Community activists are urging Financial Secretary Paul Chan to ring-fence spending on support for elderly people and look elsewhere as he seeks to balance the books.

The Society for Community Organisation (SoCo) invited lawmakers Andrew Lam, Lam Chun-sing, David Lam and Tik Chi-yuen to a sharing session on Sunday to hear public concerns about living expenses, including worries about possible changes to a scheme that allows the over 60s to use public transport for just HK$2 per trip.

A man surnamed Hau, aged 64, said he hopes the government won't bump the minimum age for the subsidised fares back up to 65.

“I work as a security guard. Sometimes I have to go all the way to Tuen Mun from Sham Shui Po for work. Scrapping the HK$2 subsidy would add to my burden,” he said.

“I’m working hard, but I would be getting less assistance from the government. Is the government trying to encourage people not to work?”

In response, Tik said the travel subsidy has boosted elderly people's social mobility.

"We see more elderly people going out to work, they are volunteering in the community. This can improve their health in general, which is creating value for society. With better health, the elderly will not need to rely on the public medical system, or other social assistance that much," he said.

SoCo said while it understands the government needs to cut back on spending to address a budget deficit, it is important that a range of subsidies are protected, including the carer allowance and community healthcare schemes.

Other elderly people invited to the sharing session spoke of the financial difficulties they face, even with the subsidies provided by the government.

“I skip my meals to save up money. I haven’t eaten once in the past two days," said a woman surnamed Chin.

Meanwhile a woman in her seventies told the lawmakers that she struggled to look after her health while also caring for her husband who is bedbound.

“I’ve been suffering from body aches [from taking care of my husband]. It's also hard for us to get to the doctor as taxis often do not want to take customers in a wheelchair. My doctor told me to get an MRI scan, but I don’t have money for that,” she said.

The woman said she is not eligible for a carer allowance of up to HK$3,000 because she gets Comprehensive Social Security Assistance and the Old Age Living Allowance.

In response, Lam Chun-sing said the government should consider relaxing the eligibility requirements for the carer allowance so people in the woman's situation can receive a portion of the subsidy.