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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan

Towards an age-friendly London: full action plan

Outdoor spaces and buildings

A city where older people can easily access public spaces

The condition of public spaces directly affects older Londoners’ mobility and independence, as well as their sense of belonging and inclusion. Without welcoming, safe and accessible outdoor spaces, older people are more likely to stay at home and become isolated, which can cause their mental and physical health to deteriorate.

Older Londoners told us that priority areas for making outdoor spaces and buildings more age-friendly should include providing more public toilets, seating and places to rest; enabling better and uncluttered pavements; and encouraging considerate sharing of public space between cyclists and pedestrians. Other priorities included improving pedestrian crossings, and ensuring older Londoners are fully involved in outdoor space improvement plans.

The Mayor’s actions to make outdoor spaces and buildings more age-friendly will cover the following two themes:

  • create public spaces that are inclusive of older Londoners
  • support the provision of accessible public toilets.

The Mayor’s actions

Create public spaces that are inclusive of older Londoners

The Mayor’s EDI Objective 5 seeks to ensure that investment in London’s high streets meets the expressed priorities of groups, such as older Londoners.

All development should conform with London Plan Policies D8 and SD6, which support London boroughs to ensure:

  • appropriate seating and street furniture is provided
  • street clutter is removed
  • pedestrian crossings are accessible, regular and conveniently sited
  • town centre environments are designed that are barrier-free and inclusive, with features such as tactile paving, level surfaces and dropped kerbs
  • all new pathways in the public realm are expected to be well designed, accessible, safe and inclusive. This could include even and level (or gentle-gradient) pathways, with smooth surfaces free of loose material.

Developers following the management and maintenance of public space principles in the Mayor’s Public London Charter London Plan Guidance will lead to new public spaces that provide a welcoming environment for everyone, with the provision of shade, shelter, and places to stop and rest.

Transport for London (TfL) will:

  • carry out Operation Clearway, a programme to keep streets free of clutter and make it easier for everyone to walk on London’s pavements, including older people and people with sight or mobility disabilities
  • offer Streetcare, an online tool for Londoners to report a problem with the care or condition of a street; or to get an update on, or discuss, previously reported problems.

Good Growth by Design – the Mayor’s programme to shape a better city by promoting quality and inclusion in the built environment – will deliver its central principle to hear the ‘lived experience’ of diverse communities; understand what inclusivity, accessibility and participation mean for them; and reflect these views in building and public space design. This will be captured through design research and embedded in design reviews, through the London Review Panel, providing guidance to projects where the Mayor is investing or making a planning decision.

London Plan Policy D5 Inclusive Design supports London boroughs to embed inclusive design principles in their local plans; and to engage with representative bodies, including older people’s organisations, in the development of plans.

The London Plan Annual Monitoring Report will monitor the use of design review panels for major applications and the London Plan Objective GG1 Building strong and inclusive communities. This encourages early and inclusive engagement, including with local communities, in the development of proposals, policies and strategies.

Support the provision of accessible public toilets

The Mayor’s Good Growth Programme is delivering accessible and inclusive public toilets on an ongoing basis.

Large-scale development must conform with London Plan Policy S6. This expects developers of new, large-scale developments that are open to the public, or large public realm spaces, to provide and secure the future management of free, publicly accessible toilets suitable for a range of potential users. There must also be free ‘Changing Places’ toilet provision. These toilet facilities should be available during opening hours, or 24 hours a day for public-realm spaces.

For smaller development proposals, Policy S6 supports London boroughs to secure access to toilet facilities through other means.

The London Plan asks every borough to create a Night-Time Strategy. The Mayor has published guidance for doing this, which includes case studies and recommendations on night-time public toilet provision. Boroughs will be encouraged to use this guidance, when developing their Night-Time Strategies, which will benefit older people, who may be out in the evening.

TfL is conducting a feasibility study into improving the availability, inclusivity and pleasantness of existing toilets; and enhancing how it signposts people to where they can find toilet facilities. Separately, it will be enhancing customer information to ensure it is useful, accurate and easily accessible. This includes updating the Toilet tube map, expanding the information on its website to include other TfL modes and adding the opening hours to TfL Go

The Mayor will assess progress by:

  • evaluating the performance and achievements of each London borough on their strategy to improve the capacity of organisations and communities to work together to improve their respective high streets
  • tracking the number of community businesses, and cultural and civic organisations, supported through the Mayor’s programmes.

 


Transportation

A city that older people can readily get around

An accessible and affordable public transport system is essential for all older Londoners. Thousands of older workers, volunteers, carers and many others rely on it to make their invaluable contribution to the capital. Being able to get around the city increases access to services; facilitates social, cultural and civic participation, reduces isolation, and enhances mobility, wellbeing and a sense of belonging.

Older Londoners told us that priority areas for action on transport should include:

  • keeping transport affordable
  • making it more accessible, inclusive, step-free and integrated
  • improving customer information, comfort and safety on buses
  • providing more accessible toilets on the public transport network.

Other priorities included creating more seating and resting places on the network; and involving older people in transport planning.

