Consultations

In May 2010 we asked you what kind of housing options you would like to see in the district when you retire.

In total we got 1,567 completed surveys and I would like to thank everyone who took the time to contribute, and especially to the 600 individuals who took the extra time to write comments in the open ended question; it was clear that many of these comments were particularly well thought through and will be invaluable evidence for us.

Some of the more interesting findings of the survey are:

• Older people are more likely to have an employers or private pension. The younger you are the less likely you are to have an employers or private pension.
• Regardless of current age, around 30% of people expect to have savings by the time they retire – suggesting saving is more down to a mentality than an ‘old way of doing things’.
• 22% of individuals expressed a preference for moving outside the district in their retirement; White British individuals were more likely to consider this than those from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds.
• Individuals from BME backgrounds were more likely to consider living with relatives, especially if they were to develop some kind of health issue.
• Women were more likely than men to consider specialist ‘older people’s’ housing. Those from BME backgrounds were less likely to consider specialist housing.
• The younger you are, the more likely it is that you expect to be paying off your mortgage into your retirement. Nearly 30% of those aged 18-29 expected to be paying off their mortgage in their retirement in comparison to 5% of those currently aged 50-59.

For more key findings and a full report on the results please click see the document below.

The results of the survey will be used as evidence to support a new housing strategy for older people’s housing in the district.