Most local authorities are barely able to plan beyond the next 18 months let alone a decade but a new study of the UK's ageing population at least allow policy heads to consider its implication for services and budgets.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) report Living longer – how our population is changing and why it matters says that ‘coastal local authorities will struggle most to deal with the impact of an ageing population with urban councils having the youngest age profile among their residents.'