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03

'Shocking' disparity in pension incomes recorded across the UK

Open-access content Friday 6th April 2018 — updated 5.50pm, Wednesday 29th April 2020

New government data reveals that average pension incomes in the City of London are almost three times larger than those in Stoke, analysis by Royal London has found.

2

The findings show that retired people living in London's financial district can expect mean pension incomes of £37,900 a year, while those in Stoke take home just £12,300.

However, this is not simply a result of the north/south divide, with those living just outside the City in Barking and Dagenham receiving pensions of only £12,800.

And while the top 10 boroughs are all in London or the South East, these regions also contain three of the poorest areas for pensions in the country.

"These figures show a shocking disparity in pension incomes," Royal London personal finance specialist, Helen Morrissey, said.

"It is clear that pensions across the UK are highly variable, with in some cases very prosperous pensioners living only a few miles down the road from those who are struggling."

The mean annual income for London-based pensioners is £18,400, which is bolstered by Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and the City of London, which are the top three boroughs for pensions.

In Scotland, average pension incomes range from £20,000 in Stirling to £13,900 in North Lanarkshire, while in Wales they vary between £18,700 in the Vale of Glamorgan, down to £13,900 in Caerphilly.

The top five local authorities for pensions in 2015/16 are shown below:

Source: Royal London
And the bottom five:

Source: Royal London

This comes after Royal London found that there is also a huge variation in levels of funding for social care provided by councils across the country.  

The findings show that some local authorities have a fixed ceiling for the amount they will pay, such as Blackpool, Bury and Luton, while Buckinghamshire, Cornwall and Croydon have no ceiling.

"We have uncovered a disturbing patchwork of support for people needing residential care, which varies hugely depending on where you live," Royal London director of policy, Steve Webb, said.

"Local authorities must be very careful to ensure they do not take advantage of the poor bargaining power of vulnerable elderly people, leading them to accept the cheapest care provision rather than the most suitable."


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This article appeared in our March 2018 issue of The Actuary.
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