1. Housing an ageing population in the era of austerity Professor Malcolm Tait
Aims of this session
To inform AG about the project and progress in the first 3 months
Identify areas where we need their input / expertise to progress the project
To think about next steps/priorities

2. Austerity figures
Local government funding cut by 27% in England,
Planning cut by 40%
Housing cut by 45%
Sources: LGA, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2015

3. Approaches to austerity
Muddling through
Opportunity for innovation
Integrating work and services
Reorienting budgets
Passing on

4. Sheffield population 65+ 2015-34

5. Integration Integration of services
Scale of challenge: 'There are so many people, and there are only so much of us'
Focus on acute crisis, not prevention: 'Budgets inevitably get focused on those people with the most acute needs, so you're not doing enough upstream work to stop people getting to that point'
Technological fixes as budgetary solution – e.g. ‘telecare’

6. Reorientation of budgets
Centralisation of budgeting, focus on costs and loss of decision-making capacity at project/middle management levels
Competition for funding means people start to be seen as a burden: older people as a 'major drain on services'

7. Passing on Passing on Complex partnerships, growing uncertainty
Changing policies and uncertainty for housing associations, including rent caps and right to buy
Impact on the squeezed middle

8. Concluding thoughts
"I think the Council's in an incredibly difficult position. I mean it's, we have a government that doesn't want councils as far as I can see. So the money is cut left, right and centre and so it's very difficult for it. And I mean there's a housing shortage, there's difficulty with people living longer, not just older people, but also more and more profoundly disabled children are living longer and so you've got massive needs there and you know once you've focused on that…what's left really? So it's very difficult.
A potential to re-think housing as an investment, not a burden on the public purse