The International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) welcomes the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report published by the Government today.

David Sinclair, Chief Executive at the International Longevity Centre UK said:

“The Taskforce’s report should make Ministers, their departments, and housing providers sit up and pay attention. For far too long, the short-term thinking of past governments has led us to neglect the urgent need to reform our approach to housing policy. It is not enough to simply build more houses for first-time buyers; we must also design age-friendly and inclusive homes that better suit people’s long lives.”

“Without suitable homes to move into, too many people are rattling around alone in homes that increasingly become death traps, while young people have nowhere to live. We must, of course, build more housing that takes into account the profile of our population, which is increasingly older. Additionally, making it easier and more attractive for people to keep moving as their housing needs change could help unlock the housing market for everyone.”

“It’s disappointing that the Government chose to publish this report without fanfare and on the same day as their plan to ‘Get Britain Working Again’. It is vital that this report has the impact it deserves and that the Government and industry give serious consideration to the Taskforce’s ten recommendations, from planning to wider consumer choice.”

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Notes

The Older People’s Housing Taskforce was established following a recommendation in ILC’s The Mayhew Review: Future Proofing Retirement Living – Easing the care and housing crises published in November 2022. The research was conducted by Professor Les Mayhew is Associate Head of Global Research at ILC UK and supported by ARCO (Associated Retirement Community Operators).

The Older People’s Housing Taskforce was launched in May 2023 and ran for 12 months. It submitted its report Our Future Homes: Housing that promotes wellbeing and community for an ageing population to the then Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on 22 May 2024.  Following the election the new Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government finally published the report on 26 November 2024. The taskforce was chaired by Professor Julienne Meyer.

The Written Ministerial Statement in response to the Taskforce report can be found here.

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