Older people in Limerick make a significant contribution to society through volunteering and participating in local government structures, but they feel disenfranchised and ignored when it comes to policymaking.
That’s according to Active Retirement Ireland, which today launched a report on older people’s involvement in Public Participation Networks and Older People’s Councils. The launch took place at the organisation’s AGM in Ennistymon, Co. Clare.
Key findings from the report, which was collated following an extensive survey of Active Retirement members nationwide, include:
Each person surveyed contributed, on average, 70 hours per year to local authorities – through participating in Public Participation Networks and / or Older People’s Councils.
According to Active Retirement Ireland, the voluntary contribution made by those surveyed for the report was worth €30,000 last year alone.
Despite their significant contribution to local government structures, older people feel strongly that they are excluded from planning and development decisions.
Speaking today, Maureen Kavanagh, CEO of Active Retirement Ireland, said: “Our research clearly shows older people feel they are not taken seriously as partners who can contribute to decision-making at local authority level.
“We surveyed our members the length and breadth of the country, and we heard the same story everywhere. Local authorities are happy to have older people’s groups at the heart of every community, adding vibrancy and life to rural and urban areas. But, when it comes to planning and development and the decisions that directly affect older people, they are not consulted.
“In short, older people feel they are being failed by official Ireland. They feel they give a lot to society, but get little or no say in policymaking in return. The perception of our survey respondents was that their involvement is overwhelmingly at the level of attending meetings and receiving information, but that they have very little influence or power.”
Ms. Kavanagh continued: “The Council of Europe’s Code of Practice for Civil Participation ranges from information and participation right the way up as far as partnership. This report starkly shows that, in Ireland, older people are seen simply as participants and not as partners in policymaking.
“Local government in Ireland has undergone significant change in recent years. The introduction of structures such as the Public Participation Networks and Older People’s Councils is welcome. However, these must not be tokenistic – they must give older people a meaningful way of influencing policy and engaging in decision-making.
“Local Active Retirement Associations throughout Ireland will continue to raise awareness among our members of how local authority structures function and how our members can get involved. We will also continue to build capacity among our members to ensure their voices are heard when decisions are being made.
“Our report clearly shows decision-makers in local government are happy to keep older people involved in the delivery of services, but away from the planning and development decisions that affect them most. We’re calling on local authorities to ensure improved policy-making processes are implemented to facilitate input by older people at all stages of the policy-making cycle,” concluded Ms. Kavanagh.
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