Concern Over Lack of Facilities for Older Residents in Yorkshire Coast Villages

Concerns have been raised regarding the significant challenges faced by older residents seeking appropriate housing and support in Yorkshire Coast villages, such as Cayton.

Local leaders stress that current facilities often fail to meet the needs of an ageing population, making it challenging for long-term residents to remain in their communities when they require additional care.

Cayton Councillor Roberta Swiers highlighted the severe lack of local provision, saying that it is almost impossible for some older people to continue living in the area when they need assistance. Councillor Swiers noted that many elderly individuals originally moved to the area to retire in what they viewed as a pleasant village.

Detailing the difficulties faced by those seeking smaller homes or care facilities within the community, Councillor Swiers stated:

"In Cayton, a high percentage are elderly people because they've moved from somewhere else to retire in what they class as a nice village.

But when they need to go into a smaller home, one bedroom or somewhere where there's a bit of care, nothing. Nothing.

When you become a certain age, you still want to remain within your village. But it's impossible if there is nowhere to go.

I've this week alone got two gentlemen who have been in hospital living in family homes who now need to go. They can't go home, can't get upstairs, look after their selves. They've lived in Cayton all their lives. We have no facilities".

The problem of securing suitable accommodation for older residents along the Yorkshire Coast is part of a wider housing crisis affecting the region. David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, has stressed that more effort is required to ensure homes along the Yorkshire Coast are specifically suitable for older residents.

The Mayor has acknowledged the scale of the crisis, noting that the region is experiencing "some of the most expensive homes in the UK," with over 10,000 households currently on housing waiting lists. He maintains that action must be taken immediately to build "the right homes in the right places" so that people in all villages and cities can remain in the region.

In a bid to gain greater influence over the type of housing built in the area, the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority (YNYCA) has entered into a Strategic Place Partnership (SPP) with Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency.

This new partnership, launched recently, formalises existing alignment between YNYCA’s strategic priorities and the resources of Homes England, which include funding, capacity, and expertise. The partnership specifically aims to speed up homebuilding in "coastal, urban and rural areas" and seeks to boost the availability of new and affordable homes for residents.

Mayor Skaith confirmed that his office is working to tackle this specific demographic challenge, especially given that the region has a "higher than average older person in the region".

He detailed efforts underway to ensure future developments meet long-term care needs:

"I completely agree on the homes we're building, making sure that they are for life homes, I suppose. 

I look at the house that my mum lives in who's 75 with dementia. It's nowhere near is it fit for purpose for her. Absolutely no way. Haven't got a cat or chance of getting her out of that house. I can tell you that. But it isn't fit for purpose.

But some of the projects we have actually supported and working with the York and North Yorkshire Housing Partnership, We're actually developed some housing projects already that do have that lifelong housing need because we have got a higher than average older person in the region and it's making sure that they can still have a life here and can have that independence. And that's what we can do now with Homes England".

Homes England’s Chair, Pat Ritchie CBE, stated that partnerships like this will be "crucial in ensuring we deliver the right homes in the right places," supporting both urban regeneration and "rural advancement" across the area. The goal of the collaboration is to ensure new neighbourhoods reflect long-term regeneration objectives and the specific needs of communities.