Majority want public sector pension spending cut

It would be best if they all topped out at around £10k retirement income and any additional pension required was self funded. So as soon as their pension benefits hit this level their contributions stop.

That way very few of the lower ranking public sector workers woud be affected, but the high earning public sector workers who build up a pension equivalent to a £400,000 pot upwards, often £1m value are all ended.

The lower ranking workers generally are not on high wages, teaching assistants, 14K max, many council workers around the same, it is the professionals and the managers who build pensions which would require massive funds in personal pension pots to fund, and if they were contributions to personal pensions would be in the relams of average mortgage payments who are the problem.

These professionals and upper management people seriously do think that they have funded their future incomes and paid a fair price for it.

Of course any current benefits should be kept as it would be unfair to remove pension benefits which cannot be replaced.

The multiple used in pension calculations has no bearing at all on the real cost of producing these levels of indexed pension income.

cancel the link to 67% earnings for everyone.

Give 25% tax relief towards fund to provide £8k index linked. Current pot about £250k.

Govt agree to issue indexed linked Gilts to enable this as needed

Increase State pension to £8k index linked. Scrap S2P etc.

Change ISAs to same as pension re creditors and State benefits to enable use as top up to pension

I agree that those in low paid jobs need some degree of pension security, but the whole area needs reforming.

I accept this is bound to lerad to unrest. Perhaps the bin men would stop coming (as opposed to every 2 weeks). I would happily drive to my local tip every week if i could save the £240 pm council tax!

I am happy to pay tax towards the pensions of teachers, the police, GP's, nurses etc but any guaranteed minimum annual pension should only benefit front line workers.

The gravy train has to stop, MP's should set an example and reform their benefits from April 2011 at the latest, moving to money purchase and with material personal contributions.

It is no longer sustainable for the private sector to fund most of the tax burden needed to provide the public sector with indexed defined benefit pensions from age 60 and the sooner the reforms take place the better.

The first thing that should be stamped out comprehensively are all these phoney redundancy early retirement deals, many of which involve a hugely enhanced pension with a lump sum on top and a further so-called redundancy lump sum on top of that.

To make these lavish packages costlier still, the beneficiaries are often then invited back on a "consultancy" basis, in which capacity they're paid even more than their final salary prior to retirement. So the cost to the tax payer is a generously enhanced early retirement pension plus the PCLS plus the "redundancy" payment plus the consultancy pay. Outrageous. Downright tax payer fraud if you ask me.

And yet, public sector employees are commonly heard to explain away such lavish packages by citing modest levels of pay during their working lives. That's certainly not been my experience with most of the public servants that I've known ~ they all seem to have better houses, better cars and better hi-fi systems than me. The last one I met was ex-MOD procurement on a pension of £70,000 p.a. with a £1.35m investment portfolio. It must be really tough working in the public sector.

Then again, it's a bit like the department that approved all those phoney MP's expenses claims. No one says "Hang on a minute....."

I also think the state pension should be means tested as well. It should be based on a basic minimum amount required to survive through pension age. It is incredibly easy for people to make there own contributions to PPP and with the addition of Personal Accounts next (?) year then there is little excuse for not doing so.

If you don't have a pension above the minimum pension requirements at the time of retirement then you get a top up state pension.

It would save a fortune, allow the people who need the money the most to get the money (people on benefits, disability, carers etc who couldn't afford to pay into a pension) and make people pay for there own retirement. if you decided you couldn't be bothered because you wanted to spend your money as soon as it hit your account, then that's your own fault.

Obviously you couldn't simply stop it now, but you could say people born after 1980 would only be entitled to a basic minimum value of state pension.

Probably a bit controversial, but I think it's a good idea!!! :D