The Mayor’s actions to make London a city that older people can readily get around cover the following three themes:

  • improve the accessibility and inclusivity of London’s transport infrastructure for older Londoners
  • support older Londoners to move around London in safety and comfort, and with the information they need
  • offer older Londoners value for money; and fare structures and concessions that are fair, clear and well communicated.

These will largely be delivered by TfL through its equalities objectives.

The Mayor’s actions

Improve the accessibility and inclusivity of London’s transport infrastructure for older Londoners

In 2023/24 TfL will publish an inclusive transport action plan. This will include inclusive design principles, staff training, revised standards and other guidance.

TfL will

  • Increase the number of step-free stations in London and actively engage with local authorities, developers and businesses on funding opportunities to introduce step-free access to more stations. Locations will be informed by consultation feedback on the future of step-free access on the Tube, which included views from older people
  • Introduce a mini ramp at all Tube stations that are fully step-free by spring 2024 and to other parts of the TfL network where possible in the future
  • Introduce a new simpler Dial-a-Ride booking and scheduling system in late 2023 to enable customers to book, amend and cancel trips at their convenience
  • Provide information at lift entrances about step-free access routes that can be used when the lift is out of service
  • carry out a study into how lifts can automatically provide TfL staff and customers with live, step-free information using instant 'self-reporting' technology, if lifts are out of service
  • improve and develop travel accessibility features in the TfL Go app based on customer insight and feedback
  • design a new fleet of London trams working in close partnership with stakeholders to understand the broad range of customers' mobility and accessibility needs; and deliver more inclusive vehicles
  • Expand its reach to engage with a diversity of representation from a wider range of charity, voluntary and community organisations, representative of all travel network users, including older people
Support older Londoners to move around London in safety and comfort, and with the information they need

In March 2022, TfL published its Bus Action Plan, which sets out its vision for buses by 2030. TfL will improve older people’s experience of using buses by:

  • working with diverse communities, including older people, at pan-London and local levels to explore opportunities to enhance: the inclusivity of bus stops and vehicles; seating; layouts; customer information; and the broader experience of travelling by bus
  • carrying out a study and street trial of new digital displays at bus stops and shelters, to improve the provision of real-time information to customers
  • developing new on-bus screens, displaying more accurate and detailed journey information
  • assessing the impact of digital displays on bus exteriors, known as ‘bus blinds’, to evaluate accessibility
  • introducing ‘Please offer this seat’ wording into the fabric of priority seats on TfL’s 1,000 new Routemaster buses; and work with operators to implement this on the wider fleet.

TfL will train bus drivers to provide bus users a comfortable journey by:

  • delivering Destination Zero training to bus drivers. This uses virtual reality headsets to teach drivers about hazard perception and hazard prediction; and help them understand what it feels like to be a vulnerable road user
  • rolling out its new EDI training for bus drivers; this will include key information about customers with accessibility needs
  • restarting Bus Garage Awareness days where bus drivers and older bus customers can directly share experiences
  • updating its guidance for bus drivers on ramp operation to make it clearer what they should do in the event of ramp failure.

TfL will make information accessible by:

  • providing offline information – including by phone, and printed accessibility guides and maps, many of which are available for free
  • maintaining induction loop systems in ticket offices, passenger help points, station platforms and ‘black cab’ taxis, and on many buses; this can help people with hearing aids, as the loop system reduces background noise, allowing greater speech clarity
  • improving features in TfL Go travel planner app, based on customer insight and feedback, including journey-planning options, journey information, and live step-free status updates
  • rolling out accessible signage standards across the Tube network and the Elizabeth line
  • introducing a new, inclusive digital design language across status boards in stations and all digital products.

TfL will offer its Travel Mentoring Service to empower disabled and vulnerable Londoners to travel; and help them develop their confidence to travel independently.

TfL will promote a Travel Kind marketing campaign to encourage customers to show considerate behaviour towards other passengers who may need more time when travelling, or who may have a disability that isn’t visible.

TfL will deliver Vision Zero, the Mayor’s ambition to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on London’s transport network by:

  • delivering improvements to junctions, as part of its Safer Junctions programme
  • working to lower speeds on more than 140km of its roads by May 2024 in inner and outer London
  • delivering a prioritised programme of new pedestrian crossings, including at high-risk junctions where there are no crossings currently
  • reducing pedestrian wait times at crossings located close to schools, hospitals and transport hubs
  • rolling out new innovative technology, such as Green Person Authority which keeps pedestrian crossings on green until a vehicle approaches
  • updating the London Cycling Design Standards, focusing on inclusive infrastructure and monitoring this to ensure it includes all users, including older people
  • work with dockless bike operators, London Councils and London boroughs to grow cycling in London while ensuring it does not detrimentally affect the accessibility of London’s streets
  • together with other city regions, advocate for legislation that grants local authorities the powers they need to regulate and enforce the responsible parking of dockless bikes
  • engage with boroughs and stakeholders to discuss the findings of the inequality in road danger in London report published in April 2023, working together collaboratively in seeking to narrow road traffic injury inequalities.
Offer older Londoners value for money; and fare structures and concessions that are fair, clear and well communicated

The Mayor will seek to protect the Older Persons’ Freedom Pass and 60+ London Oyster photocard travel concessions; and keep fares, particularly bus fares, as low as possible.

