Age is a national issue and is particularly important in Blackpool. The proportion of older people in the population is increasing as more people live longer.

• In Blackpool the proportion of older people is higher (25% aged over 60 years) than the national figure (21.1% aged over 60 years)
  
• Since 1981 there has been a 32% increase in very elderly residents (aged 85 years and over) in Blackpool. There were 3,400 such residents in 2005
  
• People over 65 make up 4.5% of the total population for black and minority ethnic groups. This means that black and minority ethnic groups have a younger age profile than the general population in Blackpool.
  
• The elderly population (65 plus years) is predicted to rise by 9,900 people between 2004 and 2029 going up as a proportion of the population from 19.3% to 23.4% of the total population according to population projections.

The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 protect against discrimination on grounds of age in employment and vocational training. Prohibits direct and indirect discrimination, victimisation, harassment and instructions to discriminate. Access the Employment (Age) Regulation 2006 at the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website. Further information is also available at the Acas website and the Local Government Employers website.