'£10million extra DWP pension cash' waiting to be claimed by Londoners as winter fuel cut
Sadiq Khan has said that £10 million is waiting for London pensioners to claim as winter fuel is cut. The Government is aiming to spread the word about pension credit.
Under changes announced in July, the Mirror reports, all but the poorest pensioners will see the payment axed. Only those on pension credit or other benefits will be eligible for the support.
But, around 780,000 people eligible for pension credit have still not applied. This has lead to fears many of the poorest will miss out.
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The Mayor of London says that £9.5 million of previously unclaimed credit has now been taken up by Londoners in the past year. A further 2,1 74 older Londoners on lower incomes have claimed credit they are entitled to in the past year, with an average of £4, 394 per claim, City Hall adds.
Now, Mr Khan has announced he will extend the scheme for another year 'to help Londoners struggling with the cost of living'. This involves 'targeted letters' to those who may be entitled to the extra cash.
City Hall says that the Mayor's scheme will continue to work with 25 boroughs in the capital, and is expected to reach over 12,500 households. Up to £10 million is 'likely to be claimed'.
Who is eligible?
You can view the full eligibility criteria for pension credit on the Government's website here. This includes the following:
You must include your partner on your application. You’ll be eligible if either:
you and your partner have both reached State Pension age
one of you is getting Housing Benefit for people over State Pension age
A partner is either:
your husband, wife or civil partner - if you live with them
someone you live with as a couple, without being married or in a civil partnership
When you apply for Pension Credit your income is calculated. If you have a partner, your income is calculated together.
Pension credit tops up:
your weekly income to £218.15 if you’re single
your joint weekly income to £332.95 if you have a partner
The Government advises: "If your income is higher, you might still be eligible for Pension Credit if you have a disability, you care for someone, you have savings or you have housing costs."
London boroughs that have claimed the most
Local authority | Number of households claimed | Amount of pension credit cash claimed this year |
Barnet | 95 | £486,307 |
Brent | 91 | £358,870 |
Camden | 140 | £614,251 |
Ealing | 116 | £519,964 |
Enfield | 99 | £522,204 |
Greenwich | 84 | £387,821 |
Hackney | 114 | £499,735 |
Haringey | 145 | £615,062 |
Hounslow | 86 | £474,525 |
Islington | 127 | £487,981 |
Kensington and Chelsea | 71 | £282,752 |
Kingston upon Thames | 69 | £415,215 |
Lambeth | 99 | £358,624 |
Lewisham | 101 | £329,818 |
Merton | 38 | £224,224 |
Newham | 145 | £638,147 |
Redbridge | 49 | £251,606 |
Richmond | 32 | £129,270 |
Southwark | 117 | £472,132 |
Sutton | 59 | £209,884 |
Tower Hamlets | 110 | £504,595 |
Wandsworth | 89 | £336,561 |
Westminster | 98 | £433,614 |
Mr Khan said: “Many older households in London are disproportionately affected by cost-of-living pressures so I am delighted that thanks to our campaign they have claimed over £17m in Pension Credit. I’m pleased to be extending the scheme for a further year, helping to reach even more households across the capital that are eligible to receive Pension Credit.
"As Mayor, I will continue to stand up for all Londoners and do all I can to help them with cost-of-living pressures, building a better and fairer London for everyone.”
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