Thousands risk missing out on winter fuel payment

Thousands of people in West Yorkshire are at risk of missing out on winter fuel payments as they are not claiming pension credits, new figures suggest.

With the 21 December deadline for applications looming, Policy in Practice (PIP), a data analytics company, said more than £70m in benefits was being left unclaimed.

Anyone receiving pension credit is also automatically eligible for winter fuel payments, but the firm say more than 28,500 households are not registered.

Juliette Flach, from Bradford-based charity Christians Against Poverty, said it was important people were open about their situation and accessed the support they needed.

According to PIP, around £22m of pension credit is unclaimed in Leeds, £20m in Bradford, £12m in Kirklees, £10m in Wakefield and £6m in Calderdale.

The company said that equated to 8,892 households in Leeds, 7,405 in Bradford, 5,169 in Kirklees, 4,477 in Wakefield and 2,623 in Calderdale.

Further research by insurance firm Royal London found more than 40% of pensioners in Leeds and Bradford had not checked if they were eligible for pension credit and more than half did not ask for support from friends and family.

"Across the country and certainly across Yorkshire there are some people who either are concerned that they don't know where to start when it comes to pension credit or they don't know what they'll get," Sarah Pennells, consumer finance specialist at Royal London, said.

"They think that claiming it will be complex."

Speaking earlier this month, the Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, told MPs: "I would like every pensioner who is entitled to pension credit, up to £3,900, to get it.

"I think it is a scandal that over 800,000 pensioners, the poorest pensioners, are losing up to £3,900 in pension credit that they should be entitled to."

To address this issue, the government says it has written to 120,000 pensioners, encouraging them to apply.

Ms Flach, from Christians Against Poverty said the government could improve its messaging.

"I think there is a difference between government efforts and what actually gets through in the busyness of life," she said.

"I think there is a real reluctance for people to admit they are struggling financially and to talk about money.

"It's really important to talk about that and remove the stigma."

The Department for Work and Pensions says that pension credit is worth on average more than £3,900 a year, in itself. The amount received depends on a variety of factors.

Importantly, it is also a gateway to other financial support, on top of winter fuel payments.

This may include a reduction in council tax, a free TV licence when aged over 75, or help with NHS costs - most of which require separate applications.

Charities can help people apply.

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