THE scale of the ageing challenge facing Hampshire is highlighted by new research from the Southern Policy Centre.

The research also reveals the scale of the care costs facing the region and its people in a grey demographic timebomb.

By 2039 the number of over 65s will increase by 56.3 per cent up from 1.25 million to 1.95m. Over 65s will make up a quarter of the population, up from a fifth today. By comparison the total population will increase by 14.7 per cent.

Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex will all see increases of over 55 per cent in their older population. Even cities such as Southampton and Portsmouth will see around a 50 per cent growth.

John Denham, former Southampton Itchen MP, Government minister, and now chairman of the Southern Policy Centre, said: “The social care system is widely acknowledged to be under real stress.

“Many approaches to funding social care rely on the value of the homes of older people. With so many older residents, and such high levels of home ownership, we need an urgent debate in southern England on the best and fairest approach to funding home and residential care.”

The centre points out that social planning will have to take these changes into account. The economy will change with more older workers and there is a need to ensure the right types of homes will be built.

Whilst many people will be able to fund their own care if the current mix of privately and publicly funded care is maintained nearly 90,000 people, or around a half of those requiring care, will be publicly funded.

That represents a significant increase on the 57,000 people received publicly funded care in 2015/16.

Councils in the central South currently spend over £825m on services for those over 65, including contributions from the NHS and the clients themselves.

The cost of social care, and the extent to which homeowners should be required to fund their own care, has become an important issue in the general election campaign.

The SPC estimates that over 75 per cent of those over 65 own their homes, the value of which could be taken into account to cover care costs, depending on future policy,