Agenda item

Th receive and the consider the report of the Director of Public Health on the Age Friendly Leeds Strategy & Action Plan 2022-2025.

The report of the Director of Public Health presented to the Inner West Community Committee the refresh of the draft Age Friendly Strategy and Action Plan 2022-2025 to gain feedback. The report also requested support and promotion of the work of Age Friendly within the city.

The Community Committee were provided with the following points:

• Around 1 in 3 people are aged 50 and over. The number of Leeds residents aged 80 and over will increase by about 50% in the next 20 years.
• Age Friendly Leeds is one of the eight priorities in the Best Council Plan 2020-2025. The vision for Leeds is that it is a place where people age well, older people are valued, respected, appreciated and seen as assets.
• The draft Age Friendly Leeds Strategy 2022-25 has been reviewed and refreshed which has been informed by The State of Ageing in Leeds report. The process has been overseen by the Age Friendly Board chaired by Cllr Jenkins. The role of the Board is to provide strategic leadership and set the strategic direction for the Age Friendly Leeds work programme and ensure that the objectives are being met.
• Leeds is a member of the World Health Organisation Age Friendly Cities programme and has used and adapted the framework to identify and address barriers to the well-being and participation of older people.
• The strategy sets out six key priority areas: housing; public and civic spaces; travel and road safety; active, included and respected; healthy and independent ageing and employment and learning. Each of the priorities is headed by a domain lead. Domain leads have been identified and are working to implement the actions set out in the plan. The domain leads will feedback on a quarterly basis.
• The Leeds Older Peoples Forum (LOPF) gives practical ways for the local community to become involved to strengthen the age friendly approach and Councillors were invited to support and encourage people and businesses to get involved in:
  • The Age Friendly Ambassador Programme
  • Becoming a Dementia Friend
  • Age and Dementia Friendly Businesses
  • The Come in and Rest Scheme
  • Leeds Older People’s Age Friendly Steering Group
• Public Health are working with partners to support older people in Leeds to be as resilient as possible this winter. It was recognised that the cost-of-living crisis together with the impact that the cold weather can have on older people will require an approach to ensure proactive and preventative support is provided to those most at risk this winter. It was noted there are a range of services to support older people during cold weather including:
  • Information and Advice Service run through Age UK Leeds who can offer information and advice on a range of issues such as:
    • Money Matters
    • State Benefits
    • Housing Rights
    • Consumer issues
  • Home Plus Leeds – whose aim is to enable and maintain independent living through improving health at home.
  • Lunch Clubs – Public Health fund the annual Lunch Club Grants offering a financial contribution to support voluntary groups to provide hot nutritious meals and social activities for older people in a communal environment for 40 weeks per year.
  • Sign up to receive Cold Weather Alerts
  • ‘Stay Well this Winter’ Grants
  • Become a winter friend

Cllr Jenkins attended the meeting and updated the Community Committee on the following issues:

·  Cost of living and fuel crisis including priority register for energy companies and a pilot scheme looking at the use of slow cookers.

·  Access buses – and although there have been some difficulties with this service, it should be up and running again soon.

·  Bus Fare Campaign – to remove the charges for concessionary bus pass users before 9.30am on weekdays. It was noted that from Monday tickets would be charged at £2 per journey and £4 per day.

·  Closure of ticket offices at railway stations.

Members’ discussions included:

·  Welcome this report with its emphasis on walking and activities. However, it was recognised that in the inner areas of the city there were fewer footpaths than the outer areas for walking activities and the State of Ageing Report highlights the inequalities in the city. There was a need to support through partnership working and the Board active travel and think about promoting active neighbourhoods.

·  Members were concerned that the energy crisis would leave older people unable to afford their energy bills and there was a need to provide advice on this issue. It was noted that the Age Friendly Board would ensure that this remained high on the agenda and provide advice through Money Buddies and Age UK to support older people on this issue.

·  Members acknowledged that the strategy was still draft and were of the view that the cost-of-living crisis need to be at the forefront of the strategy. Members were advised of the Priority Register Service to ensure that vulnerable people were not disconnected through the winter months. A leaflet was to be sent to Members providing advice on how to complete the form.

·  It was noted that Bramley and Stanningley Ward Councillors had recently visited the Bramley Shopping Centre to highlight to business how to become a dementia friendly business. They were of the view that it would have been useful to have joined up with team delivering the Age Friendly Strategy. The ward Councillors recognised that there were business and staff who wanted to help to become dementia friendly, but it relied on the good will of businesses and the staff to attend training which was not provided at the most appropriate time for businesses.

·  Members were of the view there was a need to build on the positives of the elderly and look at how the community could draw on their knowledge, and wisdom. It was suggested that older people may wish to attend the performing arts or become involved in the Bramley History Society. The community Committee were informed that the Leeds Older Peoples Forum were currently working with the Leeds Playhouse to record the voices of local older people to capture their voices about their experiences in Leeds. The Leeds Older Peoples Forum were working to encourage work in the culture area.

·  Another suggestion was for intergenerational activities looking at recycling and upcycling and gaining from the experience of older people in doing this.

·  The Community Committee were advised that the age in London for a Freedom Pass to use the public transport was lower than the age for concessionary fares and passes in Leeds. It was suggested that this be taken up with the West Yorkshire Mayor.

The Community Committee were advised that information would be made available to them in relation to dementia friendly training and if the events to celebrate International Day for Older People.

The Chair thanked the speakers for their attendance at the meeting.

RESOLVED – To:

• Note the content of the report and the refresh of the Age Friendly Strategy
• Consider what work is currently underway to support age friendly, winter planning and the cost-of-living crisis in the local area and how to build on these further.
• Consider the needs of the local ageing population and how these needs can be addressed through local age friendly work
• Consider how the work of the Age Friendly Strategy and the community approaches lead by LOPF can be embedded within work of the community committee.

Cllr Illingworth left the meeting at 19:10 during this item.

Steve Harris the co-opted member for Kirkstall left the meeting at 19:25 at the conclusion of this item.