The Silver Voices campaign group hoped its petition would trigger a probe into alleged discrimination against older people, especially around accessing online services
Tory ministers have been accused of treating pensioners with “disdain” after rejecting calls for an inquiry into age discrimination.
The Silver Voices group demanded a probe into claims of ageism, highlighting how services are increasingly provided online or via smartphone apps. The call came amid growing moves to switch services to the web.
The Mirror is fighting plans by railway firms to close hundreds of ticket station offices, which campaigners warn will have an unfair impact on older passengers. Launching a petition calling for an investigation into ageism, Silver Voices said: “Age discrimination and ageism are endemic in UK society with negative stereotypes of older people providing justification for blatant discrimination across the economy. We believe the Equalities and Human Rights Commission has failed to grasp the scale of the problem and a public inquiry is needed.”
It said a survey of more than 1,000 of its members found “a large majority had experienced negative ageist attitudes by the public and direct age discrimination by the finance/insurance sectors”. It claimed more than half had “missed out on retail special offers or services because they were unable to pay digitally”.
Silver Voices warned the “drive by businesses and public bodies to force people to use apps to access services is accentuating the problems”. But, rejecting the plea, the Cabinet Office hit back: “The Government is committed to upholding Britain’s long-standing record of protecting the rights of individuals against unlawful discrimination, including older people. Whilst we keep existing legislation under review, given there is an existing robust framework for age discrimination, a public inquiry is therefore not necessary.”
It said that “while age discrimination is generally prohibited in the provision of goods and services, there are specific exemptions in the provision of financial services”.
The reply triggered fury among campaigners. Silver Voices director Dennis Reed told the Mirror: “This is a perfunctory and disdainful response, which belittles the concerns of thousands of senior citizens who are subject to age discrimination and negative ageist stereotypes on a daily basis.
“We will continue to campaign on all aspects of age discrimination up to the next general election and we will be expecting politicians to listen and act on our concerns before they can expect to win our votes. In particular, we need recognition that the technology revolution is leaving millions behind as digitally excluded second class citizens.”
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