One in five of North Yorkshire's residents is aged over 65. Over the next decade the proportion of Devon's population that old will rise to over a quarter. In parts of 'destination' counties such as Hereford a third of people are 'old' - it's remarkable how many retire to parts of the country with poor bus services and decreasing provision for dementia sufferers. The greying of Britain is this century's predominant demographic trend. It's not bad news. Older people aren't 'a burden'. The fiscal consequences of age aren't massive -assuming GDP continues to grow. But for all the obviousness of the facts of death (which is getting further off for most people) we don't do much forward thinking, particularly about structure. Our lives are extending but with the extra years come higher dependency, with ramifications for families, streets and the public authorities most likely to have to pick up the pieces-councils.
展开▼
