Rishi Sunak’s Autumn budget did nothing to help the elderly and most vulnerable in our society.

With living standards squeezed the cost of everything from putting food on the table to increases in Council Tax, fuel, energy costs, pensioners face a bleak future of rising prices.

He has splashed £150 billion on public sector pay rises but our chancellor cannot find the money to honour the triple lock promised in the Tory manifesto.

This move will cost pensioners an average of £2,600 over five years and a saving of £30.5bn for the Treasury. Ditching the element of annual wage rises which would have seen the state pension increase by 8% we will receive 3.1%.

Bear in mind inflation is heading towards 5% undermining our spending power and the value of our cash savings.The basic pension will be £141.85pw an extremely low figure when compared to other OECD countries. Analysis reveals retired couples will be spending an extra £70 a week on essentials next year compared to 2016.

I am fortunate in having the safeguard of the provision of an occupational pension but these final salary schemes are a dying breed. More than two million pensioners live in poverty and a quarter rely on means tested benefits.

In effect we oldies have been thrown under the proverbial bus and whilst we still have our bus passes how long will it be before this concession is withdrawn like the free TV licence?

There is a faint glimmer of hope as the House of Lords voted by a majority of 47 to retain the triple lock, considering it a betrayal of current and future pensioners but I doubt the government will back their decision when it is returned to the Commons.

Jim Oldcorn