Sixties pop star Sandie Shaw MBE was among politicians and Later Life Ambitions campaigners at a House of Commons launch of the new Later Life Ambitions (LLA) manifesto on Tuesday 21st November 2023.
Speaking at the event in a riverside room Sandie said she found the LLA campaign uplifting and that it had such a good vibe. She said it was important that people led a good and fulfilling life until the end and she praised the work of campaign groups, such as the CSPA, who work to make later lives better.
The CSPA alongside LLA partners the National Federation of Occupational Pensioners and the National Association of Retired Police Officers represent more than a quarter of a million pensioners.
The event was sponsored by Sir Stephen Timms, the Labour chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee. He told the guests that there was a lot of work to do in many areas to improve the lives of older people.
Other politicians attending the reception included Gill Furniss, the recently appointed shadow pensions minister; Northern Irish MPs Sammy Wilson (DUP) and Claire Hanna (SDLP) and the SNP’s social justice spokesperson David Linden.
The manifesto calls for policies that focus on the concerns and ambitions of older people to live full and fulfilling lives. They include protecting the state pension triple lock, the formation of a national care service, interventions on housing, transport, digital exclusion, and the appointment of a commissioner for older people, as has been successfully adopted in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Sally Tsoukaris, CSPA General Secretary, said “We were thrilled to co-host this event with our LLA partners, NARPO and the NFOP, and encouraged by a good turnout from across the political spectrum. It was amazing to see so much consensus, passion and determination in the room to deliver a better future for older people in the UK.”
The CSPA is urging members to support the manifesto – Standing by Pensioners: a manifesto for later life. There are more opportunities to support the work of the LLA at www.laterlifeambitions.co.uk
