Campaigning and consultation
A voice for older people
Southwark Pensioners Centre advocates for the needs and concerns of older people in the borough.
We promote a clear voice for older people in Southwark by:
1.Supporting the Southwark Pensioners Action Group (SPAG) who campaign on pensions, housing, health and social care.
2. By facilitating Southwark Pensioners Forums where consultation and engagement on any topic that affects older people takes place.
3. We conduct timely research in support of our mission: to support older people to live vibrant, independent lives.
Southwark Pensioners Forum
Southwark Pensioners’ Forum provides a space for older people to give their views and engage in discussion with key decisionmakers and policymakers on a wide range of national, regional and local policy and service development or research issues that affect older people.
Forums are held monthly on a specific topic of local or national importance, eg, adult social care, vaccines, sustainability and digital inclusion. It often has guest speakers ranging from local parliamentarians, elected councillors, senior officers and interest groups.
To find out when the next forum is taking place, visit News to see the current programme, or sign up to receive our newsletter using the sign up form at the bottom of this page.
Southwark Pensioners Action Group (SPAG)
Calling all older people living and working in Southwark, especially the young at heart and newly retired. Do you care about what happens in your local community? Do you want to influence local and national decision-makers to provide better services?
Southwark Pensioners Action Group (SPAG) has an active programme of meetings and events, raising awareness and campaigning on issues affecting health and independence of older people.
SPAG has been campaigning on local and national issues since it started in 1980, e.g. our members have been campaigning in 2021 and 2022 to keep Riverside Day Centre open for Southwark adults with learning disabilities.
We lobby on pensions, physical and mental health issues, social care, residential care homes, home care, transport, housing and planning. We are taking action to protect local GPs being taken over by Centene, a profit-making USA corporation.
This has meant petitioning and demonstrating at Westminster and outside local GP practices. We have also done research and lobbying on the Government’s proposed changes to our NHS, which we believe will increase privatisation and reduce local accountability.
Changes for the better will only come about if we all get involved. Please join us! We meet regularly. Timings are listed on the Activities page.
SPAG is supported by Southwark Pensioners Centre and contribute to One in Five, their regular newsletter.
Research
Our mission is to help older people live active and fulfilled lives. When we see a need to conduct or commission research into a matter affecting people over 50 in Southwark, we do.
