We are entering the era of the age wars, warns former minister Britain must value the contribution older people make, "rather than demonising them at every opportunity," Mr Burstow adds. In June the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, said baby boomers are a "fortunate generation" who have enjoyed a rapid increase in living standards but who are now "absorbing" more than their fair share of taxpayer funding. Welfare for British pensioners now accounts for £110bn of the £165bn benefits bill. Mr Burstow warns the ageing population, with life expectancy increasing by 20 minutes every hour, will force a change to the shape of the economic and public services. In a pamphlet for CentreForum, the think tank, published today Mr Burstow urges the Government to appoint an Older People's Commission to challenge negative stereotypes, ensure public services meet the needs of older people and influence public policy making. The proposal is backed by Baroness Bakewell, the broadcaster who served as a champion for older people under Gordon Brown's Government. She writes that investigations into care homes and hospitals have revealed institutions that are more interested in keeping criticism at bay and keeping their funding than caring properly for older people. I could never have imagined how much older people needed someone to talk to, to hear complaints, to help with their problems. A new class war is looming. But does the government "get it" on ageing? Woefully unprepared for the impact of an ageing society, we are sleepwalking into an age war, with generation pitched against generation. What can we do, asks Paul Burstow Earlier this summer a House of Lords report warned that the UK is not ready for ageing. The Government's response was to ask the Chief Scientist to conduct a review. That hardly gives a sense that the government 'gets it' on ageing. This prompted the chair of the Lords Committee to say that the Government was now 'wilfully unprepared'! A harsh conclusion that I am concerned is in danger of coming true, with generation pitched against generation descending into an age war. The UK population is ageing at an incredible rate. Every hour that passes, life expectancy rises by 20 minutes. Demographic change is a powerful force, remaking modern societies, their economies and their public and private services. This demographic revolution is a direct consequence of decades of public policy that have enabled us to dramatically reduce the numbers of preventable deaths. A combination of public health engineering, education, vaccinations, antibiotics and healthcare have reduced mortality - creating the conditions in which an age shift can occur. Yet, an unsophisticated debate about the impact of ageing has portrayed this triumph of human ingenuity as a disaster. All too often older people are cast as the villains, ageing is portrayed as a threat and older people are seen as 'burdens' who hog resources and hoard assets. When the Office for Budget responsibility published its new forecasts in July it identified ageing as a significant driver of health and care costs. This sparked a fresh round of headlines about demographic timebombs. At the same time research by the Royal Volunteer Service (formerly WRVS) put the gross economic contribution of people over 65 at £175 billion a year. That is set to rise to £291 billion by 2030. RVS rightly describes older people as the social glue in our communities - but I'm pretty sure that glue is invisible to most of us. We may have banished ageism from our laws. But ageism is alive and kicking in our daily conversations. Ageist attitudes are deep-seated in our society and infect public institutions like the NHS, even determining access to life saving operations. There is little sign these attitudes will disappear of their own accord. But I am absolutely convinced that Government can do more. Building on good liberal reforms in pensions and care, the Government must set to work on age proofing the UK before it's too late - and every single Minister should heed this call to action. One practical step the Government could take now is to appoint an Older People's Commissioner. I make the case for this in a pamphlet for the think tank Centre Forum published this week. A Commissioner would be an independent ear and a powerful voice for older people, challenging negative stereotypes, holding public services to account and most importantly placing older people's policies at the heart of what matters to decision-makers. Such an appointment would mark a welcome recognition by the Government that we must change the debate, and start valuing the contribution of older people - rather than demonising them at every opportunity. We need Government to harness the opportunities of an ageing society by creating an age proofing strategy that makes our society fit for the future. Paul Burstow MP was Liberal Democrat Minister for Care Services from 2010 to 12. His pamphlet "Giving older people a voice: the case for an Older People's Commissioner for England" is available from CentreForum.