TfL will continue to jointly fund the London Taxicard with boroughs to provide subsidised door-to-door journeys in licensed taxis and private hire vehicles for London residents who have serious mobility or visual impairments.

TfL is developing a new measurement framework to track progress, monitor performance and inform investment decisions, using a key set of metrics relating to EDI in the context of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, and will report on progress periodically as well as to develop the framework over time.

The Older Persons’ Freedom Pass and 60+ London Oyster photocard

The Older Persons’ Freedom Pass is treasured by older Londoners. Introduced in 1973, it currently provides unlimited free travel for London borough residents over state pension age on the bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground and Elizabeth line. It can be used at all times on weekdays, apart from 4:30am to 9am; and at all times at weekends and on bank holidays. It can also be used on most local National Rail services from 9:30am.

Until 2010, the Older Person’s Freedom Pass was available to Londoners aged 60 and over. Since then, concessionary travel has been tied, by national legislation, to the state pension age, which has been rising progressively and is currently 66.

Since November 2012, Greater London residents aged 60 or over, who do not qualify for a Freedom Pass, have been eligible for a 60+ London Oyster photocard on payment of a £20 administration fee. This provides free travel on the bus, Tube, tram, London Overground, Elizabeth line and most National Rail services in London from 9:00am on weekdays, and anytime at weekends and on bank holidays. It can be used until the holder is eligible for a Freedom Pass.

TfL is developing a new measurement framework to track progress, monitor performance and inform investment decisions, using a key set of metrics relating to EDI in the context of the Mayor's Transport Strategy, and will report on progress periodically as well as to develop the framework over time.


Civic, cultural and social participation

A city where all Londoners can participate

Older Londoners have much to offer; supporting their civic, cultural and social participation in events and activities in the city helps to prevent social isolation, and enriches the lives of Londoners of all ages.

Older Londoners told us that priority areas for action included listening to older Londoners’ views and providing more civic participation opportunities. This included exploring ways to attract greater numbers of and more diverse older people to volunteering, as well as supporting volunteering and other community projects with more sustainable, longer-term funding. Other priorities included ensuring older people can access cultural opportunities and promoting best practice in including older Londoners in civic, cultural and social activities.

The Mayor’s actions to make London a city where all Londoners can participate will cover the following three themes:

  • engage with older Londoners and support their civic participation
  • support older Londoners to benefit from cultural and social activities
  • support volunteering projects, and support older Londoners to volunteer.

The Mayor’s actions

Engage with older Londoners and support their civic participation

The Mayor’s EDI Objective 13 is for Londoners from all walks of life to feel heard, and to see themselves reflected in the public realm. The Mayor’s team will regularly meet and work with older people’s representative organisations, to hear their views.

He will promote opportunities, among underrepresented groups, for engagement with the work of City Hall. This is in order to increase more diverse participation in the Talk London (civic engagement) platform.

He will develop a Community Insights Hub for London, a digital resource to platform insight and stories from Londoners. This is for policymakers and community groups to access over the long term.

During the yearly London Voter Registration Week, the GLA will lead a broad coalition; produce impartial public information materials available in community languages; and carry out awareness-raising activities. The last of these will target under-registered and underrepresented Londoners, including older Londoners who are from Black, Asian or minority ethnic communities; migrant Londoners; Deaf and disabled Londoners; LGBTQ+ Londoners; and those who are in social and privately rented accommodation, or are homeless.

In the financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25, the GLA will coordinate with the Electoral Commission, all London boroughs, and a broad civil-society coalition to address the equality implications of the Elections Act 2022. This will comprise co-designed and co-delivered impartial information materials; and awareness-raising activity aimed at underrepresented communities at risk of being left without a voice and a vote, including older Londoners, by the introduction of mandatory photo Voter ID; changes to proxy and postal voting; changes to the voting rights of EU Londoners; and other voting system changes.

Support older Londoners to benefit from cultural and social activities

The Mayor’s London Borough of Culture award stimulates cultural events and activities in local communities. Successful boroughs bid for £1.35m in funding to run a programme of cultural activities that celebrate the unique character of local people and places, along with a plan to make culture an integral part of the borough’s future.

Social outcomes of adult education, such as community participation and personal wellbeing, are important and will be tracked through the London Learner Survey. The Mayor has identified people aged 50 and over as a priority group for adult education; and has designated supporting these groups as a key focus of activity funded by the Adult Education Budget (AEB).

The Mayor’s £1.3m Civil Society Roots programme is funding projects and organisations working with communities disproportionately affected by structural inequalities, including older Londoners.

The Building Strong Communities grants programme is funding small community and voluntary equity-led organisations to deliver projects that help rebuild community strength, voice and/or connection, for communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, including older Londoners.

In 2021 the Mayor launched the world’s first Dementia Friendly Venues Charter, in partnership with Alzheimer’s Society, to ensure every Londoner with dementia, and their carers, have a dementia-friendly cultural space on their doorstep.

The Charter encourages signatory organisation (including libraries, museums, galleries and theatres) to undertake a self-assessment of their dementia-friendly provision. A digital portal guides venues to improve their facilities and services for people living with dementia; and generates a map of accessible venues, which will be published in due course.

