Recommendation 41

The State Pension age is an important tool for containing the costs of the State Pension. However, improvements in life expectancy across the country have stalled. People living in the most deprived areas of the country have lower life expectancy and lower healthy life expectancy than people in less deprived areas. Increases in the State Pension age have a disproportionate impact on them: they receive it for a shorter amount of time. The last time the State Pension age increased, there was an increase in the number of 88 pre-pensioners in poverty. Those unable to keep working are likely to have to continue to use up savings and to rely on means-tested benefits for people of working age, which are much less generous. (Conclusion, Paragraph 191)