ABSTRACT
All the authorities visited provided some housing for old people, whether or not they provided sheltered housing. In recent years provision for the elderly had increased in many areas, and the case studies provided illustrations of how and why the policy changed. Following this the ways in which local authorities estimated total housing needs from their knowledge of waiting lists, slum clearance areas, under-occupation of large council houses, and housing surveys are discussed. Plans for future provision for old people were formulated as part of a total housing programme, and it is only by examining the way in which total housing needs were estimated that it can be seen whether or not the housing needs of the elderly were adequately taken into account.
