Government publishes its vision for housing an ageing population in its response to Taskforce report

Nearly two years after the Older People’s Housing Taskforce published its report, ‘Our future homes: Housing that promotes wellbeing and community for an ageing population’, the government has published its response, setting out a future ‘roadmap’ on how it aims to drive the Taskforce’s recommendations forward.

Published in November 2024, the Taskforce report made over 90 recommendations from its findings, presented in 10 defining chapters; from better access to advice and information on housing options in later life and greater transparency for consumers on what the costs on offer in the leasehold sector are to improved age-friendly and dementia-inclusive design and technology (based on the HAPPI and TAPPI principles) to stronger national, regional and local leadership to deliver a wider range of affordable housing choices and reduce the strain on health and social care services.

In highlighting that there will be a future ‘roadmap’, Baroness Sharon Taylor OBE, Minister of Housing and Communities in the House of Lords, in a joint response with the Department of Health and Social Care, made the link between housing and the government’s NHS 10-year Health Plan and the work of the Casey Commission to reform adult social care. She states:

“ We are already taking forward significant reforms that will help foster a better housing system for an ageing society. Through planning reform, investment in social and affordable housing, leasehold and commonhold reform and support for home adaptations, we are laying the groundwork for change.”

In particular, the response outlines the government’s vision – for every older person to live in a home that suits their needs, their health and their independence, supporting them to age in their community, and sets out their considerations against each of the 10 overarching chapters and the Taskforce’s core recommendations. The headlines are:

1. On definitions: it agrees that it is important to ensure there is a shared understanding across policy and regulatory frameworks – and most importantly with the public – of the variety of housing options for older people, and what these options offer.
2. On incentivising options: it agrees it is important to ensure we provide a wide variety of accessible and affordable housing options for older people, alongside support to adapt existing homes for those that cannot afford to make improvements themselves.
3. On designing for later life: while there is no reference to the aspirational HAPPI design principles, it recognises the need to ensure that homes are designed to be age-friendly at the outset and draws attention to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requirement that 40% of housing on major developments should be built to M4(2) or higher. And surprisingly, with the digital switchover by end of January 2027, there is no also no acknowledgement on designing with technology in mind.
4. On age-friendly environments: it acknowledges the importance of ensuring that older people have access to local facilities, families and their communities, with references to placemaking, New Towns, inclusive neighbourhoods and modern service frameworks for frailty, including dementia.
5. On expanding older people’s housing provision: it acknowledges more can be done to grow the purpose-built older people’s housing sector. It highlights the Social and Affordable Housing programme as a mechanism to support the supply of social and affordable homes for older people, including housing with care, Older Persons Shared Ownership and supported housing. It also refers to leasehold and commonhold reform to address calls for greater transparency for residents and assurance for retirement housing operators.
6. On strengthening planning policies: it agrees that planning policy can play an important role in encouraging a diverse range of homes to be built, including the development of purpose-built homes for older people and more accessible mainstream options. It refers to the updated NPPF and requirements for authorities to identify sites for older persons’ housing, clearer weight for older persons’ housing need within planning policy, and new accessibility requirements for new homes. However, it is also committed to publishing updated guidance to assist local authorities in assessing the housing needs of different groups, including older people.
7. On information and advice: it notes the recommendation to provide older people with access to dedicated advice on housing options in their area. Furthermore, it recognises that gaps remain in the availability and accessibility of advice at the local and national level, which is why they are exploring how it can best support the provision of advice as part of our upcoming ‘roadmap’ on housing for an ageing population.
8. On building consumer confidence: it acknowledges that issues in the private, for-sale older people’s housing sector – including poor resale values and opaque event fees – have led to poor outcomes for residents and reduced both consumer and investor confidence. It will also take forward research into resale values of private older people’s housing, to deepen our understanding of the drivers behind resale values and why some models retain their value, while others do not.
9. On enhancing innovation and research: it notes the recommendation to drive forward research and development to better support our ageing population and learn ‘what works’, including creating and funding a long-term research programme. However, it believes that this recommendation is best led by the sector, specifically highlighting the SHAPE programme as an example of this.
10. On collective leadership: it agrees with the value of setting out a clear plan to address the housing needs of our ageing population that is taken forward jointly across government and the sector.

Speaking ahead of the Housing LIN’s HAPPI Hour webinar, Jeremy Porteus, our CEO and a Taskforce member, stated:

"Hot off the launch last month of the £3m SHAPE Challenge Fund and Evidence Exchange, I am very pleased to see SHAPE referenced in the response today. We can now get stuck in supporting government, the older people’s housing sector and wider industry to take the recommendations seriously."

"The resource clearly outlines that housing for older people, and our ageing society, is no longer simply about boosting much needed specialist housing it is also vitally important to our mainstream housing market across all tenures. We look forward to playing our part in a future ‘roadmap’ by strengthening the evidence base so age-friendly homes and neighbourhoods becomes the default."