THE Shadow Secretary for Social Security, David Willetts MP, was in town on Tuesday (July 4) speaking up for the rights of Blackpool's pensioners.

This comes amid great public anger about the proposed closure of six of the town's eight council-owned residential care homes.

Mr Willetts met with David Morris and Alan Vincent, the prospective parliamentary candidates for Blackpool South and North respectively, for talks about the intended closures and to establish the Tory stance on increasing state pensions.

They met at the Warwick Hotel on New South Promenade to talk to residents and discover their feelings on these issues.

Mr Morris said: "The Conservative group on Blackpool Council will oppose any measures the controlling Labour group have of enforcing the residential care home closures." They also visited Manor Park Rest Home in Bispham and Fleetwood Conservative Club to meet more voters.

Mr Willetts said: "We wanted to listen to complaints from pensioners in the area about the way they are being treated in terms of the closures and also the inadequate rise in the basic pension."

He said he advocated a range of increases including a £5.50 rise in the basic state pension for a 65-year-old single person, and £7.50 for couples of the same age.

Single pensioners aged 75 and over would get an extra £7.50 and couples would receive an extra £10.

On questioning about where the money for these proposals would come from, Mr Willetts said that it would be achieved by reducing the cost of administering "special" benefits such as winter fuel payments and free TV licences.

"Rather than dictate what savings pensioners can make with these special benefits, we would rather give them more money and let them decide for themselves," he said.