We, like the National Pensioners Convention, Centre for Ageing Better, Independent Age and other campaign groups, share the crossbench Women and Equalities Committee’s disappointment that the Government risks a “missed opportunity” by failing to introduce a cross-departmental strategy to address the UK’s ageing population.
The Committee’s report on the Rights of Older People, which picked up on evidence submitted by CSPA and other age sector lobbyists, had recommended that the Government should replicate the framework in Wales for a Commissioner for Older People in England.
However, in the Government’s official response to the report, it stopped short of positively endorsing this course of action, saying instead that they would ‘evaluate the framework in Wales and consider its application in England’, alongside thinking about the scale and co-ordination with the Equality and Human Rights Commission that may be entailed. Nevertheless, whilst some have called this a “non-committal response” that fails to address the urgent need for Older People’s Champions, it could equally be an opportunity to make the case for Commissioners ever more vociferously!
Independent Age have recently redoubled their efforts to get MPs to support the introduction of Commissioners for Older People and Ageing in England and Scotland by encouraging members of the public to email them – over 1,300 people have already contacted their MPs as a result, and you can add your name to an email to your local MP here – Email your MP now!
You can also find out more about this campaign here – Commissioner for Older People and Ageing | Independent Age
We were thrilled to see the newly appointed Commissioner for Older People in Northern Ireland, Siobhan Casey, accept an invitation to address the CSPA Northern Ireland Branch’s AGM held recently. In her speech to CSPA members in Belfast, Commissioner Casey outlined a number of her key priorities to address over the course of a 4-year term of office, which included issues ranging from health, social care and housing to public transport, age discrimination and disparities in the provision of goods and services to older people.
