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Lord Richard Best is chair of the Affordable Housing Commission, and co-chair of the APPG for Housing and Care for Older People
The Older People’s Housing Taskforce opens new opportunities for retirement living
Lord Best shares what he hopes the new Older People’s Housing Taskforce will achieve
So now we have an Older People’s Housing Taskforce – two years on from its first announcement at our all-party parliamentary group (APPG) meeting by the then-housing minister on 25 May 2021. It looks to have been worth the wait, bringing together 19 key players with extensive experience of housing for later life.
Housing problems are getting extensive publicity – and rightly so. But we also need solutions. The taskforce’s role will be critical in highlighting the huge advantages of addressing the massive undersupply of housing for older people.
“The UK is only building around 7,000 new retirement properties a year, despite there being demand for at least 30,000”
Retirement housing helps older people maintain and improve their independence, health and well-being. It reduces pressure on health budgets. It saves huge sums for the taxpayer – estimated at £3,500 each year for every resident, in savings to the NHS and social care system.
Building new homes specifically designed for older people provides ‘two-for-one’ – when an older person moves from a family home to a bungalow or retirement apartment, this frees up a larger property for a new family. It provides economic stimulus by generating several other movements down the housing ladder, typically ending with a first-time buyer entering the market.
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The potential here is enormous. The UK is only building around 7,000 new retirement properties a year, despite there being demand for at least 30,000. Three million older people would like to downsize to somewhere better suited to their needs, but are unable to do so at the moment.
As stated in our APPG report, Shared Ownership for an Ageing Population, encouraging the supply of housing that is priced affordably for the middle market has huge scope for growth.
“It is essential that the taskforce focuses on all parts of the UK and that it does not simply focus on housing in London and major cities”
Although it has taken two years of campaigning for the taskforce to launch, I am optimistic it will stimulate new action. There is now an opportunity to deliver the changes to planning policy that are needed in order to have more housing options for retirees.
This means reforming local and national planning policy to ensure retirement housing is accounted for properly in local plans, housing needs assessments and site allocations. The National Planning Policy Framework should also require that 10% of all housing should be deemed suitable for older people.
It is also essential that the taskforce focuses on all forms of retirement housing for older people, to ensure that as wide a range as possible of older people are able to live in these types of properties. Additionally, it is essential that the taskforce focuses on all parts of the UK and that it does not simply focus on housing in London and major cities.
Taskforce chair Professor Julienne Meyer is an eminent and successful leader who has worked in all parts of the sector during her career. Alongside the members of the taskforce, she will be aware that the health and social benefits of older people’s housing can only be achieved if we are able to grow the supply and create long-term incentives and requirements within our planning system that ensure this.
By incentivising the building of more new retirement properties, we can take a step towards unblocking the housing market and ultimately help first-time buyers onto the ladder. At the same time, we would make progress towards ensuring that more older people are happier, better protected against future health crises while enjoying a fuller social life.
Lord Best, co-chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Housing and Care for Older People
