Pensioners receiving Pension Credit Guarantee
Key points
- At 47%, the proportion of pensioners receiving the guarantee part of Pension Credit in Tower Hamlets is twice the London average.
- The highest rates of pension credit recipiency are all in Inner London (unlike working-age and child-related benefits).
- However, there are larger numbers of pensioners claiming Pension Credit Guarantee in Outer London.
Pensioners receiving Guarantee part of Pension Credit
What does this map show?
Here, we can look at low-income pensioners by borough by looking at those who receive the 'guarantee' part of Pension Credit. This is a means tested benefit paid to pensioners with little or no savings.
At 47%, the proportion of pensioners receiving the guarantee part of Pension Credit in Tower Hamlets is twice the London average. It is over 4 times higher than the level in Bromley.
The highest rates of Pension Credit recipiency are found in the Inner East & South. All the top 8 are Inner London. This is not seen among working-age adults or children. Five of the six boroughs with the largest numbers (as opposed to rates) of pensioners receiving the guarantee part of Pension Credit are in Outer London (Brent, Ealing, Enfield, Barnet and Croydon). This is because they have larger pensioner populations.
But despite the fact that proportionately fewer pensioners live in Inner London, those who do live there are poorer. 30% of all pensioners claiming Pension Credit guarantee live in the Inner East & South and 44% live in Inner London.
Additional information
DWP estimates that around 400,000 eligible claimants are not receiving either JSA, IS/ESA or Pension Credit. Under claiming of Pension Credit is more common than for working-age benefits. Take-up of the Guarantee element of Pension Credit is estimated to be between 60%–70%. Reducing the numbers not taking up benefits would lead to increasing rates of benefit recipiency in the indicators above. But this would have to be seen as a good thing - people on low incomes would have their income raised. So when looking at the benefit indicators, we need to be mindful that not all rises are bad.
Data used
DWP WPLS series, August 2010
Indicator last updated: 21 February 2012
Topic:
Groups:
Boroughs:
- Barking and Dagenham
- Barnet
- Bexley
- Brent
- Bromley
- Camden
- City of London
- Croydon
- Ealing
- Enfield
- Greenwich
- Hackney
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Haringey
- Harrow
- Havering
- Hillingdon
- Hounslow
- Islington
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Kingston upon Thames
- Lambeth
- Lewisham
- Merton
- Newham
- Redbridge
- Richmond upon Thames
- Southwark
- Sutton
- Tower Hamlets
- Waltham Forest
- Wandsworth
- Westminster
Case Study
Case study: Andrew
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Glossary
Outer London:
Barking & Dagenham, Barnet, Bromley, Bexley, Brent, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, Waltham Forest
Inner London:
Camden, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, Westminster
Pension Credit Guarantee:
Paid to those pensioners who have little or no income. In 2008 the guarantee brought a pensioner's income to £124.05 a week for single pensioners and £189.35 a week for pensioner couples
Key out-of-work benefits:
Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), Income Support (IS), Incapacity Benefit (IB), Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer's Allowance. Disability Living Allowance is not a key out-of-work benefit as it is available to people who may be in work and is not means-tested.
Benefit recipiency levels:
the proportion of working-age adults receiving out-of-work benefits