Veteran campaigner Trevor Lyttleton MBE, 90 today, has launched a national call to end elderly isolation and find affordable rooms for young people. Trevor, the Founder and Chair for 50 years of Contact the Elderly (now Re-engage), has written to MPs and Peers asking them to back his plan to introduce tax incentives for older homeowners with spare rooms.
His ‘Help Young and Old and Save Millions’ proposal aims to solve the elderly loneliness epidemic and simultaneously reduce the mounting rental crisis faced by young people. Trevor’s cross-party plan hopes to create incentives for pensioners to let their spare rooms to young adults, providing company and reduced living costs for both groups in need. With appropriate safeguards, the pledge intends to start a conversation around a reliable and trusted solution to two of the biggest issues in this country right now.
In modern Britain, it’s estimated nearly one million older people class themselves as feeling lonely, with over 250,000 reporting they regularly go a week without speaking to a friend or family member (Age UK). Sadly, as loneliness among the elderly continues to grow, this figure will continue to rise.
On the other hand, young people are finding themselves increasingly affected by the volatile housing market, with 40% of under-30s currently paying ‘unaffordable’ rental prices (Resolution Foundation). With recession risks forecasted, the cost-of-living crisis rages on, and more young people are being left to face financial instability and uncertainty.
Trevor believes these two issues are deeply intertwined and says he feels obligated to do something. Trevor explains: “We need a practical way to bring people together. This proposal tackles two growing problems with a single, workable solution. One that benefits individuals, communities, and ultimately accommodates the state of our public finances.
“As a country we often don’t speak about the issue of elderly isolation, something that has driven me for much of my adult life. I hope MPs, Peers, and the government can recognise now is the time to act.”
Trevor’s ‘intergenerational housing’ plan already has several prominent backers from outside the Palace of Westminster. Former Prime Minister, David Cameron, called the idea ‘innovative’ and Times columnist, Matthew Parris endorsed the proposal as one that should be adopted.
Trevor has now spent more than 60 years campaigning to combat loneliness. In 1965, he founded what has become the national charity Re-engage (formerly Contact the Elderly), a charity providing regular support for over 9,000 older people a year to combat isolation through dedicated outreach and volunteer networks.
Trevor continues to strongly advocate that those later years of life can be some of the most fulfilling and still strives to achieve great things.
In 2007, a 72-year-old Trevor was awarded an MBE for his voluntary work, and at age 88 he received the 2024 National Lottery Game Changer Award for Communities.
Most recently, one the week of his 90th birthday, Trevor made a radio appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Great Lives programme. Joined by Matthew Parris, Trevor discussed the life of William Gladstone, whofamously became Prime Minister for the fourth time at 82. Trevor turned Gladstone’s impressive later-in-life accomplishments into an important reminder for listeners – to remain active and engaged in old age.
Trevor says: “At 90 I now recognise how important it is, as we grow older, to keep moving, stay involved in our community, and ultimately feel connected to what’s happening around us. That’s why this pledge is so important, to highlight that our later years can be the best ones and we can still make a positive and meaningful impact on our community.”
