IT was a great privilege to attend the Southampton Pensioners Forum earlier this week.

Over recent years, the loss of my own grandparents has brought some of the challenges faced by older people into the spotlight for me personally, not least battling dementia and finding appropriate care.

I'm fortunate that they were well looked after, but despite the efforts of many, challenges still remain.

I thought fellow readers might be interested to know about the National Pensioners Convention Dignity Code, which lays out "certain practices and actions" which are "unacceptable to older people".

The Code is straightforward and no-nonsense (just as my own grandparents were!) and, in my view, lays out very sensible standards which we should all look to meet when interacting with our seniors.

Lib Dems in Government have secured the triple lock on pensions (meaning they always rise with the highest of inflation, earnings or 2.5 per cent) as well as raising the personal tax allowance - something which David Cameron claimed was unaffordable.

But despite this, there is much further to go in ensuring a fair deal for all pensioners - and I was glad to confirm to the Southampton Forum that this will be a key priority of mine if elected as our next MP.

Yours,

Ben Nicholls, Lib Dem PPC for Romsey & Southampton North