GILRUTH URGES LOCALS OVER 55 TO RESPOND TO HOUSING SURVEY

Published date : 03 Jan 2020

Mid Fife and Glenrothes MSP, Jenny Gilruth, is urging local people aged 55 and over to respond to a leading charity’s new national housing survey.

The national charity for older people, Age Scotland, is seeking the views of older people about their housing needs and household energy usage to help shape future Scottish Government policy.

Scotland’s population is ageing at a faster rate than the rest of the UK and a quarter of Scotland’s population set to be over 65 by 2043.

The Scottish Government has pledged to build 50,000 new homes by the end of this Parliament, and Age Scotland wants to ensure the government has as much information as possible about the housing needs of older people to ensure the right kinds of homes are being built.

It is hoped that the findings from this survey will help to shape the Scottish Government’s housing policy as it relates to older people, with a view to how to help people live well and independently in their own or new home for as long as possible.

Commenting, the MSP said:

“With an increasing ageing population, we need to ensure that there are enough homes in the right places, suitable for older people. This means warm homes which are adaptable as we age and close to good transport links and amenities, rather than being stuck out on the edges of towns.

“I would encourage anyone over 55 to take part in this survey as it will help provide the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament the information it needs to better plan for the future.

Adam Stachura, Head of Policy and Communications at Age Scotland, added:

“The quality of the housing you live in has a profound impact on your health, especially as you reach older age. We want everyone to live well in their home and be able to use it to its full extent.

“Often people discover far too late that where they live is no longer suitable for their needs. It can become unaffordable and inefficient to heat, more inaccessible and harder to access the routine local services they need. This survey will not only help highlight how suitable homes are for an ageing population but give us great insight into at what stage people make decisions about their future.”

As an added incentive, there are five £50 cash prizes available for randomly selected participants.

Copies of the survey are available from Ms Gilruth’s local office at 12 Commercial St, Markinch, KY7 6DE or online at age.scot/housingsurvey

ENDS

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