COUNCILLOR Jimmy Miller wants to give pensioners across North Ayrshire a stronger voice in the corridors of power.

The newly elected member has been a consistent campaigner and supporter of pensioner rights for over a decade.

Jimmy, 76, is a member of the Scottish Older People’s Assembly (SOPA), Scottish Senior Alliance (SSA) and Scottish Pensioner Forum (SPF).

The army veteran has also campaigned for ex-service personnel, who left the Armed Forces before 1975, to be given a pension.

His pedigree and passion made him the obvious choice when he was confirmed as the Older People’s Champion at the first Cabinet meeting following the Election on May 4.

He said: “I have been fighting for pensioners for over a decade and I’m delighted and honoured that I will be a Champion for them now.

“There are over one million of us in Scotland so what we think and what we do is really important.

“I’m currently meeting with all the services within the Council to see how I can help and see how they can use me when they are dealing with situations involving elderly people.

“Essentially I want pensioners to have a greater say and a stronger voice in politics.”

Jimmy was one of five Champions appointed by the Council’s Cabinet last month.

And since being confirmed in the role, he has already been to the Scottish Parliament to speak on an issue that remains very close to his heart.

As a representative of SOPA he made a presentation at a conference – hosted by Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP - looking at how we can make communities safer for our older people.

He added: “It was an important event – it’s vital that we continue to bang the drum and raise awareness of issues that affect pensioners.

“One of the biggest issues and something we spoke about is the potential for pensioners to be victims of scams. It happened to me a few years ago when I gave my details out to an internet company to make the speed of my connection faster. It was a con and they took £87 off me.

“In some respects I was lucky as it could have been worse. It also made me realise how easy it is to be scammed.

“I’m hoping to work closely with our Trading Standards team to try and help raise awareness amongst the elderly community.

“They do a fantastic job and hopefully I can do my bit to provide assistance and support to some vulnerable people out there.”