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State Pension and Pension Credit
May 2008

November 2008

State Pension and Pension Credit Queries

Please note that anyone with a query regarding a claim for State Pension or Pension Credit should go directly to the (External) Pension Service website . The Pension Service main phone number is open Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 8.00pm on 0845 60 60 265. To apply for Pension Credit ring 0800 99 12 34 (same opening hours during the week plus 9am to 1.00 pm Saturday).

Social Care Services for Older People in Lancashire

Lancashire County Council's Adult and Community Services website details the social care services the authority provides for older people in the county .

Please also note that the County Council has published a Strategy for an Ageing Population .

Summary

It is a well documented fact that people are living longer and therefore the number of pensioners continues to increase. With a caseload of over 232,000 state pensioners in the Lancashire County Council (LCC) area, (May 2008) they represent a significant sector of the local population.

Many pensioners enjoy a reasonable standard of living and a number of coastal areas of Lancashire are particularly attractive to the older generation. New housing developments in these areas, and other parts of the county, are specifically targeting this age-group.

A large proportion of the retired however have limited financial means and Pension Credit is claimed by over 55,000 in the LCC area.

The State Pension age for men is 65 and is between 60 and 65 for women. The State Pension age for women will increase gradually from 2010, so that by 2020 it will be 65.

Introduction

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) publishes quarterly data for the number of claimants to various forms of state benefits down to the district, ward and super out area levels. Included in this material is information on the number of State Pension and Pension Credit claimants.

Photograph of Lowther Gardens in Clifton ward, Lytham

The pension data for the Lancashire area has been analysed on a regular basis in a series of research monitors, and this particular monitor is the latest version (previous articles can be viewed in the archive section of this website). All the local authority data used in this article has been obtained via the DWP Tabulation Tool (External) DWP Tabulation Tool . The ward level data can be found by choosing the same link and then the Ward and Super Output area level option.

State Pension Caseload in Lancashire

Table 1 reveals that in May 2008, there were over 12 million state pension recipients in Great Britain. In the Lancashire County Council area, which excludes the two unitary authorities of Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool, there were a total of 232,840 claimants. The two unitary authorities are within the broader Lancashire area and had additional 21,410 and 31,190 recipients respectively.

At the national level, the total increased by 1.9% over the year to May 2008, and by the same rate for the Lancashire County Council area.

In both Lancaster and Wyre Districts, over 28,000 people were in receipt of state pension, whilst in Blackpool unitary authority the figure was over 31,000. The largest percentage yearly increases in the state pension caseload in Lancashire were in Chorley (3.4%) and Ribble Valley (3.0%).

The average amount of pension benefit recorded at the national level (£96.13), is kept relatively low because it includes pensions paid to claimants living abroad that are normally of a much lower value.

At the local authority level, Hyndburn recorded the highest weekly average (£104.20), noticeably higher than the lowest Lancashire figure of £97.61 recorded in Blackpool.

Population Projections and Other Research Monitors

A complimentary research monitor details population projections by five-year time periods between 2006 and 2031. Figures are available by gender and selected age-groups, and reveal the dramatic increases expected in the older age-groups. The complete data set is available in our data downloads , which also contain population pyramids that help to emphasise the forecasts of growth in the older age groups.

Other research monitors on this website that compliment this article are the life expectancy research monitor and the benefits monitor that includes attendance allowance results . This is a welfare benefit for qualifying people aged 65 and over.

Lancashire Ward Level Analysis

Photograph of Knott-End-on-Sea in Preesall ward in Wyre district

Tables 2 and 3 show the number of pensioners in selected wards and Figure 1 details the percentages of State Pensioners as a proportion of the total number of people in each Lancashire ward. The results are mapped by five broad groups and are calculated by using the 2006 ward population estimates for all age groups as the denominator, which are available in the Data Download Centre.

Table 2 highlights 12 predominantly coastal wards in Lancashire with the largest percentages of state pension claimants. Six are in Wyre District, three in Fylde, two in Lancaster and one in Blackpool.

In total, 20 wards in Lancashire recorded rates in excess of 30%, and all were in the same four authorities. Cabus ward in Wyre District (just to the north of Garstang) and Clifton ward in Lytham were the only two where over 40% of the population is estimated to be claiming state pension.

Anchorsholme in Blackpool (6th highest rate) recorded the largest number of claimants (2,175), whilst Torrisholme Ward, situated between Lancaster and Morecambe, with 2,155 claimants was the other Lancashire ward that recorded more than 2,000 pension claimants. A further 22 recorded 1,500 or more claimants to state pension.

Housing Exclusively for Older People

There has been a growing tendency over recent years towards housing developments that are exclusively for people who are either retired or are approaching retirement. Examples in Lancashire include the following:

(External) Prestigious Retirement Villages Ltd is a company that has a couple of major developments in the county including the Middleton Towers retirement village in Lancaster district. This new 80-acre development is said to be the largest retirement village of its kind in the UK and offers a secure environment with a true village atmosphere.

Also in the vicinity is (External) Stud Farm Park . This development of 45 homes is specifically for the retired/semi-retired.

The major Buckshaw Village housing and commercial development to the south of Chorley includes the (External) Oakbridge Retirement Village . The development offers facilities under the three distinct headings of independent living, assisted living or supported living.

