Blog: Does your local authority have an Older People’s Champion?

Our campaign to have every local authority in Scotland appoint a councillor as an Older People’s Champion is gathering pace.

Working alongside the Scottish Older People’s Assembly (SOPA) we are seeing the impact of our campaign. There are now 16 local authorities who have an Older People’s Champion, compared to just a handful when we began.

We also know of several other councils considering an appointment or reappointing a councillor to take on the role.

But we still want to see an Older People’s Champion in all 32 local authorities.

An Older People’s Champion is a councillor within a local authority who is tasked with ensuring that older people’s voices are heard. Older People’s Champions raise awareness of issues affecting local older people and work to seek solutions on their behalf. How each champion approaches the role will differ depending on the needs of their local community, but they are all united in their goal to act as a link between councils and older people.

Local authorities are responsible for providing and supporting many services which older people use frequently – including public transport, health and social care provision, and community services. With a growing older population across Scotland, it is vital that local decision-making meets the needs of older people and that they can have their voices heard.

As part of our campaign, we are building up a network to which all Older People’s Champions are invited. This network is as a forum for older people’s issues to be raised at both a local and national level and a space where councillors can work together on shared challenges and collectively influence change at both a local and national level.

To the best of our knowledge, the following local authorities have an Older People’s Champion/s:

Angus
Argyll and Bute
Dundee City
East Ayrshire
East Dunbartonshire
East Lothian
Falkirk
Highland
Inverclyde
Midlothian
Moray
North Ayrshire
Perth and Kinross
Scottish Borders
South Lanarkshire
West Lothian

If you think we have missed your local authority from this list in error, please get in touch.

If your local authority does not have an Older People’s Champion yet, please contact your council leader to ask them to create the role. We have drafted a template letter, which you can download at www.age.scot/opcletter or you can get in touch on campaigns@agescotland.org.uk- or 0333 323 2400 to request a digital or paper copy.