Essex County Council is to stop discriminating against employing people aged over 65.
The county's cabinet has agreed to drop its current policy of requiring employees to retire at 65, or not recruiting people of that age group, except in exceptional circumstances.
The cabinet was told this would be in line with expected government legislation outlawing such discrimination from 2006.
"The changes will provide greater flexibility to recruit and retain people aged over 65 to meet operational requirements, particularly in areas of skills shortage," added the report.
It went on to emphasise there was no expectation or requirement that employees should remain in work beyond their normal contractual requirement date.
"This increased flexibility is being proposed to assist those employees who wish to remain working after their normal retirement date and where the service in which they are employed wishes to retain their services for operational reasons," it pointed out.
Published Monday August 2, 2004
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