Life expectancy gap widening

Althoughlife expectancy in the UK is improving, wide variations between areas persist and the gap between the areas with the highest and lowest life expectancy is increasing, according to the latest bulletin on life expectancy from the Office for National Statistics.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the report exposes the unfairness in the government’s plans to speed up the increase in the state pension age, particularly for women.

“In just four years the difference between the life expectancy of women in Notting Hill and those in Glasgow has increased by two whole years. Women living in the poorest areas will lose significantly more of their retirement years than those living in wealthy Britain,” he said.

“It is no wonder that MPs of all parties are rebelling against the government’s new timetable for women’s pension age in the Pensions Act currently before Parliament, especially as the new timetable breaches last year’s Coalition Agreement.’”

The statistics reveal that the gap between the highest and lowest life expectancies at age 65 increased from 6.7 to 8.5 years for men and from 6.3 to 8.3 years for women.