London launches strategy for older people

London’s Mayor Ken Livingstone was joined by celebs to launch “Valuing Older People”, the capital’s first ever strategy for the over-50s. London is often seen as a city of young people, but almost 16 per cent of the city’s population – nearly 1.2 million people – are aged 60 or over, and almost a quarter of a million people are aged over 80.

The strategy aims to challenge stereotyping of older people and provide a framework to develop a city in which older Londoners have the support they need to lead active, healthy and independent lives.

The proportion of older people in London is growing – Greater London Authority projections indicate that the number of Londoners aged 60 and over will increase by five per cent between 2001 and 2021, compared with a rise of nearly 14 per cent in the population as a whole.

The Mayor’s strategy for older people is mainly concerned with those over pensionable age. The sections on employment and incomes are concerned with people in their 50s and older. However, as many of the issues and proposals in the draft strategy will impact on future generations of older people, in particular those approaching retirement in the next five, ten or 15 years, the draft strategy is relevant to a wider audience.

You can download a copy from www.london.gov.uk/mayor/strategies/older_people/index.jsp