THE number of elderly people in England's largest county is set to soar to unprecedented levels in the next 20 years.

By the year 2022 it is estimated that the number of 60 to 69-year-olds in North Yorkshire will have jumped by 35 per cent.

And in some of the more rural areas of the county the increase will be even more marked, up 40 per cent on present levels.

The new generation of older people will be more affluent, educated and active than ever before and will also have high expectations of public services as well as consumer products and services.

The research was carried out by Sheffield University's Institute for Studies on Ageing and the main author, Tony Warnes, said the increase would have a significant impact on health services.

"A larger older population implies an increasing number of people with multiple chronic disorders, putting further demands on the region's public services," he said.

The results of the work were announced today at an event in York hosted by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Assembly.

Attended by people with interests in planning for older people in the region it marked the beginning of a process of consultation to encourage organisations in the region to use the findings in their planning.

The chairman of the Assembly, Peter Box, said: "Our role is to ensure that all those in local authorities, public services, government bodies and the private sector understand and use these findings in their planning for the future of the region. "They will affect everything from bus services to GPs, tourism to housing. These people will have high expectations and will be vociferous about the standards they expect."

However he added that the findings also offered opportunities for the future. "The region will now have a large number of fit and healthy people in their 60s," he said.

"We need to encourage employers to think how they can use this talent - whether part-time, as 'locums', or through consultancy. We also need to consider how these skills can benefit the region through voluntary activity and community life."

The report, Older People in Yorkshire and the Humber, was commissioned by Age Concern and supported financially by a consortium of public services and government agencies.