Responding to the consultation paper "Towards the Mayor's Housing Strategy", Peter Askew, Chairman of the Retirement Housing Group said:
"The Mayor of London has lost an important opportunity to set an example to the rest of the country by giving proper support to housing for older people in his emerging housing strategy"
"The Mayor expressed concern for many groups, including the disabled, but ignores by far the largest - and fastest growing - group - the elderly".
"When setting out policies for design, raising housing output, getting the right sort of investment and promoting choice, the Mayor has failed to put forward proposals for the growing number of older people - particularly owner occupiers - who need specialist housing which offers social support, companionship and well-being, whilst reducing demands on care and support services, and the NHS""
RHG believes that 'bricks and mortar' solutions, such as Lifetime Homes or Inclusive Design do not offer the benefits of sheltered housing and do nothing to reduce loneliness and isolation, which lead to a lower quality of life for residents. As the Older People's Strategy observes, a high percentage of people aged over 60 live alone. For many, reduced access to key facilities and social isolation results to a poor quality of life, as research by the Social Research Council, "Loneliness, Social Isolation and Living alone in Later Life", confirms.
RHG believes there is a real opportunity in London to bring about improvements for older people, an important element of which is the way their housing needs are met. The Housing Strategy, as currently drafted, fails to recognize that opportunity. The Strategy can and should be changed so that the wider housing needs of London's ageing population can be properly addressed and the RHG would welcome the opportunity to explore this further with the Mayor.
RHG believes it is essential to recognise the benefits that the proper provision of sheltered and extra care housing can provide, not just for older people but for the families who were seeking family sized homes.
Under-occupation of existing homes is another outcome of older people continuing to occupy family-sized homes. Releasing such houses back onto the market should be viewed as a positive means of increasing home availability.
Notes to editors:
1. The Retirement Housing Group of the Home Builders Federation consists of retirement housing developers and housing managers, both RSL and private sector. Its ex officio members include representatives of the charity, the Elderly Accommodation Counsel, and the Association of Retirement Housing Managers. The Advice and Mediation Service (AIMS) of Age Concern is also represented. Its members are therefore involved in the building, management and provision of advice on housing for those of retirement age and over. Such housing ranges from lifestyle properties for the active, newly retired through to warden assisted housing with community facilities and design modifications through to very sheltered housing with high staffing levels and many additional services and facilities.
2. Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, launched his "Older people's strategy" in September 2006, following the granting of powers over housing strategy to the Mayor by Government in July 2006.
Consultation on the Mayor's proposals was launched in November 2006 in a document entitled "Towards the Mayor's Housing Strategy," to which the Retirement Housing Group has submitted a response.
The Retirement Housing Group believes there are disparities between intention, set out in the Mayor's Older People's Strategy (September 2006) and delivery, as set out in the Housing Strategy. This is highlighted most clearly in the claim "The Mayor will use his new housing strategy and investment powers to address fully the needs of older Londoners" which is simply unfulfilled. There are no policies in the Housing Strategy to give effect to that promise.
The consultation document can be found at:
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The document "Older people's strategy" can be found at:
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3. The Social Council Research "Loneliness, social isolation and living alone in later life" can be found at:
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For media information, please contact:
Paul Boulter
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