Grim future for young workers in 'pensioner ghettos'

Emma Simon

Photo: ALAMY

Rural areas, particularly in the South West of England, will be the worst affected by a significant increase in the number of those aged 65 and over, placing a growing financial burden on councils trying to pay for care of the elderly.

The highest concentration of retired people will be in West Dorset, West Somerset and Berwick-upon-Tweed – where almost a third of the population will be over the retirement age by 2030, the research says. They are among the 10 council areas that will have three retired people for every four in work by 2030, the report warns.

They will also have just two people aged under 16 for every person aged over 85.

The research, by the annuity providers Partnership, is based on population data compiled by the Office for National Statistics.

Chris Horlick, the managing director of Partnership, said the impact of the ageing population on the worst-affected councils would be extreme. “This means that direct taxation and local council taxes will have to rise, or services to the elderly will have to be cut,” he said.

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