Harry Cohen
PENSION CREDITS
I was particularly delighted that the Chancellor announced an extra £100 for pensioner households with someone over 70 years old in his Budget. The number of households in my constituency that will benefit comes to around 7,000. This represents a further addition to the financial assistance that is on offer to our older citizens. Sadly not everyone is aware of the rights and the benefits they can claim or, even if they are, they may not claim them.
Another benefit that pensioners miss out on is Pension Credit. Last month a further 110,000 pensioners claimed Pension Credit but more people can do so. It has also had an important knock on effect in that pension Credit gives access to Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit. Around 300,000 more pensioner households will get Council Tax Benefit for the first time thanks to Pension Credit.
Figures show that £770 million in Council Tax Benefit is unclaimed with as many as
1.7 million pensioner households missing out – that is four out of every ten pensioners. Claiming has been made much easier. Every pensioner contacted about Pension Credit automatically receives a Council Tax Benefit form, which has been reduced in size and made more customer friendly.
Other benefits which can remain unclaimed include non means-tested cash such as Attendance Allowance.
With this in mind I have joined forces with Age Concern and the Pensions Service and will be holding a special advice surgery at the ASDA store in Birchwood on Thursday 22nd April to cover benefit issues for pensioners. The surgery will coincide with Age Concern’s ‘Your Rights Week’ which it is hoped will raise awareness and make a practical difference to the financial position of many elderly people. I will be at the store from 10.30 am until noon on the 22nd. As well as providing people with advice, along with representatives of the Pensions Service and Age Concern, I will have copies of the Age Concern ‘know your rights’ booklet for people to take with them.
Clearly not everyone who has a query will be able to attend on that day so for further information or advice people can:
- contact Age Concern Benefits Enquiry Line on 0800 88 22 00;
- order Age Concern factsheets on 0800 00 99 66;
- view Age Concern’s website at www.ageconcern.org.uk
- contact SeniorLine from Help the Aged on 0808 800 6565;
- contact the Pension Service on 0800 99 1234;
or by contacting me –
- by phone on 01925 232 480;
- by fax on 01925 232 239;
- by letter to Gilbert Wakefield House, 67 Bewsey Street, Warrington, WA2 7JQ;
- or by e-mail at jonesh@parliament.uk
