Good week/bad week

Have this week’s events brought good or bad news for older people?

By Rebecca Law, Media and PR Officer

This was a bad week for Southern Cross residents as the company finally posted the keys through the letterbox and walked away. The firm lost its battle against huge rental bills and cuts in fees from local authorities. Southern Cross promised there would be an “orderly closure of the group’s affairs”. The Department of Health has promised that no one will find themselves homeless or without care, but the events still leave staff, thousands of residents and their families facing uncertainty and anxiety.

This was a good week for cheque users as the Payments Council announced it was bowing to people pressure and abandoning its plans to withdraw cheques by 2018. Many groups who are still reliant on the payment method, including older or housebound people, small businesses, schools and charities, breathed a huge sigh of relief. The media are speculating however whether the move is just a stay of execution, especially given that the guarantee card was axed just two weeks ago. There are also concerns that disproportionately high fees could be attached to cheque usage. But for now at least, the concerned parties have a reprieve (as do the excuse-makers who can still say “your cheque’s in the post!”).