Pensioner households set to grow sharply in South Tyneside

The number of pensioner households in South Tyneside will rise by more than 40% within 25 years, according to official projections.
The elderly population in South Tyneisde is rising. Picture by PA Wire/PA ImagesThe elderly population in South Tyneisde is rising. Picture by PA Wire/PA Images
The elderly population in South Tyneisde is rising. Picture by PA Wire/PA Images

There will be 29,146 households where the head of the household is over 65 by 2041, calculations by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. That’s a rise of 42%.

And households with people over 85 are set to soar, rising by 82% to 5,528.

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Age UK, a charity working with older people, says a “revolution” is needed in social care to support the ageing population in their own homes.

Older people account for most of the growth in the number of households in the next two decades.

Joanna Harkrader, from the Centre for Ageing and Demography at the ONS said: “We project the majority of household growth over the next 25 years will be because of the rise in the number of households being headed by someone aged 65 years and over.

“This shows the impact an ageing population is having on household growth.”

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The ONS defines a household as a single person living alone, or a group of people who live at the same address and share rooms and a kitchen.

A household may be a family, more than one family, or a group of unrelated people.

Dr Elizabeth Webb, of Age UK, said it was great news that people were living longer. She said that while many would remain independent there would be a growing need for health and social care that could not be fulfilled already.

“The over 85 group is the fastest growing and the most likely to have the greatest needs for social and health care, which has an impact on the health service.” Dr Webb said.

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“It’s about having a person there to help get them out of bed, help them wash and dress and to put a meal on the table. This needs people, not a technological solution.

“The social care workforce is understaffed and there’s not enough cash to provide the support that’s needed.”

Dr Webb added: “Older people today are more likely than future generations to have children to help care for them. In future we’ll see more people living alone and more without someone to care for them.”

The projections show that the number of younger households in South Tyneside will fall by 2041. Under 25 households will go down by 12% and the 25-34 age bracket by 5%.

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The ONS believes that by 2041 there will be an extra four million households in England, but this is fewer than previously forecast.

It says that the slower growth is due to assumptions about births, life expectancy, migration and new forecasts on the numbers of people who will continue to live with parents or cohabitate.

The projections show that in South Tyneside the number of households will climb to 73,007 by 2041, while the population will grow by 1,998 to 149,738.