160,000 Scottish pensioners are living in poverty. Here's what politicians need to do
As the Scottish Parliament election looms, Debbie Horne, of the charity Independent Age, challenges parties to adopt their manifesto to reduce poverty among older people
The new year often brings optimism about the future. But for older people in poverty, a better and financially secure future isn’t just a hope, it’s a need.
Today in Scotland, around 160,000 pensioners live in poverty. That’s one in six. By the end of the next Scottish Parliament in 2031, this number could rise by another 20,000, if there’s not urgent action.
Poverty at any age is a social injustice and we must do more to prevent it at all stages of life. At Independent Age, the national charity supporting older people on low incomes, we hear every day from those living with the reality of poverty.
This can be bundling up in coats and gloves rather than using the heating. It’s risking falls instead of turning on the lights at night because of the cost. It’s not having the option to eat fresh fruit and vegetables because these foods are financially out of reach.
A growing problem
Pensioner poverty has been rising steadily in Scotland for years. Yet we know that government action can reduce poverty – as it has done before – and we know that people of all ages want to see that action.
Our polling, carried out by the Diffley Partnership, revealed a shared consensus among the Scottish public. Nine in ten recognise that pensioner poverty and the cost of living is a growing problem for older people.
And more than nine in ten people of all ages back political parties doing more to support pensioners in poverty. Taking action is not only the right thing to do, it’s very popular.
At the end of last year, we published Security not struggle: a manifesto to reduce pensioner poverty with five key steps that can be taken to reduce pensioner poverty. We are calling on all political parties standing in the 2026 Holyrood election to include these in their respective manifestos.
Currently, there is no plan in place to bring down rising pensioner poverty, now at its highest rate in nearly 20 years. Politicians must start with publishing a strategy for how they will do this.
Urgent action required
Housing costs are a key driver of poverty in later life, so we must build more social housing and increase access to discretionary housing payments.
Our research has shown that eight in ten older people support the creation of an Older People’s Commissioner in Scotland, which we are also calling for. A Commissioner could listen and be a voice for people in later life, and raise awareness of entitlements that many older people are not receiving such as Pension Credit.
We must improve our social security support for older people on low incomes, reversing the unjust lack of mobility support for older disabled people through the pension age disability payment (this support exists for other age-specific disability payments).
With pensioner poverty rising to levels not seen since the start of this century, we need urgent action. Tackling poverty in later life should be a priority for all politicians.
We all hope to grow older with dignity and enough to live on. So, let’s make 2026 the year we change the story of rising pensioner poverty, reverse the trend, and build a financially secure future for all.
Debbie Horne is Scotland policy and public affairs manager at Independent Age
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