Agenda item - Councillor Bill Randall - Mayor of Brighton & Hove

75.1         Councillor Bill Randall – Mayor of Brighton & Hove was presenting information in his other capacity as a journalist. The information on housing schemes for older people included:

·        The city was fortunate to have a committed and dedicated Head of Housing & Social Inclusion.

·        The Sheltered Housing Action Group (SHAG) is one of the tenant participation groups that can put ideas forward to help shape future services.

·        There were various European housing schemes which cared for older people, by having both younger and older people living together. The tenants were selected carefully to look after and support older people who were their neighbours.

·        Other examples were places where older people lived according to their dependencies whether they were able bodied, physically frail or had dementia, lived on one site but separately according to their needs.

·        Another example was where an older people housing scheme was located with a school, café and library, so that these amenities were shared by all age groups.

·        A scheme in Redditch, managed to free up family homes and also capital spending by providing bungalows for older people.

·        The city needed to work more creatively to support older people

·        There were negotiations with 6 or 7 housing cooperatives for the Preston Barracks site, if this was to be a success it would be the largest co-op in the UK.

·        Small schemes within existing areas would be better for older people, as they already knew the area  and would be able to keep the same GP and other community groups they may be part of.

·        A scheme in Buckingham renovated a block of flats to house older people, and turned one of the floors into the community centre. Buses were also routed to the location.

·        It was noted that the city had a large number of private rented houses and some of these were in need of renovation and people were living in unhealthy conditions.

·        The entry age for housing schemes for older people needed reviewing. It was currently set at 50 years of age and was deemed too low as people were living longer. This could also cause “house blocking”.

·        There was a need to work more creatively and in partnership with the voluntary and private sector to improve future housing needs.

75.2         The Chair thanked Councillor Randall for his time and research information on older people’s housing schemes.