A Croydon pressure group is considering a merger with a neighbouring group in a bid to get more pensioners to stand as councillors in next year's local elections.

The Croydon Pensions Alliance (CPA) is considering joining forces with Merton Senior Action Support Group (MSASG) to form the all new Pension Action Alliance.

It is hoped that by combining members, the new alliance will reach a wider audience and will prompt more pensioners to stand as councillors in the May 2006 council elections.

Peter Gibson, who sits on the CPA's committee and is chairman of Croydon Retired People's Campaign, stood against MP Malcolm Wicks for the Croydon North seat in May's general election.

The message to Mr Wicks the then pensions minister was that the CPA was dissatisfied with the Government's stance on pensions.

He said: "The merger is an idea which is being mooted at the moment, although no decision has been taken. It's an interesting idea because our campaign and message would reach a wider audience and will hopefully improve the chances of a pensioner standing as a councillor.

"Having pensioners as councillors and as MPs will ensure that pensioners' needs are dealt with and given proper consideration."

At the last council elections in Croydon in 2002, OAP Bert Sherlock stood as an independent candidate campaigning on pensioners' issues. Fourteen per cent of voters put a cross against his name.

The CPA gained less than one per cent of the vote in this year's election for the Croydon North seat, but Mr Gibson says many people told him they would vote for him in a local election.

Geoffrey Smith, chairman of MSASG, said: "The only way they are going to listen to us is if we win seats, or make them lose them. Most older people have a lot of knowledge. We do know about education and keeping streets clean and the environment. All these things are just as essential to older people as anyone else."