Many policyholders’ later life plans have been seriously destroyed by the collapse of the company. The collapse happened under the very noses of those whose job it was to regulate such products.  Reviews and investigations from 2000 onwards have concluded that maladministration was to blame and that appropriate recompense needed paying.  However, Labour dragged its feet and offered derisory payments to policyholders. At last, Conservatives have the chance to implement the compensation we have long called for.

The Treasury is drawing up a bill to put before the House of Commons which will see an independent commission award appropriate compensation.  The principles of the commission are that there will be no means-testing and that the dependents of deceased policyholders will be included in the scheme.  This is indeed the right approach; policyholders who lost their pensions, savings and income through regulator failure need to be compensated.

I will be supporting the Government as this bill passes its way through Parliament, this has been a scandal and I am happy that we can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel for people.

Labour’s legacy to working generations is two and a half million British pensioners living in poverty, many of them who live in seaside towns just like ours.

We can’t go on like this.

To combat the negative effects of means-testing pensions, a Conservative Government will re-establish the link between average earnings and the state pension – enabling us all to enjoy the true value of our pensions in old age.

The threat of homes being repossessed to pay for residential care bills will end with the introduction of a ‘home protection scheme’. No pensioner should have to live with the fear of having their home being taken away from them.

For pensioners struggling to pay their bills, Conservatives will work with local councils to freeze council tax for two years. To help every household in Britain reduce the cost of their energy bills, a Conservative Government will provide real action by offering up to £6,500 of energy improvements for homes.

Benefits valued by Blackpool and Cleveleys’ pensioners, such as the Winter Fuel Allowance and free TV licences, will be safeguarded by Conservatives.

I had a fascinating half-day at Warren Manor on Friday. Having read my concerns about the availability of dementia care places in my Change newspaper, Warren Manor’s owner Spencer Livings invited me round to see what life was like at his day care centre.

And it is very impressive. Service clients arrive from about 8.30am onwards, and gather in the day room for morning tea and coffee and a chat about what is going on in the world – no doubt the shenanigans in Westminster being one item at the moment! They get served lunch – from a range of 10 choices, which makes a change from when there is only one choice and you either like it or lump it. Lunch is served in a superb function room, with a bar for drinks and a kitchen attached. The lunchtime service is even open to members of the public – so why not drop by for a sample! My cottage pie was excellent. In the afternoon, entertainment is laid on – on Friday we had the Melody Makers singing some popular show tunes interspersed with singalongs. Even I was mouthing the words, and I can’t even sing.

One of the noticeable things about Warren Manor was the atmosphere. It is a family-owned, family-run private company, and almost all the staff seem to be related. You do get a real sense that they treat each and every person there as an individual – and ‘dignity’ is so important, and so often overlooked. Staffing ratios are meant to be 1 for every 10 clients, but at Warren Manor it is 1 for every 6, so no-one gets overlooked.

But Warren Manor cannot do it all. There is so much unmet need for day care – not just for those with mental health needs – yet so few specialised providers are out there. Local authorities have no statutory duty to provide day care services to local residents – yet in an area like ours, social isolation for the elderly is sadly all too common.

In recent months, though, numbers have just begun to tail off. Because provision is not obligatory, day care is often the first to be cut. As council budgets get squeezed, both Lancashire and Blackpool are having to re-assess their priorities. Blackpool is reviewing its daycare provision at the moment – a trip to Warren Manor would demonstrate just how valuable a service it is, I’m sure. Plus, in an extra plug, they’re good value too because they pick the clients up and drop them off home, unlike most other providers.

Warren Manor does a magnificent job against the backdrop of an inadequate policy framework set by central government. Local councils have found social care overlooked now for a decade, despite all this talk of health spending doubling. Areas such as mental health and social care have not seen much of the splurge. Initiatives such as individual budgets where the client can choose where to purchase their care from are the way forward, certainly, but the schemes haven’t been fully rolled out. And you are always in the Catch-22 that choice is only meaningful if the person understands how to apply that choice to enhance their own self-interest.

In an ageing population, it is the diseases of old age that will start to cost the nation more than cancer and heart disease in terms of healthcare funding. Ensuring people can remain independent in their own homes is crucial, and places like Warren Manor help ward off loneliness by providing a stimulating and safe environment, and give carers that vital rest. .

This compounds existing concerns that Labour are failing to keep the roads adequately resurfaced.

Just imagine all the extra compensation claims this leads to!