Our open letter: A Commissioner for Older People and Ageing in England

We write to you as organisations who are concerned about the way in which governmental policy often fails to meet the needs of people in later life. The UK Government has a huge opportunity to tackle this and meaningfully demonstrate its commitment to older people by establishing a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing in England.

In February 2025, the Women and Equalities Committee recommended that the UK Government look at the work of the Older People’s Commissioner in Wales with a ‘view to replicating a similar framework across England’. This builds on previous findings from May 2024 where the case for a Commissioner was called ‘overwhelming’ by the then Chair of the committee.

Our four organisations, and the over 70 other organisations which have signed our call for a Commissioner, agree. And this is backed by people of all ages - Independent Age research found that 90% of older people support the call for a Commissioner, and Age UK found that 70% of people aged over 18 in the UK agree the Government should do more to enable older people to be included in society.

We eagerly await the Government’s response to the Women and Equalities Committee and call on them to act on the Committee’s findings. Establishing a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing would ensure that policy and practice across government considers the long-term needs of people in later life and the implications of our ageing population on society.

Our society is ageing, and policymakers should embrace this demographic shift. Currently 11 million people are aged 65 or over, and by 2040 17 million (1 in 4) of us will be over 65. An ageing population will require collaboration and joined-up thinking to deliver innovative policy solutions and meet the needs of the future.

The support people need in later life from institutions like the NHS and social care, and social security systems are critical, but no single government department can respond to these issues alone. A commissioner would facilitate the long-term planning that is needed to ensure our economy and public services are adapting to demographic shifts, while also enabling more people to age well. This would not just benefit older people, but our country as a whole.

Further, as our older population becomes increasingly diverse, older people urgently need a champion at the heart of the government who represents their wide range of experiences, working alongside the Older People’s Commissioners for Wales and Northern Ireland to help make the UK the best place in the world to grow old.

This is an opportunity, at a relatively low cost – around just 7p per taxpayer, for the UK Government to demonstrate to older people that their voices and experiences matter, and their needs will be considered going forwards.

We would welcome the opportunity to work with you, to act on this latest recommendation and to establish the parameters of this important role.

Yours sincerely,

Joanna Elson CBE, CEO, Independent Age

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director, Age UK

Dr Carole Easton, CEO, Centre for Ageing Better

Jan Shortt, General Secretary, National Pensioners Convention 

How you can help

You can show your support for a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing by emailing your MP.

Your email will ask your MP to ensure the UK Government considers the benefits of a commissioner, after they were recommended by the Women and Equalities Committee, a cross-party group of MPs, to look into this. We’re expecting the UK Government’s response to this recommendation in the coming weeks