UK ministers warned housing crisis puts plans for NHS and economy at risk
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Damning report reveals millions in England are living in poor-quality housing that threatens their health. Ministers have been warned that efforts to save the NHS and grow the economy will fail unless they tackle the housing crisis, as a damning report reveals millions of people are living in substandard homes that risk worsening their health.
In total, 4.5 million people aged 50 or above with an existing health condition in England are living in poor-quality housing with one or more problems such as rising damp, rot or decay that may be making them even sicker, the Centre for Ageing Better analysis found. Of those, 1.7 million are aged 70 or over.
Keir Starmer has promised to reduce NHS waiting times and make the UK the fastest-growing major economy by the end of Labour’s first term in government. But ministers have been told that the drive to stabilise the health service and deliver sustained economic growth will flop unless the country’s subpar housing stock is urgently improved.
Dr Carole Easton, the chief executive of the Centre for Ageing Better, a charity tackling inequalities in ageing, said its report exposed how the housing crisis was putting millions of older people with health conditions “in harm’s way”. “This is obviously terrible for those individuals who live in homes that carry a very real risk of making them sick, particularly when winter comes around.
