We know many older people aren’t having the retirement they’d hoped for, whether that’s because of difficulties getting the right care and support or money worries. Dealing with these difficulties in later life can leave you feeling invisible and powerless.

We’re joining forces with other charities to call for a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing in England, and an Older People's Commissioner in Scotland, to raise awareness of the issues people face in later life and to bring together decision makers to make change happen.

To bring about this important change, your support can make all the difference. In England, we're working with Age UK, the Centre for Ageing Better and the National Pensioners Convention, to call for a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing. We recently brought together more than 70 organisations to join our call for a Commissioner. You can add your voice to our call by signing our statement of support.

We’ll then take your name straight to the top, by asking party leaders to commit to introducing a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing in England.

In Scotland, we're calling for an Older People's Commissioner. Over 30 organisations have shown their support for a Commissioner, and you can show your support too.

If you live in Scotland, you can add your voice to our call for an Older People's Commissioner in Scotland by signing our statement of support. We'll then take your names straight to the Scottish Government, and ask it to commit to introducing a Commissioner in Scotland

A Commissioner for Older People and Ageing is a role that is independent of government. It raises awareness and works to resolve issues that people face in their later life. This could be around issues getting the right care and support, or financial issues affecting older people in the cost-of-living crisis and beyond.  

A Commissioner will be able to amplify the concerns and hopes of the diverse community that exists in later life. We hear from older people who feel like they don’t have a voice in the Government that represents them, particularly those who face hardship or inequality.

A Commissioner would have the power and remit to bring together government departments to put in place solutions that resolve these issues, which would benefit everyone as they age.

We want to see a Commissioner working with the UK Government and Scottish Government to amplify the voices of older people in each nation, and to support similar roles in Wales and Northern Ireland. In the Welsh Senedd and the Northern Ireland Assembly, Older People’s Commissioners work to raise awareness of the issues that older people face, and we’d like to see this happen in other governments in the UK.

A Commissioner for Older People and Ageing in the UK Government could also benefit people in later life across the UK, working to raise awareness of issues that devolved governments cannot resolve on their own. This is because the UK Government has some powers that extend to other nations outside England, such as for some aspects of social security.