Age Cymru is the leading national charity working to improve
the lives of all older people in Wales. We believe older people
should be able to lead healthy and fulfilled lives, have adequate
income, access to high quality services and the opportunity to
shape their own future. We seek to provide a strong voice for all
older people in Wales and to raise awareness of the issues of
importance to them.
We are pleased to respond to the Communities, Equality and
Local Government Committee’s consultation into priorities for
the Committee.
Poverty
We believe that the Committee should continue its predecessor
committee’s focus on the issue of poverty and older people.
New research from the Bevan Foundation shows pensioner poverty
is on the rise and that 100,000 older people in Wales now live in
poverty. We are extremely concerned that despite reductions in the
numbers of older people living on low incomes in the last decade,
Wales is now one of only three areas in the UK where pensioner
poverty is on the rise again.
Poverty and welfare reform
It has been estimated that poverty amongst older people could
be reduced by a third if full take-up of income-related benefits
could be achieved. The current level of the
minimum income guarantee under Pension Credit is £155.60 for
a single person and £237.55 for a couple. This combined
with the basic State Pension should be sufficient to lift every
older person’s income
above the official poverty line and is in part recognition of
the low level of the basic state pension itself.
In Wales 150,500 people received Pension Credit in November
2015, 36,000 (19%) fewer than three years earlier. The official reason
given for this reduction is the gradual increase of female state
pension age; however the reduction is more significant than would
be accounted for by this policy alone. It is also estimated that
around one-third of people eligible do not claim it.Pension Credit has an
additional importance because it is a ‘passport
benefit’ which enables those who receive it to also get help
with council tax and housing costs and provides additional support
for people who receive Carers Allowance or disability
benefits. It remains imperative that the UK Government and
national and local government in Wales continue to seek to improve
take-up.
Housing
Post-legislative scrutiny of the new homelessness
duties imposed by the Housing (Wales) Act
We would support the Committee’s proposals to assess the
impact and effectiveness of the new legislation.
Housing supply
The Committee may wish to look at housing options for older
people if it decides to investigate housing supply, as this can
have an impact elsewhere in the housing market and housing
provision. The housing needs of people may change as they get
older, so it is important that older
people have access to a range of good quality housing options and
services which meet their needs. Older people generally wish
to remain in their own homes and it is vital that they have access to services that help
them to adapt and improve their homes to help them to live
independently for as long as possible.
Others would welcome the option to move to housing that better
suits their needs. However, older people felt there were very few
opportunities to make this move as new housing developments mostly
do not cater for the needs of older people.[6] Such
developments may be on the outskirts of towns without easy access
to public transport links or to local services and facilities,
which can lead to social isolation. ‘Home’ can mean
community and neighbourhood as well as housing. These networks can
significantly contribute to a good quality of life whilst retaining
high levels of autonomy.
Specialist retirement housing, including sheltered
accommodation and extra-care housing, can offer basic support for
many older people allowing them to live independently for longer
within a safe and secure environment. Further investment is
needed in the provision of specialist housing, as it is often
cost-effective over the long term because it reduces demand on
residential care homes and hospitals, and can provide community
living and associated benefits to quality of life. We believe
that all forms of retirement housing should be built within age
friendly communities, to ensure that residents have full access to
local services, facilities and public transport that support
independence and wellbeing
People’s choices of housing in later life are severely
constrained by a lack of information. Older people need to be better informed, and have access to
information about: housing options (in both the private and social
sector provision), aids and adaptations, and appropriate
independent financial information (such as eligibility for grants,
affordable loans, equity release, paying for residential care) - to
help them make an informed decision about where they want to live
in later life. Some older people may need housing information and
advice and also support to help them move house or to downsize,
should they choose to do so. There are two main barriers to
downsizing by older people: the lack of housing options and the
difficulty of moving.
Information about housing options for older people should be
promoted before retirement to allow forward planning, greater
choice, and to facilitate independent living.
We
hope these comments are useful and would be happy to provide
further information if required.