PENZANCE’S Rob Trewhella spoke in front of more than 150 people as a panel member about the experience of poverty in later life and calling on political parties across the UK to take action.

The 67-year-old has been forced to take up work as a taxi driver since retirement in order to afford his rent. He spoke on the panel about the high cost of living and his experience of being a private renter in later life.

Rob said: “I drive a taxi in Cornwall, and although I enjoy it, I’ve been working since I was 18 and I don’t want to still be doing it when I’m in my seventies.

“But right now with my rent there’s no way I could retire, my State Pension just isn’t enough. I wanted to take part in Independent Age’s conference to share my experiences and encourage those in power to really consider the needs of older people in financial hardship.”

Independent Age is the national charity supporting older people facing financial hardship.

The charity’s conference included a photo exhibition of older people who live on a low income across the UK and several panel discussions about tackling poverty in later life, including an exploration of the reality of financial hardship in later life from people experiencing it and the stigma of poverty in older age.  

Joanna Elson CBE, chief executive at Independent Age, said: “We’re thrilled that Rob took part in our panel. As we work to tackle poverty in later life, hearing directly from older people on a low income is so important, and Rob’s role at the conference was invaluable.

“Together, by listening to the voices of older people and working together, we can make sure that we can all look forward to a later life with dignity.”

The event also launched Independent Age’s new research which forecasts a dramatic rise in projected pensioner poverty by 2040, if current trends and policies stay the same.

The new report, Keys to the future: Projecting housing tenure and poverty rates in later life, predicts that in just over 15 years: Poverty among older people could increase from 17 per cent to 23 per cent, or from 2.1-million in 2022 to 3.9-million people by 2040.

Poverty could increase more for older women than older men, going from 20 per cent of older women currently in poverty to a forecast 26 per cent. 

Poverty levels among older people with a disability could increase significantly from 18 per cent to 29 per cent which compares to a projected increase in poverty in the non-disabled older population from 17 per cent to 19 per cent. 

For more information on the Keys to the future report, visit: www.independentage.org/policy-and-research/keys-to-future-report