1.7.1 Household projections are available from Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), based on the 2008-based population projections. According to these projections, the number of households in the South West is projected to increase by 30% between 2008 and 2033. This is the third largest percentage increase of all the regions after East (+34%) and Yorkshire and the Humber (+31%). The majority of projected household growth in the South West is for one person households, which are expected to increase by 58% between 2008 and 2033.
1.7.2 The number of households headed by someone aged 65 or over is projected to increase from 664,000 in 2008 to 1,104,000 in 2033; a 67% increase. By 2033, 38% of households in the region are projected to be headed by those aged 65 or over. According to these projections, together with the South East and North East, the South West has the oldest distribution of household representatives in 2033.
1.7.3 The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides us with data on household composition. According to the LFS, in 2005, the region had the highest proportion of its total households made up of married or cohabiting couples with no children, of all the English regions. This is slightly ahead of the East of England, but has increased only marginally over recent years. In December 2009, the South West had the greatest proportion of its households in the category of "married/cohabiting couple with no children", when compared with all other English regions. The region's proportion of one person households was similar to the England figure, at 27.5%, compared with 28.5% in England. The region has lower proportions of its households with dependent children, compared with the English average. This correlates to the high proportion of older people in the region. Figure
1.7.1 displays households by type for the South West, and Table 1.7.1 shows this data compared with the nine English regions, and England.
1.7.4 Household need is driven by both population growth and household formation. It should be noted that the stated household projections are based on certain assumptions particularly around international and internal migration, marital status projections, and the continuation of past trends in household formation.
Figure 1.7.1 Households by type, Regional Trends (ONS), December 2009
Table 1.7.1 Household by Type, percentages, January - December 2009
