Widows pension is not enough to live on
I FIND myself compelled to share my outrage and disgust at the States widows pension system.
As the current regulations stand I am only entitled to receive my late wife’s pension for only a year after her death, despite the fact that she had worked for over 40 years fully contributing to tax and social insurance during this time. This has not always been the case, for anyone that died before the 1980s, their partners still receive their widower’s allowance.
I think whoever voted for this should hang their head in shame.
I am flabbergasted as to how the States of Guernsey can make the calculation that the life of your loved one is only worth that much to you before it is reabsorbed into the system. People who have never worked have had more out of the system than my dear partner and I am now in a situation where I am struggling to clear my rent and living expenses.
In what is already a difficult time, you are then let down by the island that you have lived in and contributed to for so many years.
NAME AND ADDRESS WITHHELD