A quality assurance framework is being piloted. It includes people with lived experience of dementia as lead assessors.

Through his EDI Objective 14, the Mayor will ensure London’s diverse communities have the volunteering opportunities they need to thrive.

The Mayor will support volunteering opportunities through the Good Growth Fund and Make London funding programmes.

Anyone who volunteers through the Mayor’s Visitor Welcome or Major Events programme will get support and training to take on their chosen role. There will also be specialist training for volunteers on topics such as managing difficult conversations. This gives people the confidence and skills to tackle difficult conversations and challenge unacceptable behaviours. Alongside this, volunteers will participate in Dementia Friends training, to enable them to deliver a more inclusive welcome programme across London.

Support volunteering projects, and support older Londoners to volunteer

The Mayor will work in partnership with key funders and equity groups across London to develop Propel, a collaborative fund offering grants to civil society groups run by communities, such as older Londoners. The grants will give them the flexibility, trust and capacity to make long-term, systemic change in London.

The Mayor will assess progress by:

  • recording the number of people engaging in volunteering and community participation activity through the Building Strong Communities grants; and the proportion constituted by older people
  • collecting data through the London Learner Survey on older learners who take part in adult education courses funded by the Mayor, including how this translates into social outcomes such as volunteering and other community participation
  • assessing the numbers and diversity of borough residents taking part in the London Borough of Culture programme, including both in-person and digital participation.
Festival of Creative Ageing

Age Against the Machine Festival of Creative Ageing was a ground-breaking, three-week event that ran in Lewisham in 2019. The festival received a Cultural Impact Award (part of the Mayor’s flagship London Borough of Culture initiative). It celebrated older artists, and stimulated debate about the ways creativity can promote positive ageing, and change people’s quality of life.

The festival opened with The Home, a radical, immersive work set in a care home. It included more than 20 community commissions chosen from some 100 original ideas submitted by local people. The programme included shows, films, exhibitions, discussions and outdoor performances across the borough. The festival ended with a joyous ‘grand finale’ day of events.

Lewisham Council went on to apply for, and win, the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture 2022. Entelechy Arts’ theatre company Glorious Age – a collective of Lewisham residents aged 65 and over, who make theatre to challenge the preconceptions about ageing – then built on its work with Age Against the Machine through its play, Moving Day. This was a brave new promenade performance about getting older, having to leave one’s home and inter-generational friendship.

Building Strong Communities

The Mayor’s Building Strong Communities Fund awarded nearly £1m in micro and small grants to support equity-led voluntary and community organisations that are active in bringing Londoners together; helping increase feelings of connection and belonging; and tackling loneliness. This included projects that benefit older Londoners. 

Sutton Seniors’ Forum ran a project to give 20 new members a hot lunch on alternate Sundays. Some of the older people had severe mobility/disability problems, and some had suffered bereavement – but all found living alone/social isolation difficult, particularly on a Sunday. 

Lunches were situated in a beautiful Grade II-listed building. Transport was provided for up to 12 on a minibus. Other guests arrived with volunteer drivers – sometimes with family, sometimes using public transport. The organisation considered the home situations of all older people, which is why they attempted to make Sundays special – catering for dietary requirements, and acknowledging birthdays and anniversaries with a cake and small gift.  

Members were invited to the day centre for a celebration of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. One member arrived dressed in her grandmother’s amazing Pearly Queen outfit. They were also invited to ‘Big Lunches’ and a special afternoon tea. 

Members have formed friendships, and several now attend the day centre (run by the Sutton Old People’s Welfare Committee) and the monthly meetings of Sutton Seniors’ Forum.  

Some members say, “It is the best day of the week,” and eagerly look forward to it. Every time there is a really happy buzz of conversation and exchange of news, which allows them to enjoy and improve their quality of life. 


Employment and skills

A city where older people can access good skills and work

The paid work of older Londoners contributes significantly to the capital’s economy. Although the skills and experience of older workers is invaluable to employers across all sectors, age discrimination remains prevalent in many workplaces. Building positive attitudes towards recruiting, retaining and supporting older workers would benefit workers of all ages and their employers.

Older Londoners told us that priority areas for action on employment and skills should include customising support for older jobseekers; and supporting older workers to progress in the labour market and stay in work as long as they want. Other priorities included championing the benefits of an age-diverse workforce; and encouraging employers to adopt age-friendly work policies and practices that combat ageism. Older Londoners said they want us to prioritise supporting older workers on low incomes, including those made redundant, and those who’ve retired or are about to retire. In addition, they want skills and employment data and evidence about older Londoners to be publicly available; and an overview to be made of what is happening to older workers and how their needs can be better met.

The Mayor’s actions to make London a city where older workers and jobseekers can access good skills and work will cover the following themes:

  • provide training and employment support to older workers and jobseekers
  • encourage more age-friendly practices in the workplace.

The Mayor’s actions

Provide training and employment support to older workers and jobseekers

The Mayor’s EDI Objective 8 states that he will help Londoners at risk of marginalisation in the labour market to get the skills and support they need to secure good-quality jobs.

