SOUTH Scotland MSP Colin Smyth is urging the Scottish Government to commit to a long-term strategy to reduce pensioner poverty.
And he has highlighted growing concerns that one in six pensioners in Scotland now live in poverty.
During a question session in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Smyth asked Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice Shirley-Anne Somerville to respond to the charity Independent Age’s call for a dedicated pensioner poverty strategy for Scotland.
In response, Somerville referenced the government’s A Fairer Scotland for Older People: A Framework for Action, which includes measures to ensure financial security for older people.
However, the MSP pushed for more action, saying: “It is little wonder that polling by Independent Age shows that more than 90 per cent of older people back calls for a long-term strategy from the Scottish Government to reduce that poverty.”
He continued to seek answers and discussed the A Fairer Scotland for Older People framework, reducing pensioner poverty, and finding long-term solutions that the people need.
The biggest concern, though, is the people according to Mr Smyth, who added: “Every day my inbox is full of concerns from constituents about the care and welfare of themselves or their older friends and relatives.”
He called for a renewed commitment from the Scottish Government to introduce targeted measures to alleviate financial struggles for Scotland’s older population.