The Links View scheme, overlooking Old Links golf course in St. Annes, has 59 one and two- bedroom apartments, and is described as a "new concept in mature living". The development has been completed by the Blackpool-based (External) I Care Group and is said to offer choices for independent life and physical and emotional support in a safe and secure environment.

(External) Residential Parks is a company that provides accommodation for retired people at three locations in Lancashire. The Wyre Vale and Lodge Park sites (both close to Garstang) together have 173 homes whilst the Gawthorpe Edge site near Padiham has a further 105. The sites in the Garstang area contribute to the high proportion of older people noted in the locality (see Table 2 and Figure 1).

The (External) New Progress Housing Association owns 27 retirement developments in the South Ribble Area.

Photograph of Silverdale in Lancaster district

Table 3 lists the 12 wards in Lancashire with the lowest percentages of pensioners. The urban ward of Bastwell in central Blackburn recorded the lowest rate (7.0%) and was one of only eight Lancashire wards where pensioners were estimated to account for less than 10% of the resident population. A number of the wards in Table 3 are in core urban areas in Lancashire that are often ranked as noticeable areas of deprivation but this is not correct in every case. Fernhurst ward in Blackburn is close to junction 4 of the M65 and has seen rapid population and income level growth in recent years, whilst Ellel in Lancaster is close to the university, which provides downward pressure on the rate from disproportionately large numbers of younger residents.

Figure 1 displays the percentages of State Pensioners by five broad groups ranging from 7.0%-15% of total population in a ward to over 30%. The Figure emphasises the popularity of many of the coastal wards in Lancashire for people who are entitled to claim the state pension. The areas around Lytham and St Annes-on-Sea (Fylde District), Knott End, and to the north of Garstang (Wyre District) have high percentages of pensioners. A number of coastal wards to the north of Lancaster are also highlighted as popular residential areas for pensioners. In comparison, many of the main urban centres of population in the county: Preston, Blackburn, Burnley and Skelmersdale etc., recorded rates in the lowest category.

Map showing the state pension claim rate in Lancashire's wards - see text for details Source Lancashire County Council Corporate Policy Team

2007 Index of Deprivation (Income Deprivation affecting Older People)

The latest Index of Deprivation includes results that measure income deprivation affecting older people . The results for all 940 Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) in the broader Lancashire area have been mapped and ranked to highlight areas of concern. Of particular note is the fact that out of the 32,482 LSOAs that cover the whole of England, one that encompasses part of the Audley area of Blackburn recorded the 15th worst figure in the country. In contrast, an LSOA covering part of the Read and Simonstone area of the Ribble Valley was in 32,303rd position.

Pension Credit

Pension Credit is for pensioners at the lower end of the income scale. The intention is to assure that no-one aged 60 and over need live on an income of less than a guaranteed amount of £124.05 a week, (£189.35 a week for pensioner couples). These amounts are more if pensioners have caring responsibilities, are severely disabled or have housing costs.

Photograph of Burnley Bus Station in Daneshouse with Stoneyholme ward

To be entitled to Pension Credit, the applicant must be at least within four months of their 60th birthday and living in Great Britain. In the case of a couple, either may claim if both are aged 60 or over but only one partner can get Pension Credit at any one time. Full details of entitlement criteria can be found on the (External) Pension Service website .

Lancashire Results

At the national level there were over 2.7 million Pension Credit claimants (caseload) in May 2008, down by just -0.5% over the past year. In the 12-district Lancashire County Council area, the caseload was 55,160 representing a decrease of -0.7% over the past year.

Please note that Pension Credit is claimed on a household basis and the caseload figures in Table 4 are for claims made per household and take no regard of whether they are individual claims or for couples. If partners were also included, the total numbers of beneficiaries in May 2008 rises to 67,950 for the Lancashire County Council area and 3.3 million at the national level. The (External) DWP Tabulation Tool includes Pension Credit figures both by household (caseload) and by total number of beneficiaries.

At the local level, the largest numbers of claimants were in the two unitary authorities of Blackburn with Darwen (7,270) and Blackpool (10,270). Within the Lancashire Count Council area, claimant numbers of over 6,000 were recorded in both Lancaster and Preston districts. The affluent rural ward of Ribble Valley recorded by far the lowest number of claimants with just 1,760.

Ward Level Results

Table 5 lists the 12 wards in the broader Lancashire area with the highest numbers of pension credit claimants. Audley Ward, close to the centre of Blackburn was the only ward with more than 700 claims, whilst Claremont ward in central Blackpool was in second place with 635. Two other Blackpool wards (Anchorsholme and Victoria) along with Poulton in Morecambe were the 5 wards with claimant numbers of 600 or more.

It appears that high numbers of Pension Credit Claims are not surprisingly associated with inner-urban areas, even though these areas often do not have particularly large numbers of pensioners (see Figure 1). The pensioners that reside in these areas are however often those in most need of this benefit.

This page was compiled by Bryan Moulding .

All enquiries from the media should be sent to Corporate.Communications@lancashire.gov.uk .

Any other questions about the content of this page may be sent to EconInfo@lancashire.gov.uk .

For all enquiries about the county council's services , contact the Customer Service Centre on 0845 0530000 (01772 530000) or at Enquiries@css.lancscc.gov.uk .

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