Issue - meetings

This report requests Executive Member’s approval of the council’s first older people’s housing strategy.

(i)      That the Older People’s Housing Strategy, attached as Annex 1 of the report, be approved and a further report be brought forward in approximately 12 months, setting out the progress on the Strategy’s Action Plan.

Members received a report which requested approval of the Council’s first Older People’s Housing Strategy.

The Strategy, attached as Annex 1 of the report, highlighted the following key challenges;

·        A need to strategically plan to meet the needs of a growing population of older people;

·        A need to ensure older people’s housing was a decent standard across all tenures, with appropriate support that promoted independence, well being and quality of life;

·        A need to ensure older people were able to exercise choice through the provision of accessible and timely information and advice services;

·        A need to ensure more effective links between strategies and approaches relating to older people;

·        A need to improve consultation with older people.

The Strategy covered three years and the Action Plan, which included scoping and mapping of current services, would be reviewed after a year.  Some of the actions had already been committed to in the wider Housing Strategy, but had a particular relevance to older people’s housing, hence their inclusion in this Strategy as well.

Members highlighted the need for ongoing consultation with the Older People’s Assembly and also the need to ascertain the views of older people who were not members of the Assembly.  They also expressed the view that it was too early to start consulting people who would be aged 50 in 15 years time about future policy and service delivery.

Members noted that following work with estate agents, specially adapted properties were now all marketed in one place, making it easier for individuals to access this information.  They also suggested that private developments, containing different housing types for younger and older people should be considered in the future, to allow families to live on the same site.

It was reported that the application to the Department for Health for a Partnership for Older People’s Project (POPP) grant had been unsuccessful and that consideration needed to be given to how a co-ordinated information service for older people could be set up without this funding.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member for Housing be advised:

(i)         That the Older People’s Housing Strategy, attached as Annex 1 of the report, be approved and a further report be brought forward in approximately 12 months, setting out the progress on the Strategy’s Action Plan.  

Decision of the Executive Member for Housing

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel as set out above be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:To ensure that the profile of older people’s housing is increased and that key actions aimed at improving the range and quality of housing available to older people both now and in the future are delivered.