Agenda item

The Inner North West Community Committee will hear the Director of Public Health’s report, which will provide an update on the refreshed draft of the Age Friendly Leeds Strategy and Action Plan 2022-2025, and gain feedback. Additionally, there will be a request for support of the plan, and the Committee will be asked to note the Winter Resilience approach.

The report of the Director of Public Health presented to the Inner North 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:

o  The Age Friendly Ambassador Programme

o  Becoming a Dementia Friend

o  Age and Dementia Friendly Businesses

o  The Come in and Rest Scheme

o  Leeds Older People’s Age Friendly Steering Group

The Committee discussed the following:

·  The specific experiences of older people who are still in the workplace, and how their needs can be met. The Centre for Ageing Better is distributing to employers information on how they can support their older employees, with Leeds City Council being one employer who is integrating this advice into their own recruitment procedures. West Yorkshire Combined Authority is integrating age into their Fair Work Charter. One particular consideration was for older people who are not yet of pensionable age, but are out of work and struggling to re-enter the workplace, or access learning and training opportunities.

·  A breakdown of the ambassador programme by ward will be provided.

·  Older people and transport was discussed, and consultations can better connect with the older people who are most affected.

·  The cost of living was a running theme through the discussion, especially relevant to energy bills and how ‘Warm Spaces’ can be connected with specifically supporting older people. A Council Cost of Living report is to be circulated soon by the Chief Officer of Community Hubs, Welfare and Business Support.

RESOLVED -  The Committee noted the report’s recommendations to consider the provision of local ageing friendly policies.