Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in “Households Below Average Income 1994/95-2004/05”. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income.
The data source does not allow us to provide robust estimates below the level of Government office region. There is no suitable data source for years prior to 1994-95.
The number and percentage of pensioners in households with low incomes, by Government office regions, Scotland and Wales over the period 1994-95 to 2004-05, are presented in tables 1 and 2.
Million Three-year averages 1994-95 to 1996-97 1995-96 to 1997-98 1996-97 to 1998-99 1997-98 to 1998-99 1998-99 to 2000-01 1999-2000 to 2001-02 2000-01 to 2002-03 2001-02 to 2003-04 2002-03 to 2004-05 North East 0.14 0.14 0.14 0.13 0.13 0.12 0.11 0.10 0.08 North West and Merseyside 0.31 0.32 0.33 0.32 0.30 0.28 0.27 0.26 0.24 Yorkshire and the Humber 0.25 0.26 0.27 0.27 0.26 0.24 0.21 0.19 0.17 East Midlands 0.19 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.19 0.19 0.18 0.17 West Midlands 0.22 0.25 0.26 0.25 0.25 0.24 0.25 0.23 0.21 Eastern 0.29 0.25 0.26 0.26 0.26 0.24 0.23 0.22 0.21 London 0.29 0.30 0.30 0.30 0.29 0.28 0.25 0.24 0.21 South East 0.34 0.34 0.34 0.34 0.33 0.31 0.30 0.29 0.27 South West 0.25 0.27 0.27 0.26 0.25 0.24 0.23 0.21 0.19 Wales 0.14 0.14 0.14 0.14 0.13 0.13 0.12 0.12 0.10 Scotland 0.24 0.24 0.24 0.22 0.22 0.21 0.19 0.18 0.17 Notes: 1. Numbers are provided using a three-year moving average, as single-year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year-on-year changes. Hence, figures are not consistent with any previously published single-year estimates and there may be differences in changes over time. In circumstances such as a change in trend, moving averages will show less variation than single-year estimates. 2. Table shows number of pensioners in millions rounded to the nearest 10,000. 3. In this answer low income is determined for individuals as living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of the GB median. Source: Family Resources.
Three-year averages 1994-95 to 1996-97 1995-96 to 1997-98 1996-97 to 1998-99 1997-98 to 1998-99 1998-99 to 2000-01 1999-2000 to 2001-02 2000-01 to 2002-03 2001-02 to 2003-04 2002-03 to 2004-05 North East 31 31 30 28 27 25 24 20 18 North West and Merseyside 26 26 27 26 25 24 23 21 20 Yorkshire and the Humber 29 29 31 30 29 27 24 22 19 East Midlands 26 28 28 28 27 26 25 23 22 West Midlands 27 27 28 27 27 26 26 24 22 Eastern 28 26 28 27 27 24 23 22 21 London 28 29 30 30 28 28 25 24 21 South East 25 24 24 24 23 22 21 20 18 South West 26 28 27 27 25 24 23 21 18 Wales 24 25 25 25 24 23 21 21 18 Scotland 28 27 27 26 25 23 22 20 18 Notes: 1. Percentages are provided using a three-year moving average, as single-year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year-on-year changes. Hence, figures are not consistent with any previously published single-year estimates and there may be differences in changes over time. In circumstances such as a change in trend, moving averages will show less variation than single-year estimates. 2. In this answer low income is determined for individuals as living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of the GB median. Source: Family Resources.
Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in “Households Below Average Income 1994/95-2004/05”. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income.
The survey from which estimates are provided started in 1994-95. There is no suitable data source for years prior to 1994-95.
The median weekly household income of the three lowest deciles of pensioners for the years 1994-95 to 2004-05, are presented in table 1.
Decile 1 Decile 2 Decile 3 1994-95 93 122 136 1995-96 98 123 137 1996-97 100 126 141 1997-98 101 128 143 1998-99 102 130 147 1999-2000 106 137 155 2000-01 113 145 165 2001-02 116 153 176 2002-03 122 159 184 2003-04 121 167 191 2004-05 130 177 203 Notes: 1. Median weekly household incomes are shown as equivalised pounds in 2004-05 prices. Equivalisation is the process by which household income is adjusted by household size and composition as a proxy for material living standards. 2. The median has been used as the measure of the average income in the three lowest deciles in line with HBAI conventions. This median measure is preferred to the mean because it measures the central income of the group and for the lowest decile it is less influenced by possibly unrepresentative outliers. 3. All estimates are subject to sampling error and response bias and small changes between years may be influenced by these. While results for individual years may be sensitive to the way in which household incomes are adjusted for size and composition, the picture of changes over time is less sensitive to this. Source: Family Resources Survey
As a result of the measures we have introduced since 1997, we will be spending £10.5 billion more on pensioners this year than would otherwise have been the case. Our policies target help on the poorest pensioners in particular, with over £5 billion of the additional money going to the poorest third of pensioners. Between 1996-97 and 2004-05, the number of pensioners living in relative low income, fell from 2.8 million to 1.8 million, and a pensioner in Britain today is no more likely to be in poverty than anyone else.
In total, in 2006-07 we plan to spend £78.8 billion in cash benefits for pensioners. Additional help is provided through benefits in kind such as free prescriptions, eye tests, bus travel and television licences, and help with home insulation. Around £14 billion will be spent on benefits targeted on low-income pensioners: pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit. This ensures that no single pensioner need live on less than £114.05 a week, and no couple on less than £174.05 a week.