Later years

These pages explain the work going on to make Southampton a city that is good to grow older in. They are not about assisting people to access particular services.

The population is ageing across the UK, with the number of older people expected to increase rapidly over the next 20 years. Southampton is part of this change. The City of Southampton Strategy includes a commitment to 'make Southampton a city that is good to grow older in'. This will become increasingly important for people in Southampton to live the lives they want.

The council's later years agenda (for more information on what we mean by 'later years' please click here) is about how we address the issues the affect our quality of life as we get older. It's also about creating opportunities for a fulfilling later life and making the most of the opportunities that an ageing population offers the city. To see the council's strategic approach to later years please click here.

To move this work forwards, the council set up the Later years partnership. The partnership is a group of statutory and voluntary organisations committed to improving life for seniors in Southampton. It recognises the interlinked nature of the issues facing seniors, and the importance of working together to make a difference. You can visit the Later years partnership website from the link below.

The council's later years team supports the partnership, and also works with Southampton seniors council. This is an independent body of members aged over 60, committed to improving life for seniors in Southampton by making their voices heard. As part of its approach to later years, the city council has adopted the seniors statement on ageism, and the senior citizens charter. Under the charter the council invites Southampton seniors council to give feedback on progress each year. You can read more about this from the link on the left.

Southampton is currently working with nine other European cities in the five million euro Cities in Balance project to develop services and projects that meet the needs of the ageing population. The project is funded through the INTERREG IVB programme. As well as an investment of €250k over three years, the project brings opportunities to learn from other cities and promote Southampton at a European level. To find out more, visit the Cities in Balance website using the link below.

Please follow the links to the left to find out more about what we do.