Leeds is one of the biggest cities in the UK and as with any large urban area, there will be a lot of people who need stairlifts. If you feel you need one, do not be embarrassed, for you will be in good company.
The first reason there will be a lot of need for stairlifts in Leeds is the actual population figure. Leeds is not just a big city; as a single local authority area its Census 2021 population was the second largest in the UK at 812,000, surpassed only by Birmingham and 8.1 per cent up on the 751,000 recorded in 2011.
By definition, even if there is only an average number of people with disabilities in the city needing stairlifts there will be more in Leeds than almost everywhere else.
Of course, the number of old people will vary and cities do have younger populations than the country at large; indeed, there was a 20.1 per cent rise in over-65s in England since the 2011 census, but only 15.7 per cent in Leeds. Nonetheless, this still represents nearly twice the city’s population increase. That means the need for resources for older people is growing twice as fast too.
This may be significant when it comes to new homes and how they are equipped; like many cities, Leeds has seen a boom in city centre living, with a major focus now on the ‘South Bank’ area across the Aire from the city centre. This is likely to be dominated by more of the same, with lot of large, multi-storey apartment blocks.
All that means a growing population in Leeds will not translate into an adequate growth in single-storey homes suitable for those (not just including the elderly) who need stairlifts. As a result, the number of stairlifts in Leeds is only likely to grow in the years ahead as the population ages faster than it expands.
