To deliver promise of security in retirement, Gov need to act 'much more boldly
In response to the Queens Speech, Janet Morrison, Chief Executive at Independent Age, said:
"Some of the measures in today's Queen's Speech could herald a new approach to how we deliver local services for older people, so for example in the City Devolution Bill. But to truly deliver on its promise of security and dignity in retirement, older people need the Government to act much more boldly over the next five years.
To meet the aspirations of an ageing population, the Housing Bill needs to prioritise new house building for people in later life. Homes built specifically for older people have decreased from 30,000 per year in the 1980s to 8,000 per year today. The Government also needs to be much clearer about what action it will take to arrest the decline in the council help and local care services older people need to remain independent at home. These challenges must not be ducked, but the Government risks being silent on some of the issues older people care about most."
