BRITAIN said yesterday it was increasingly worried about the fate of British pensioners living in poverty in Spain, many of whom have seen already meagre incomes slashed by the sagging pound.
I've heard first hand what kind of problems older British people living in Spain are experiencing and some of them are heartbreaking, Minister for Consular Affairs Chris Bryant MP told reporters.
A partnership between the British consular network in Spain, British charity Age UK and Age Concern Espana will double the number of volunteer care workers helping British pensioners to 100, he said, at a cost of 80'000 pounds. About 300'000 British pensioners are known by authorities to live in Spain, with many having come to the costas in the 1970s and 1980s in search of the sun and a cheap, easy way of life.
But with the advent of the euro in 2001, food and other prices rose and now the weak pound has cut the value of British pensions by 30 percent in 18 months.
Spain's property sector collapse now means older people cannot sell their Spanish homes and return to Britain even if they want to do so.
But insufficient healthcare resources is their biggest problem, said Sue Reula of 3C Care Agency, which provides care at home for pensioners on the Costa Blanca.
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