Through the ‘No Wrong Door’ programme, the Mayor will work with partners to coordinate skills, careers advice and employment support for older Londoners. This will mean that, whatever a person’s starting point or service they first access, Londoners will be connected to the right type of support at the right time to help them into good work.

The programme invested in establishing four sub-regional integration hubs, which will coordinate support for Londoners who face additional barriers to accessing skills and employment support. Local London and West London Alliance’s integration hubs will focus their support and outreach on Londoners over 50.

The Mayor is responsible for the AEB, which funds education and training for adults aged 19 and above. Through the AEB Londoners with no or low skills can access free entitlements to English, maths and digital skills training.

He will ensure more Londoners can access courses through the AEB by funding Londoners who are: not in employment; in low-paid work (up to the London Living Wage); or unable to evidence state benefits.

He is unlocking more funding per learner through the London Factor, which will be applied proportionately to support Londoners, including older Londoners, to access adult learning opportunities to obtain the skills they need to get good jobs and lead happier, healthier lives.

Using AEB funding and Free Courses for Jobs provision, the Mayor will support Londoners into good work through delivery of the Jobs and Skills for Londoners fund. This will focus on supporting specific groups of Londoners to access learning – particularly those who faced persistent inequalities prior to the pandemic, and have now been further disadvantaged by its impact, including older Londoners.

He is funding a free entitlement to basic digital skills training, targeted at groups disproportionately likely to be digitally excluded, which includes older Londoners. Entitlement take-up will be promoted through the Skills for Londoners community outreach programme.

The GLA is the lead authority for managing London’s £144m share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which succeeds the European Social Fund. The Mayor will work with London’s borough councils and sub-regional partnerships to manage how the fund will be used. Through the People and Skills element of the fund, there will be support available for unemployed and economically inactive adults, focussing on those facing significant barriers to employment, including older Londoners.

In recognition of the important roles community organisations play in helping to raise awareness of adult education with London’s diverse communities, the Mayor is funding the Skills for Londoners Community Outreach Programme. This offers grants to community organisations to support outreach activity designed to engage Londoners most in need of adult education; and refer them on to adult learning opportunities. Engagement activities will include one-to-one support; drop-in sessions; outreach workshops; establishing bespoke hubs; peer support networks; group coaching; tailored learning plans; mentoring; producing easy-read resources; and pop-up events.

The programme has supported five organisations that have focused on engaging Londoners over 50. Future funding rounds will continue to support outreach to older Londoners.

Encourage more age-friendly practices in the workplace

The Mayor’s EDI Objective 9 seeks to ensure London's workforce reflects its population at all levels and in all sectors.

He is leading by example to create a workforce that reflects London’s diversity. He strives for balanced representation in all GLA directorates; in other organisations for which he has responsibility; and at all levels.

He has a range of age-friendly policies in place, including flexible working, menopause policy and annual health screening assessments for all staff aged 50 or over.

As a signatory of the Age-friendly Employer Pledge, he will look into other actions the GLA can take to be an age-friendly employer. He will promote age-inclusive working practices to other employers, and urge them to also sign up to the Pledge.

Through delivery of the London Partnership Board’s Building a Fairer City action plan, the Mayor and a broad range of partners will work to:

  • make London’s workforces more reflective of London, at all levels, including by age

actively promote employment rights to ensure equity and fairness at work.

The Skills Roadmap for London sets an expectation for current and future adult education providers, funded by the Mayor, to be inclusive organisations and representative of the communities they serve. A further expectation is that they comply with, or will work towards, the Mayor’s Good Work Standard, meeting the standard for best employment practice in London.

The Mayor is encouraging London employers with Good Work Standard accreditation to collect, and make available, data on their own workforce diversity and characteristics.

He is using the GLA Group’s Responsible Procurement Policy to drive up pay and conditions in companies selected by tender to provide services for London. The policy promotes the Mayor’s Good Work Standard as the model for setting benchmarks for fair pay, workforce wellbeing, skills and development, and diversity in recruitment.

He also convenes the London Ancher Institutions Network (LAIN). The LAIN charter acknowledges the employment challenges facing older workers; and commits some of London’s biggest organisations to using their procurement and recruitment power to maximise employment opportunities.

All employers who have achieved the Good Work Standard will be supported by the Mayor to collect, and act on, staff demographic data results, through toolkits and support workshops.

Similar work to encourage equal, diverse and inclusive workforce representation within the creative industries is being carried out by the Mayor in partnership with Creative UK. There is specific attention on good work principles and support for freelancers, which includes older Londoners.

The Mayor is championing the London Living Wage and its rollout across London. He is a supporter of the Living Wage campaign; and co-chair of the steering group for the Making London a Living Wage City programme. The Living Wage Foundation runs this programme for the Mayor, with funding from Trust for London.

The Employment Rights Hub will continue to provide information about redundancy and pensions; and signpost users to the Pensions Advisory Service and the Pensions Regulator website. This information is available in multiple languages and in an offline format.

