By 2030 the percentage of over 65s in the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area is expected to increase by 30.6% so the importance of ensuring support services, transport systems and community structures support positive health and wellbeing and personal independence throughout life has been recognised by community planning officials. Developing the age friendliness of the borough has been committed to in the Council’s Community Plan ‘Love Living Here’. Two outcomes from it note:
1. Our Citizens enjoy good and health and wellbeing
2. Our Citizens live in connected, safe, clean, and vibrant places.
Within Council Environmental Health, the Health and Wellbeing Team is leading on this work and is committed to developing an Age Friendly Plan utilising the principles of Co-Production. An Age Friendly Steering Group is in the process of being set up which will include Community Planning partners (who include representatives from eg Health, Transport and Housing) and representatives from older person’s groups throughout the Borough. Its focus will be on improving Age Friendly services in the Borough. Council are also keen to encourage Intergenerational practice within the borough and have already facilitated some events to develop this.

Council have become members of the Age Friendly Network NI (who aim to promote the Age Friendly ethos and support practitioners across Northern Ireland to advance Age Friendly planning and practices), the UK Network of Age-friendly Communities and are eager to reduce loneliness in the borough so are represented on the Steering Group of Antrim and Newtownabbey Loneliness Network.

An Age Friendly Co-Ordinator has been appointed, funded by the Public Health Agency, and has mapped Age Friendly services within Council and the Community Planning partners against the WHO Age Friendly 8 Domains for Cities and Communities. Collaborative work with a range of Statutory, Community and Voluntary partners to deliver Age Friendly events has already taken place and will continue to.