I and fellow age activists have been campaigning, helping and recommending ways that the GLA can deliver an age friendly action plan following the Mayors commitment to join the WHO Age friendly cities network.
Alas it has taken 5 years to get here, during which time I resigned from the GLA Equality, Diversity and Inclusion advisory board in protest over the delay in agreeing and launching a plan. Now London may join Leeds, Manchester, Wales and other cities and regions committed to being age friendly.
We can only hope they follow in their footsteps and incorporate the 8 WHO domains recommendations which we and out partners in the London Age Friendly forum put forward from conferences and working groups made up of older people, both experts in their fields and those with lived experience. We trust that there will be active engagement as elsewhere with older people directly and of those representing the many different demographics of seniors in London, including ethnic minorities, women, men and trans people ,those with different beliefs, sexualities and especially those facing poverty, unemployment, poor housing and health of whom there are unfortunately many.
While we live in hope we also worry that there will be more PR relting to existing measures and little concrete recommendations relting to older peoples concerns, issues and recommendations. We also hope there will be in the plan the ability for older people to engage directly with decision makers and to be able to hold the Mayor and officers to account over the delivery of concrete targets.
For more information and to support our initiatives do contact me via the blog or go to www.wiseage.org.uk and look under news