The Mayor has provided a further £2.5m funding for London Citizens Advice and the London Legal Support Trust to continue to help the many Londoners, including older people, living on reduced incomes and struggling with the rising cost of living. The new funding will enable both networks to continue operating with increased capacity until autumn 2024, supporting around 25,000 more Londoners. It will also help staff and volunteers working in grassroots organisations to access locally tailored advice referral training sessions; these will take place in every London borough.

The London Datastore will publish data on people in and out of employment by age groups.

The Mayor will track progress by:

  • monitoring data on employment support programmes, including rates of people supported into education or training, to ensure learners aged 50 and over are appropriately represented
  • capturing the economic and social impact outcomes of adult education for different age groups, through the London Learner Survey
  • regularly publishing the GLA’s workforce profile, including by age.

The Mayor has published an internal EDI strategy. He has appointed a specialist EDI programme lead, and a steering group led by the GLA’s chief officer to overview progress of the strategy.


Health

A city where older people age well

Maintaining good physical and mental health is critical for enabling older people to remain independent and live long lives. Too many older Londoners don’t feel supported to remain active, or to manage long-term conditions or poor mental health.

Older Londoners told us that priority areas for action for ageing well should include involving older Londoners in more projects that promote mental wellbeing; promoting healthy lifestyles; supporting active ageing; and tackling air pollution. Other priorities included promoting wellbeing by championing social prescribing; and supporting Londoners living with dementia.

The Mayor’s actions to make health in London a city where older people age well will cover the theme of supporting good health and wellbeing for older Londoners.

The Mayor’s actions

Support good health and wellbeing for older Londoners

The Mayor’s EDI Objective 12 will address the reasons for health inequalities that cause some groups, including some groups of older people, to experience poorer physical and mental health outcomes. This will largely be delivered through his statutory Health Inequalities Strategy.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing mission – established to aid recovery from the pandemic, in response to its detrimental impacts on mental health and wellbeing – aims to improve access to wellbeing support for Londoners, reaching people where they live, work, learn and play. The goal is to have 250,000 wellbeing champions across the city by 2025, creating a network of help and support.

The Mayor funds the mission and works in partnership with Thrive LDN to deliver its aims. The mission will continue to enable more Londoners to champion wellbeing, by taking an active role in supporting their families, friends, neighbours and colleagues, and signposting to services and support.

Through the Mayoral-funded Right to Thrive programme, Thrive LDN will continue to resource community and grassroots projects that support the mental health and wellbeing of those who are experiencing higher levels of unfair treatment and discrimination. This includes older Londoners.

The Mayor is grant funding charity London Plus to deliver a voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) social prescribing network. This helps them develop connections; improve knowledge and practice; and form a collective, representational voice for the VCSE in London’s health systems. He is also working with London Arts and Health to encourage the culture sector to become more involved in social prescribing, which can promote wellbeing.

The Mayor and TfL are jointly working to develop more dedicated walking and cycling schemes, to help improve health and encourage active travel. The aim is for Londoners to do at least 20 minutes of active travel each day, by 2041.

Continue to deliver Walking and Cycling Grants London which aims to enable more Londoners of all ages and backgrounds get active.

Although over 4,000 Londoners aged under 65 have a dementia diagnosis, the illness mainly affects older people, with the prevalence increasing with age. Through his Dementia Friendly London programme, run in partnership with Alzheimer’s Society, the Mayor is uniting organisations and people in the commitment to make London the world’s first dementia-friendly capital city.

Work is under way with Alzheimer’s Society to finalise the work programme to March 2024. The agreed priorities are as follows:

  • Strengthening dementia voice. The Mayor is ensuring that people affected by dementia (i.e. people with the illness and their family and carers) are at the heart of Dementia Friendly London through his ‘People’s Panel’, which oversees and informs activity, and holds the Mayor and partners to account. The Mayor will also encourage and support the development of local dementia networks and their links with pan-London approaches.
  • Awareness-raising work to include promoting Dementia Action.

The Mayor is also encouraging consideration of dementia and other cognitive impairments as part of the GLA’s approach to EDI. In addition, he will convene and encourage partners to take action.

The Mayor will track progress by publishing quarterly updates for his main commitments in the Health Inequalities Strategy Implementation Plan.

There are also 14 population health inequalities indicators published on the London Datastore and updated regularly.

Healthy Ageing London Network

Healthy ageing can best be achieved by making it everybody’s business; by building relationships, learning and collaborating; and by ensuring older people are respected and listened to, and can contribute to decision-making in their city.

The Healthy Ageing London Network was established to support delivery of the Health 'domain’ of London’s age-friendly programme, and the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing. The Network brings together statutory agencies (including the GLA; the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities; local government; NHS London, and the Department of Health and Social Care) with VCSE organisations (such as local Age UKs and Alzheimer’s Society). The voice of older Londoners is provided by the chair of London Age-Friendly Forum (LAFF) and Positive Ageing in London, LAFF’s lead organisation for the health domain. LAFF coordinates older Londoners and their organisations’ input into the health domain of London’s age-friendly programme.

The network has delivered a series of webinars for communities and practitioners across London, focused on the London healthy ageing priorities and other areas of interest. It has also shared experiences and learning with other regions, including Manchester.

