Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party
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| Founded | 3 February 2003 |
| Dissolved | 4 November 2015 |
| Ideology | Elderly interests |
The Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party (SSCUP) was a political party in Scotland. It was also known as the All-Scotland Pensioners Party from March 2011. The party started on 3 February 2003. It was formed to take part in the Scottish Parliament elections that year.
A man named John Swinburne helped start the party. He was its first leader. John Swinburne used to be a director at Motherwell Football Club. He decided to create the party after reading about the UK government's plans for pensions. Pensions are payments people get after they stop working. He thought it was unfair if people had to work longer. He wanted people to have more time to enjoy their retirement.
To take part in elections, the SSCUP had to register. They registered with the UK Electoral Commission. They also registered other names to use on ballot papers. These names included "Scottish Senior Citizens and Pensioners" and "Alliance of Scots Greys".
On the same day the SSCUP began, another group called the Scottish Pensioners Party was formed in Fife. The SSCUP and this party worked together for the Scottish Parliament elections. They agreed not to run candidates against each other. Some famous former Scottish international footballers also supported the SSCUP. Billy McNeill, who played for Celtic, and Eric Caldow, who played for Rangers, both stood for the SSCUP in these elections.
John Swinburne was the only person from the SSCUP to become a Member of the Scottish Parliament. He represented the Central Scotland area from 2003 to 2007.
What the Party Wanted to Do
The Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party had several main goals. They listed these goals on their website. Here are some of their key aims:
- They wanted a basic weekly state pension of £160 for all older people. A state pension is money the government pays to people when they retire. They wanted this pension to increase with the cost of living.
- They aimed to help all older people in Scotland get out of poverty.
- They wanted to stop "means-testing" for older people. Means-testing checks how much money someone has before they can get help.
- They wanted to change council tax to a fairer system. Council tax is a local tax paid by people living in homes. They thought it should be based on how much money someone could afford to pay.
- They wanted local councils to create more care homes for older people.
- They wanted free travel across the country for all older people. This would be outside of busy travel times.
- They wanted a 50% discount on television licences for older people aged 60 to 75. A TV licence is needed to watch live TV.
- They wanted a 50% discount on vehicle excise duty for all older people. This is a tax paid for owning a vehicle.
- They wanted to start a Scottish Lottery. All the money raised from this lottery would go back into local communities.
Election Results and End of the Party
In the 2007 Scottish Election, the SSCUP lost its only seat in the Holyrood building. Even though they lost their seat, they were still the sixth best party in terms of votes. Their share of votes even went up a little. This might have been because they had more candidates running. In the 2011 election, their votes went down, but they still remained the sixth-placed party.
The party officially stopped being a political party in 2015.
