Harry Cohen
PENSION SERVICES AND POLL TAX
Last Friday I visited the Capesthorne Centre to hold a surgery with local councillors and the Pension Service. People had the chance to question, or seek advice from, a representative of the Pension Service and I am hoping that this initiative can be repeated around the constituency. Questions about pensions and in particular the Pension Credit have been a common theme in my postbag and at my surgeries in recent weeks.
Since it was introduced nearly 2.5 million people are receiving pension Credit (a quarter of a million more than were getting Minimum Income Guarantee) but more people can claim and would be successful. Unfortunately some people are still not claiming, in some cases because of misconceptions they have about the scheme.
One such misconception surrounds the process of claiming. The process is not complicated, intrusive, or difficult. People can claim by filling in an application form or, more easily, by telephoning the Pension Service freephone line on 0800 991 234. The trained staff will ask only those questions relevant to their circumstances and will complete the application for them. 95% of calls are answered within 30 seconds and by a human being not a machine. People using the service have been very positive in their feedback.
The other misconception surrounds the £6,000 taper line. Many people think they cannot claim Pension Credit if their savings are above this amount. That is not true. The Pension Service counts £1 per week as income for every £500, or part of, over £6,000 – the figure is over £10,000 if someone lives permanently in a care home. My advice is to apply because you could be losing out. Eligible households could gain as much as £400 per year and incomes will be topped up to a guaranteed minimum level of at least £102.10 per week for single pensioners and £155.80 for couples. It is also worth remembering that Pension Credit will be backdated to October.
For further information or a booklet people can contact the Pension Service on 0845 60 60 265 or my constituency office (details below). In addition the Pension Service are holding surgeries at Poll Tax House, Rylands Street (daily from 10.00-1.00); Warrington Hospital (every Tuesday 9.30-12.30): Padgate Library (Wednesday 17th December 10.00-noon); Housing Office, Cotswold Road, Orford (Thursday 18th December 9.30-noon); and the CAB, Benson Road, Birchwood (19th December 10.00-1.00).
You can contact Helen Jones MP – by letter to Gilbert Wakefield House, 67 Bewsey Street, WA2 7JQ or House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA; by telephone on 01925 232 480; by fax on 01925 232 239; or by e-mail jonesh@parliament.uk
