Where will I live?
We used to see older people asking about activities and lunch clubs, but increasingly they are coming to us because they are about to lose their home.
AgeUK Torbay
The proportion of over people over 65 who own their own home masks the cost of living challenge facing many older adults in Torbay.
The level of people in Torbay claiming pension credit is significantly higher than for England or the South West[12]. This means our older population have greater financial difficulties than elsewhere. The highest rates are for people living in our town centres.
Torbay as a whole faces significant housing[13] challenges.
The biggest problem is a lack of suitable accessible housing which enables people to retain independence as they age. And there are the same problems all age groups encounter, with a shortage of properties, rising costs, and cold damp homes.
The numbers of people 65 and over threatened with homelessness is rising.
In Torbay there is also a significantly higher rate of older adults receiving long term care, whether living in residential accommodation or in their own homes[9]. This reflects the high levels of poor health and disability in the Bay.
“We need to design and build new homes to fit local people’s needs as they are today, not for what families were like twenty years ago.
“Small supported apartments for older people to delay them needing to go into care homes, close to shops and bus routes”
“Let’s rebuild, reoccupy and regenerate our town centres before we cover all our fields in housing estates”
Quotes from Torbay Assembly members
There are some good examples. In Age Friendly Watcombe, the local community and Council worked together to design ways to make the environment more Age Friendly, with crossing points, seating, access and parking.
Torbay has a growing population of community and ‘friendly benches’. These offer resting points but also a place to have a conversation and make a social connection.
Torbay Citizens’ Assembly is focusing on Age Friendly Housing as one of their three priority areas over the next year. This covers not just the houses people live in but the design and accessibility of the neighbourhood as a whole.
Recommendation:
Implement Age Friendly Torbay, with a priority on housing.
[12] Public Health Torbay Council, Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2025-26 [online] available at: https://www.southdevonandtorbay.info/media/4wacnujo/2025-2026-torbay-jsna.pdf
[13] Public Health Torbay Council, Housing (2025) Housing [online] available at: https://www.southdevonandtorbay.info/media/r1nbtt0h/housing-2025.pdf
