The effectiveness of the Liberal social welfare reformsReforms to help the elderly
Between 1906 and 1914, the Liberals introduced social reforms to assist the young, old, unemployed, sick and workers generally. They had a limited impact on improving people's lives.
people over 70 with annual income less than £21 per year, received a pension of five shillings per week
a smaller amount was paid to those earning over £21 but under £31.50 per year
a married couple received 7s and 6d per week
the pension was collected at the Post Office
by 1914, one million people were receiving a pension
Limitations
those who earned over £31.50 per year did not receive a pension
pension was only available to British people who had lived in the UK for 20 years
those imprisoned in the last 10 years were not eligible
those detained under the Inebriates Act in the last 10 years were not eligible
people deemed to have avoided work were not eligible
many pensioners had no birth certificate to prove their age
the pension was not enough to survive on
many died from hardship before they reached 70
The major criticism of this Act was that it did not go far enough. The cash pension they received was not enough to enable the elderly to pay for the barest necessities. Further, many elderly people needed financial help long before they reached 70 years of age.
