Campaigning charity, Age UK London, has released data for London Challenge Poverty Week (17 -23 October) showing that poverty rates for over 50s are significantly higher in London compared with the rest of the country. The figures show that 25% of older Londoners live in poverty, compared to 18% in the rest of England.
This latest-available data was collected before the pandemic and therefore it is likely that poverty will increase even further in the current economic climate.
Abigail Wood, CEO of Age UK London said:
“These findings are alarming. They show that even before the pandemic the number of older Londoners falling into poverty was rising. Age UK London is concerned that the current cost of living and energy crisis is set to push thousands more over the poverty line. It is also worrying to see a growing gap between the number of older Londoners who can afford a basic standard of living and older people in the rest of the country.”
Housing tenure makes a huge difference and poverty rates for older private renters are twice as high as home owners and three times higher than those of social tenants with 44 percent living in poverty. In addition, older Londoners are 50% more likely to be experiencing food insecurity than those in the rest of England (12% compared with 8%).
Abigail Wood concludes: “There is still a long way to go to tackle poverty amongst older Londoners. While many of the powers to address this problem sit with Westminster, Age UK London calls on the Mayor and local authorities to do all that they can to support older Londoners who are struggling to make ends meet.”
