Mutual ownership for older people
All of us who are concerned with the wellbeing of older people should welcome the Housing our ageing population panel for innovation (Happi) report published by the Homes and Communities Agency in December. The report is a very helpful contribution to the debate on housing for older people.
SIGN IN TO ACCESS THIS CONTENT
You've reached your monthly limit for unrestricted access to Inside Housing content. To get free unrestricted access simply sign in below, or register your details.
Sign In
If you are already registered sign in for unrestricted access to alll the content on the site.
The descriptions that it provides of schemes built by our neighbours on the near continent are particularly interesting. These are well designed, with needs of older people taken into account from the outset. As is normal in these countries, the room sizes are bigger than those in the UK. All are set in pleasant surroundings, usually in suburban areas.
One of the key recommendations the report makes is that people should plan ahead and take control of their housing. As an old-age pensioner myself, I strongly agree. But the reason why older people in Holland, Germany and Scandinavia are able to do this is because much of the retirement housing is mutually owned and managed.
The governments in these countries encourage mutuality in retirement housing. The UK government should do the same here. Let’s enable our older people to keep control of their lives by supporting mutual retirement schemes which the pensioners run themselves.
Glyn Thomas, vice chair, CDS Co-operatives, Barnet, Hertfordshire