The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published the final report of the Older People's Housing Taskforce.
Michael Voges, Chief Executive, ARCO, the national body for operators of housing-with-care schemes for older people, said:
“ARCO led the campaign for an Older People’s Housing Taskforce for three years, so we are delighted Ministers have welcomed its final report.
The recommendations of the Taskforce are a clarion call for change, and show how we need to do things differently building on the experience of other countries. In particular, we wholeheartedly agree with the Taskforce’s emphasis on the crucial role of long-term operations – in short, it’s not just about how we build new homes, it’s about how we make sure the services offered are sustainable and affordable to older customers for generations to come.
We are also delighted Ministers recognise the significant national interest in the work of the Taskforce and the importance of growing support and improving options for older people.
Older people need change now and the Taskforce has made recommendations that the government can act upon immediately:
- Introducing a National Development Management Policy for older people’s housing
- Protecting consumers from hidden event fees
- Exploring how new tenure models used overseas have helped improve customer affordability
- Providing certainty over long-term rental and service charge settlements for social and affordable providers.
ARCO also welcomes the government’s commitment today to implement the recommendation of the Taskforce for guidance to provide more clarity on how planning use classes apply to specialist Older People’s Housing."
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. ARCO (Associated Retirement Community Operators) is the national body representing modern housing-with-care schemes for older people - known as 'Integrated Retirement Communities' - in the UK, setting standards for the sector, and representing the interests of consumers and providers at national level. ARCO has around 30 members, comprising charity, not-for-profit and private operators.
2. The Older People's Housing Taskforce was launched in May 2023 and ran for 12 months. It submitted its report to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department of Health and Social Care on 22 May 2024, who published the report on 26 November 2026 under the new Labour government by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The taskforce was chaired by Professor Emerita of Nursing, Julienne Meyer.
3. The Written Ministerial Statement in response to the Taskforce report can be found here.
For more information, please email policy@arcouk.org
