One in six Telford residents will be a pensioner by 2015

A SHROPSHIRE "NEW" town is going grey - with predictions one in six people will be a pensioner by 2015.

Huge increases in the number of pensioners are forecast in Telford over the next few years as the influx of people who moved to the town in its infancy 30 or 40 years ago reach retirement age.

Council papers forecast the town will experience the "new town" effect.

Bosses of elderly care charities today urged council and health chiefs to invest in services to cope with the rise.

In 2006 there were an estimated 22,000 people in Telford over the age of 65.

By 2015 this number is expected to rise to more than 30,000 which equates to more than 15 per cent of the overall population.

Hilary Knight, deputy chief executive of Age Concern Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, said the fact people were living longer was cause for celebration, but added plans needed to be made to cope with the increase.

She said: "We need to invest in the sort of services which an ageing society will rely on.

"Our care system is already in crisis and current levels of funding are not enough to cope with increasing numbers of older people living with a range of health and support needs.

"We need to tackle health inequalities, which create huge variation across the country in life expectancy and the NHS needs focus more on improving health outcomes for over-65s.

"At Age Concern Shropshire Telford & Wrekin we work closely with councils and the PCT to support older people living in the area.

"We know that officers and members are looking at the longer-term implications of these trends."

The figures come after it was predicted nationally last month more than half a million people would be aged 100 or above by 2066, including nearly 8,000 aged 110 or more.

The life expectancy for people currently aged 65 was slightly higher for women at 85 with men expected to live for 82 years.

Projections for 2025 for life expectancy at 65 are 88 for women and 86 for men.

By Peter Finch