An older people’s commissioner will help ensure no one is left behind as they age

In less than 20 years, one in four of us will be over 65. While many of us may have an idealistic view of enjoying a healthy retirement, there are many unique challenges and misconceptions about ageing. Increases in life expectancy have slowed since 2010, and people are spending more of their later years in poor health. In addition, not everyone is enjoying a financially secure retirement, and many older people have faced multiple forms of discrimination across their lifetime. 

This is why I support the establishment of a commissioner for older people and ageing in England. Today, I will be hosting a drop-in event in Portcullis House in parliament on behalf of older people’s organisations Independent Age, the Centre for Ageing Better, Age UK and the National Pensioner’s Convention to explore the role of a commissioner. This will be an opportunity to discuss the challenges faced by people in later life and how a commissioner could help amplify the voices within this diverse group.

To really understand why a commissioner is needed, we need to look at what the data, and what older people themselves, are telling us. The last Labour government lifted a million pensioners out of poverty, but this progress has been undone. Since 2012, there has been a slow but steady rise in income poverty among older people. Currently, more than two million pensioners are living in poverty. The cost-of-living crisis has made this silent struggle even harder, with older people’s budgets squeezed to breaking point.  

One in four older private renters are in long-term poverty. Between 2009/10 and 2020/21, the number of privately renting households in England with someone living in them aged 65 or over increased by 56%. In the past ten years, roughly £28bn in pension credit has failed to reach those who are entitled to it. Increasingly, older people who don’t have the skills or resources to be online are being excluded from basic services, from banking to applying for support, while banks and cash are disappearing. For many older people, their mental health is ignored, while others face daily pain and frustration, waiting for surgery due to record NHS waiting lists or waiting for basic social care needs to be assessed and met.  

So how could a commissioner help solve some of these issues? Members from across the political divide have long recognised the valuable role of the children’s commissioner – established by Labour – in promoting awareness of the views and interests of children. It is time we recognised the value of a similar role supporting all of us as we move into later life. We only have to look to other UK nations to see how the older people’s commissioners in Wales and Northern Ireland have been instrumental in effectively promoting the uptake of pension credit and other entitlements.

We also know that taking a joined-up approach and tackling issues at their root can help to save money. Previous research from Independent Age estimated that low uptake of pension credit costs the government £4bn a year in increased NHS and social care spending.    

Older people themselves back the commissioner call, with nine in ten people over the age of 65 in England supporting its introduction. It also has the support of more than 70 organisations who hear from older people every day about the struggles they are facing and understand what solutions are needed. Read the consensus statement signed by these organisations here. Furthermore, the all-party parliamentary group for ageing and older people’s inquiry into human rights and older people concluded that the establishment of a commissioner was essential to ensure that rights are upheld.

Labour wants to build a future where pensioners get the care and support they need to enjoy dignity in retirement. Experiences of later life can’t be reduced to single issue policies or lumped into one government department. An ageing and diverse population will require collaboration and joined-up thinking to deliver innovative policy solutions. 

The older people I speak to in my constituency and across the country want to feel part of these solutions. As voters head to the polls for the local elections on May 4th, elected politicians should recognise this diversity within later life to ensure the range of voices are heard. 

The next Labour government should commit to establishing an independent voice to facilitate the views and needs of our ageing society in England and to protect older people’s interests now and in the future; a commissioner provides this opportunity. No one should be left behind as they age.