A GROUP of Southampton pensioners is today converging on MPs in London to lobby about the increase in the basic state pension.

A coach carrying 24 members of the Southampton Pensioner's Forum is making the journey to Westminster Hall to meet up with John Denham and Alan Whitehead, who represent the city, and Sandra Gidley, MP for Romsey, to put their views about the issue forward.

The lobby is a national event with coaches from across the country travelling up to the capital to protest about the increase, which is just £2 this year.

Betty Shiers, who is helping to organise the journey from Southampton, said a group from the forum took part in the lobby every year.

She said: "We've been campaigning ever since the forum was formed for a decent state pension and we're still waiting.

"We are going to get up there between 12pm and 1pm and go to Westminster Hall and our MPs - John Denham, Alan Whitehead and Sandra Gidley - have agreed to meet us and they will have to hear our views.

"We go up every year really, it's an on-going thing. Before Margaret Thatcher the state pension always went up in line with earnings, but Margaret Thatcher stopped that and said it had to go up in line with inflation, which at the moment is very low."

Mrs Shiers added: "We've got £2 a week extra this year and there's no way pensioners can survive.

"The increase in council tax was 19 per cent - where are we going to get the money from?

"We have to keep trying. We're never given anything in this life, we have to fight for it and we've always been fighters, us pensioners."