Members of the network have valued new connections and an improved understanding of different sectors’ remits, perspectives and priorities. Work is under way to review progress, and to identify further opportunities for the network to add value.


Communication and information

A city where older people have the information they need

Without access to clear, timely and consistent information, older Londoners can miss out on crucial services and face exclusion from a range of social, cultural and civic opportunities. Barriers to accessing communication and information resources increases the risk of isolation and limits the ability of some older Londoners to stay connected with public services, friends and family.

Older Londoners told us that priority areas for action on communication and information action should include continuing to provide offline communication and information; supporting digital literacy skills and tackling digital exclusion; and making online services user-friendly. This would include improving the accessibility of communications and communicating positively. Another priority included running English-language classes suitable for older migrants.

The Mayor’s actions to make London a city where older people have the information they need will cover the following two themes:

  • address digital exclusion amongst older Londoners
  • promote the use of accessible, positive and user-friendly communication.

The Mayor’s actions

Address digital exclusion amongs older Londoners

The Mayor’s EDI Objective 11 will support those most at risk of digital exclusion by promoting a consistent approach to addressing access needs and upskilling those lacking basic digital skills.

Through the AEB, the Mayor funds a free entitlement to basic digital skills training, up to Level 1, to Londoners aged 19 and over. This will support people disproportionately likely to be digitally excluded – including older Londoners.

An adult education marketing and community outreach programme will promote London’s adult education offer, including the essential digital skills entitlement, to Londoners. This will include direct engagement activity with communities to target those most in need of adult education, including older Londoners who might be digitally excluded.

Supported by the Mayor and the London Office of Technology and Innovation, Get Online London will be delivered by Good Things Foundation. Get Online London is London's first digital inclusion service and will give Londoners the following:

  • Devices: the service works with businesses and other large organisations that donate devices and equipment to the London Device Bank, which provides free devices to people in need.
  • Data: the service gives out free mobile connectivity data through the National Databank, helping to end data poverty in the UK.
  • Support: people are supported to get the basic digital skills they need through Learn My Way, which organisations can use to help support people develop basic digital skills, and through GLA-funded free adult education courses.

The scheme will bring together organisations who support digitally excluded Londoners; and explore how a greater number of, among others, older and digitally excluded Londoners, older Londoners’ community groups, and VCS organisations providing services to older Londoners, could also be offered a device, a free or cheap connection, and basic skills training.

To ensure no Londoners are left behind in digital network roll-out, the Mayor is working with partners to:

  • support at least 75,000 Londoners through the Get Online London service
  • measure fibre availability, and work with operators to target infrastructure investment in under-served areas
  • upgrade public sites so new and improved digital services can reach under-served areas
  • work with operators to promote social tariffs, which provide discounted broadband packages to low-income households
  • work with London councils to develop a strategy for copper switch-off to ensure residents aren’t disconnected from vital services.

The Mayor and a broad range of partners will make digital services accessible, and provide alternatives for people without digital access, through delivery of the London Partnership Board’s Building a Fairer City action plan.

The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime will work with Action Fraud and the Metropolitan Police Service to ensure victims of fraud and cybercrime are offered timely and effective support, prioritising the most vulnerable victims and ensuring adequate multi-agency support arrangements are put in place as soon as possible.

Promote the use of accessible, positive and user-friendly communication

All websites and online services under the Mayor’s control must meet the Government Service Standards for usability and accessibility. All new digital products will continue to be tested for compliance against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 as applicable) to AA standard, during development.

The Mayor and the wider GLA Group will make all publications available in various languages and accessible formats, including large print, on request.

The content of london.gov.uk is made accessible in community languages through use of a translation plug-in.

Staff guidance and training on accessible communication design and provision is reviewed regularly to reflect current best practice. The Mayor has published internal ‘Make It Accessible’ guidance (2023), which includes guidance on inclusive communications with communities. Guidance on the use of positive imagery will be reviewed regularly and revisions introduced to reflect current best practice.

 

The Mayor will assess progress by:

  • collecting and publishing learner outcome results twice yearly
  • reporting on the numbers of older learners who have enrolled, and who are achieving essential digital skills qualifications; this will facilitate an understanding of how people from target groups are benefitting from the provision
  • monitoring the number of devices, sims and training referrals, as well as hubs where support can be accessed provided by the Digital Inclusion Service.

Challenging ageism in advertising

Lloyds Banking research found that while those over 65 made up 17.7 per cent of the population, they only featured in 6.17 per cent of advertising. This was echoed by the UCL research showing that Londoners over 55 reported feeling ‘invisible’ and ‘irrelevant; fewer than one in four respondents could recall seeing an advert featuring someone with wrinkles.

In 2020, the Mayor in partnership with the TfL ran a Diversity in Advertising competition. The competition sought an advertising campaign that challenged ageism in advertising, based on London’s diverse community. It looked for ideas that genuinely market a product, or brand, while portraying older community members beyond typical stereotypes.

The competition awarded up to £500,000 worth of advertising across TfL’s network to the winner. The runner-up has the opportunity to run a campaign with match funding up to the value of £50,000. The advertising space for both companies was provided by TfL’s advertising partners, at no cost to TfL.

The entries were judged by a panel of experts that included the Chief Executive of Age UK and the Editor of Saga magazine.

