‘Retirement age, Tax threshold’ - Sheffield residents outline changes they’d like under Andy Burnham
Sheffielders discuss the changes they’d like to see now Andy Burnham is the Prime Minister
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has only been in situ a matter of days, but already people are thinking about the future.
Burnham succeeded Keir Starmer in Number 10 on July 20, and within his first week in office launched a new No.10 North in Manchester to shift power from Westminster to the northern region.
Last week also saw the new PM announce a new policy that will see bus fares capped at £2 from January, in an effort to give people much-needed ‘breathing space’ amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Burnham has a huge task ahead of him after replacing Starmer in office.
With that in mind, we asked locals in Sheffield what changes they’d like to see him make in the coming weeks and months. Here’s how they responded.
Christine Bell kicked off the discussion by calling for the new PM to lower the retirement age.
The current State Pension age in the UK is 66 for both men and women, but it is gradually rising to 67 for those born on or after 6 April 1960.
Christine said: “Bring retirement age back down so that older people can have a bit of a life before getting old. Also if retirement age comes down it could give younger ones a better chance of getting jobs.”
Allison Jenkins and Jamie Holland also called on Burnham to lower the retirement age.
David Whitehead called for a shorter working week. Some companies in the UK have experimented with the idea of a four-day working week and discovered that many people are just as productive working longer hours in exchange for having more time off. However, others have argued that the idea simply wouldn’t work for their role.
Paul Steels was among those to call for a General Election. Former PM Keir Starmer became the first Labour leader since 2010 when he was elected in July 2024, meaning the Labour Party have until 2029 to call their next one.
Kathyrn Atkin called on Burnham to make changes to the tax threshold.
Maggie Young said: “More opportunities for young people who are our future.”