A BLACKPOOL ex-mayor has criticised the Government for raising state pensions by 75 pence, labelling the increase "an embarrassment."

Coun Henry Mitchell said: "Blackpool and the Fylde is predominantly made up of pensioners -- I am one myself -- but the negative feedback I have received is overwhelming.

"People have said that the Government may as well not have bothered raising state pensions if it is such a small amount -- 75 pence isn't even enough to buy a decent cup of coffee. To offer such an amount is madness!"

He also raised the issue of what happens to the state pension if a person dies before they are 65 -- the year that males must legally retire -- raising the question that if this happens where does the money go? "I think it probably goes back to the Government," said Coun Mitchell, "when it should in all fairness be distributed among other pensioners so that they can benefit from the cash." He is not the only one fighting the pensioners' cause.

Also this week, Blackpool South MP Gordon Marsden has been promoting the need for free, long-term care for the elderly.

He has added support to a Commons motion for free nursing and residential home care and went on to say: "I don't believe it is right elderly people should be made insecure when they are often at their most vulnerable."

"Many elderly people have had to sell their homes and spend their savings in order to pay for their nursing care.

"Now we need the Government to move forward and make the necessary changes as soon as possible."

And Hilton Dawson, MP for Lancaster and Wyre, has long advocated a rise in state pensions.

He recently made a plea to elderly people in the area to check whether they are eligible for the minimum income guarantee which is £78 for a single person and £121 for a couple. You can do this by calling (0800) 0281111.