the basic state pension as most of her adult life, she did not work as she was a stay-at-home mum.
She receives just over £200 a week for her state pension and gets £16 a week disability living allowance because she is partially sighted. However, she is just £7 over the cut off for pension credit so is not entitled to this.
She receives housing benefit which covers most of her rent, but still has to pay £5 a week towards her rent and £2 a week towards her council tax.
Tracy says it is almost impossible to survive on the state pension and every day is a struggle for her despite living as frugally as possible.
“Out of the money I get for my pension, I have to pay for all my bills and my food. Gas and electricity are so expensive now, even though I only live in a one-bedroom home and am very cautious about things like putting on the lights.
“Unfortunately, you have to have broadband now, much as I can’t afford to pay for it, as everything has to be done by emails or over the internet, even making doctor’s appointments. So I have found the cheapest broadband social tariff I can which is £16 a month.
“There are no luxuries or things like Netflix which other people take for granted.
“My cooker broke over a year ago and I haven’t replaced it. I know I could buy a secondhand one, but you have to make sure it is safe and pay for someone to collect it.
“I don’t have any family living nearby, but my daughter comes to see me once a fortnight and does what she can for me. But she is very busy working as a carer and none of us are rich. It feels like you are stuck in a poverty trap and the Government doesn’t have a clue how the other half live.”
Tracy says she is in around £2,000 debt with her energy bills and has now come to an agreement with her energy supplier where she pays £50 a month. She was also in debt with her water bills by about £750 and they took her to court where she was given a County Court Judgement (CCJ) and is now paying £5 a month.
“Sometimes, you think: ‘Do I pay this bill or do I eat?’” she said. “It depends how much they are hounding you. Sometimes I don’t pay the bill so I can eat. But quite often, I’ve paid the bill and not eaten.”
Tracy says she has a dog Raven and would sooner her pet was fed than herself. Neighbours clubbed together to get her the rescue dog after her previous dog, who was her companion for over 14 years, died.
“It just makes me so angry that Andy Burnham wants to change the triple lock so the state pension doesn’t go up as much when life is already so hard.
“It is always the little people who suffer and they don’t tax the mega rich more. There are so many older people in similar situations to me. It feels like we are ignored by the Government.”
Hence then, the article about i m a pensioner living on one meal a day ending the triple lock will destroy me was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( I’m a pensioner living on one meal a day – ending the triple lock will destroy me )
Also on site :
- IND vs PAK Dream11 Prediction Today Match, Dream11 Team Today, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Playing XI, Pitch Report, Injury Update- Asian Games Men’s T20I 2026, Final
- Aaron Sorkin Clarifies He “Was Never Asked” To Omit Trump From ‘The Social Reckoning’ But Film Is “Not A Red-Blue Thing”
- Ken Urker’s Sister Cries on TikTok Live Following His Death, Accuses Gypsy Rose of Leaking News