Southborough and Hign Brooms - Choice, Security and Dignity for Older People

12.50.36pm BST (GMT +0100) Sat 29th May 2004

Southborough and High Brooms Liberal Democrat Candidate Marguerita Morton

Every pensioner in Britain has the right to be treated with dignity and respect and to enjoy safety and security in old age. But all too often the needs of pensioners and older people have been overlooked or ignored by government.

Security is being able to look forward to a decent state pension in retirement, without being subjected to means-testing.

Choice is about deciding whether you want to carry on working or to stop working if you want to instead of being tied to an arbitrary fixed retirement age.

Dignity means not having to sell all that you own in order to pay for long term care. It means not fearing discrimination in the NHS.

That is why Liberal Democrat Candidate Marguerita Morton has supported the building of a care home on the Speldhurst Road site in Southborough. She recognises the shortage of decent care homes in the Borough which can only worsen as more and more care homes are shut down by an uncaring Labour government for reasons of bureaucratic myopia.