From pensioner poverty to digital exclusion, from keeping homes warm to bank closures, the Age Cymru manifesto Our Blueprint for Wales highlights key challenges facing older people in the run up to July’s general election. We urge the next UK Government to help tackle pensioner poverty by making sure older people get what they’re entitled to and are supported in other ways.
This general election matters for older people. Worn down by the pandemic and cost of living crisis, many are yearning for a more positive future for themselves, their families, and generations to come – and are eager to help bring it about.
Financial and digital exclusion
More than £200mn of Pension Credit goes unclaimed in Wales each year, as many people are either unaware of the benefit or find applying for it too complicated. The new government must promote the various benefits available to older people more widely and simplify the application processes.
An astonishing 374 banks have closed in Wales since 2015. This has left many older people struggling to access cash. They become more vulnerable to fraud as they try to navigate online banking or rely on others to carry out their transactions. Age Cymru is therefore calling on the next UK government to work with the banking industry to ensure community banking facilities remain on our high streets in some form.
Digital exclusion from both private and public sectors is becoming increasingly problematic for older people who do not use the internet. The latest figures suggest that more than a third of over-75s in Wales do not access the internet. This means that many of our most vulnerable people are unable to access information about key services, such as help with council tax or applying for a Blue Badge parking permit.
And if they can access services offline, they often must pay an added cost for the ‘privilege’. Our charity is therefore calling on the next government to ensure that all public services and key private sector services offer their clients a choice in the way they communicate. And that they do not penalise those who choose offline options.
Taking account of older people
“Ageism is endemic in our society. One of the consequences is that older people’s views are often not sought or heard by decision-makers, or their needs properly understood. The experience of the pandemic showed that when there’s insufficient knowledge or understanding about older people in government, decisions can be made that are damaging to them … In our national survey of older people in Wales in 2023, 70% of respondents felt that older people were not well represented in society.”
Our Blueprint for Wales
Approximately 1,300,100 people who live in Wales are aged 50 or over. The number of people aged 65 years and over is approximately 662,000 and is expected to increase by almost 18% by 2031. The total of those aged 75 and over is expected to increase by 24% during the same time frame. We need the UK Government to take account of this demographic change and ensure that policies are tailored accordingly.
The past few winters have seen many older people struggling to keep their homes warm as fuel costs have increased significantly. This has led to many people turning down their heating or using it less often, which can have devastating effects on their health, especially for those with heart and chest problems.
Age Cymru is calling on the UK Government to reform the energy pricing mechanisms for those on modest or low incomes, and those facing unavoidably high energy bills because of a disability or illness. We also ask for more ambitious and effective home insulation programmes.
Cumulative challenges
Age Cymru’s chief executive Victoria Lloyd says: “Older people in Wales are facing some tough challenges right now. From uncertainty as to how they’ll meet their winter fuel bills to not having access to crucial services such as banking and benefits because they’re not online.”
“These challenges are in addition to those that are the responsibility of the Welsh Government, such as problems in accessing health and social care. The cumulative challenges can be overwhelming for some, and lead people to feel they have lost their autonomy.”
“But the next UK government must not give up on older people. It must instead start implementing the necessary changes to make life better for older people on day one. A life in which older people can be confident of meeting their bills and have a little left over to socialise with family and friends. And a life in which they can access all the advice and services they need, without feeling like a burden.”
Our Blueprint for Wales is available on our website. For a paper version call Rhian Morgan on 07944 996943.
