More pensioners to be the head of Sheffield houses in next 25 years

There will be 85,885 households where the head of the household is over 65 by 2041, calculations by the Office for National Statistics show, a rise of 38 per cent.

Households with people over the age of 85 are also set to soar, rising by 82 per cent to 17,685.

In response to the figures, Age UK, a charity which works with older people, said a '˜revolution' is needed in social care to support the ageing population in their own homes.

Joanna Harkrader, from the Centre for Ageing and Demography at the ONS said: "We project the majority of household growth over the next 25 years will be because of the rise in the number of households being headed by someone aged 65 years and over.

'This shows the impact an ageing population is having on household growth.'

The ONS defines a household as a single person living alone, or a group of people who live at the same address and share rooms and a kitchen. 

Dr Elizabeth Webb, of Age UK, said it was great news that people were living longer, and added that while many would remain independent there would be a growing need for health and social care that could not currently be fulfilled.

She said: 'The over 85 group is the fastest growing and the most likely to have the greatest needs for social and health care, which has an impact on the health service.

"It's about having a person there to help get them out of bed, help them wash and dress and to put a meal on the table. This needs people, not a technological solution.

"The social care workforce is understaffed and there's not enough cash to provide the support needed.

'Older people today are more likely than future generations to have children to help care for them. In future we'll see more people living alone and more without someone to care for them."

The figures show that their will be also be changes to the number of younger households, but the change is predicted to be much smaller  in Sheffield.

It is thought that under 25 households will grow by 3 per cent in the same time frame, and there will be 15 per cent more in the 25-34 age bracket.

The ONS believes that by 2041 there will be an extra four million households in England, but this is fewer than previously forecast.

The  slower growth is due to assumptions about births, life expectancy, migration and the numbers of people who will continue to live with parents or cohabitate.'