Age Scotland responds to Scottish Government's Budget plans

In response to Budget plans announced today by the Scottish Government, Age Scotland's Policy Director, Adam Stachura, said:

"The reintroduction of a payment for all pensioners to help with heating costs next winter is a significant improvement for hundreds of thousands on low incomes who aren’t getting or entitled to Pension Credit, and would otherwise have had nothing. But with nearly four in 10 pensioners living in fuel poverty, we don’t think £100 will be enough. We would urge the government and parliament to look at increasing this amount before the Budget is finalised, otherwise more than a quarter of million pensioners will really struggle to heat their homes, and their health will deteriorate further.  

"Increasing spending on health and social care is very welcome and we hope that the money will help to reducing waiting lists, tackling shockingly high levels of delayed discharge and ensuring older people in poor health get early interventions and treatments. You can’t fix the health system without fixing access and provision of social care, and it is difficult to tell at this stage if this will be anywhere near enough to help do that.  

"Insulating homes and upgrading heating systems is vital and new funding to help do more of this could make a real difference to older people on the lowest incomes and who live in Scotland’s hardest to heat homes. The eligibility for support needs to be wider than just social security like Pension Credit and take better account of income, age, house condition and health conditions so that vulnerable older people on low and modest incomes can benefit. 

"We really hoped that the Scottish Government would use their Budget to take more action to tackle loneliness and isolation as it is a scourge on our society and has a huge impact on the nation’s health. There is much more for them to do here."