Nearly one in five people in England and Wales are 65 or over – some are thriving, some struggling. How are we coping with the social, cultural and political change this brings?
As an hour-long exercise class in Cromer’s parish hall culminates in a triumphant ribbon routine, irrepressible instructor Annamarie Sterne addresses the group. “Has anyone got a knot?” One or two raise their hands, before another baffled attendee discovers she’s managed to swirl two knots into her ribbon. “How did that happen?!” she laughs.
Despite years to plan, however, many experts are questioning whether the country has prepared properly for the economic, cultural and political changes this is driving.Photograph: WPA/Getty Images While a strong community has developed in Cromer, the concentration of older people highlights the pressures on health, housing and social care seen nationally. “North Norfolk is a wonderful place to live, and people move here for that reason,” said Tim Adams, leader of North Norfolk district council. “This trend is only going to continue for years. I’d question if we’ve prepared enough for that. I know of a lot of households that have unmet social care needs now.
She added that Britain’s ageing process isn’t just about longer lives, but also a relative drop in younger workers. Birth rates are down and immigration is being reduced. “We knew we were going to be in a very tight labour market – this is not a surprise,” she said. “Brexit and the pandemic have made that so much worse for us.”
He adds that the pension age may have to increase again, an issue being studied by an independent review for the Department for Work and Pensions. He believes those older people now struggling to find work and support themselves should be “a priority for focused public spending rather than the generality of pensioners”.
He called on ministers to introduce five days of statutory carers leave as promised in the Tory manifesto. The pledge was missing from the Queen’s speech, unveiled in May. Anyone who witnessed the exercise class in Cromer would have been cured of any assumptions about the limitations of later life – or the idea that there is a set age to commence winding down. Ann Cunningham, 69, another from the class, says her son has noticed.
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