A sense of connection and intimacy with other people is incredibly important and plays a vital role in protecting the health and wellbeing of everyone, regardless of their age. Replens MD’s campaign won, and was chosen because it challenged the assumptions around older people and intimacy by celebrating these relationships. The brand was also commended for reducing the stigma around a product that some women may feel shy discussing, or embarrassed to say they need.

Runners-up Brompton Bicycles campaign stood out as a result of flipping the term ‘getting on’ on its head. Rather than being used as a label to deride somebody for being older and stuck in their ways, the campaign cleverly shows a range of older people emanating confidence and literally about to ‘get on’ a bike, which opens them up to a world of possibility.

 


Respect and social inclusion

A city where older people are truly valued

Feeling valued is fundamental to our sense of self-worth. However, the prevalence of conscious and unconscious ageism can mean that many older Londoners feel disrespected, patronised and excluded.

Older Londoners said priority areas for action, for affording them respect and social inclusion, should include championing the contribution of older Londoners, and ensuring their views are included in policymaking; creating inclusive buildings and spaces that are welcoming for everyone; tackling ageism; encouraging people from different generations to socially connect; and helping communities to support older people.

The Mayor’s actions to make London a city where older people are respected and socially included will cover the theme of ensuring older Londoners are supported and valued.

The Mayor’s actions

Ensure older Londoners are supported and valued

Through his equality Objective 14, the Mayor will ensure London's diverse communities have the knowledge and networks they need to thrive.

The Mayor will celebrate and promote the contributions of older Londoners on International Day for Older Persons, which takes place on 1 October each year.

The Mayor draws upon the expertise of his EDI Advisory Group to shape, influence and guide his EDI strategy, as well as the work of the London Partnership Board. The group includes several experts in older Londoners’ needs and experiences, who have strong links to older Londoners and their representative organisations.

To ensure increased participation by older Londoners, the Mayor will continue to strengthen arrangements to engage with them and ensure their involvement in shaping policy and programme development. This action will also be taken with other groups of Londoners with protected characteristics.

The Mayor and a broad range of partners will prioritise work on structural racism, which will consider the intersectional way it impacts older, minoritised Londoners, through delivery of the London Partnership Board’s Building a Fairer City action plan.

As part of the High Streets for All Challenge, local partnerships will be encouraged to pilot ideas and approaches that will get people integrating and interacting positively with those who are different to themselves.

The Planning for London programme – a programme of engagement with Londoners and stakeholders to gather evidence and opinions that may help shape any future content for the London Plan – will seek views from representative groups of Londoners, including older people.

The Mayor will work with key strategic partners to build on his successful initiatives to support older people to increase their incomes, by raising awareness and take-up of Pension Credit.

The Mayor, London’s boroughs, and the voluntary and community sectors are working to improve the availability and coordination of advice services, and to promote a more consistent approach to the delivery of local welfare schemes, though the Robust Safety Net recovery mission.

In response to the cost-of-living crisis, the Mayor is funding the London Citizens Advice and the London Legal Support Trust advice networks to increase provision within their advice centre networks, and offer more outreach and training to community centres.

www.london.gov.uk hosts an online Cost of Living Hub which signposts Londoners to information, advice and digital tools to help them understand and access their rights and entitlements. Some of the key forms of offline support listed on the hub (e.g. telephone advice and support services) will be collated and distributed in leaflet form through direct mailouts to the most deprived and digitally excluded households. Entitlements and services of most relevance to older Londoners will be included prominently in the leaflets.

The Mayor and a broad range of partners will promote Londoners’ financial resilience through delivery of the London Partnership Board’s Building a Fairer City action plan.

Through delivery of the London Partnership Board’s Building a Fairer City action plan, the Mayor and a broad range of partners will work to:

  • increase the proportion of funding for equalities-led, equity groups and civil society work that supports Londoners facing discrimination
  • support strong relationships between equalities-led civil society, funders, public bodies and private companies.

The Civil Society Roots funding programme is focusing on supporting equity-led infrastructure organisations to develop networks, build their capacity and strengthen their voice. It is designed to invest in the type of activity that will lead to better support for Londoners through a stronger civil society. It is funding projects led by and for communities impacted by structural inequalities, including older people.

The Building Strong Communities grants programme is funding small community and voluntary equity-led organisations to deliver projects that help rebuild community strength, voice and/or connection for communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, including older Londoners.

The Mayor will assess progress by:

  • recording data on Londoners reached through funded provision, and the outcomes for those Londoners, measured and split by demographic characteristics, including age
  • tracking website traffic data for the london.gov.uk cost-of-living, employment rights, and migration hubs
  • evaluating the impact of his Pension Credit campaigns
  • monitoring the extent to which older Londoners who participate in his programmes say they feel they belong to their neighbourhood.

The Mayor of London wants London to be the best city in the world for anyone, whatever their circumstances to grow old in. He is doing what he can towards this. To make London truly age-friendly requires the boroughs and other agencies to play their part.

To find out more about the Mayor’s programme to make London more age-friendly or how you can get involved in making the city more age-friendly please email [email protected].

 

 

 

 


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