In response to Gordon Brown's commitment to increasing the housing supply over the coming years, elderly issues charity Help the Aged has called for a commitment to housing the elderly.

The charity has asked for assurances that the new prime minister's promised three million homes will suit the needs of the older generation, at the same time as addressing current difficulties with affordability confronted by many sectors of society.

Joe Oldman, senior policy adviser at Help the Aged, said: "Given we will experience a rapid expansion in older households over the next twenty years, older people can no longer be considered a marginal group within housing policy."

The charity is recommending the development of "lifetime neighbourhoods" in order to allow older people to remain active while living in their own houses.

Help the Aged provides resources for older people considering moving, needing help with accommodation or seeking to move into care homes.