Parliament has been dissolved until after the general election and I am no longer an MP.Margaret Greenwood, the MP for Wirral West, is calling on people
who are of state pension age and on a low income to check if they might be
eligible for extra financial support through Pension Credit.
She is also calling on pensioners who act as carers, who are severely disabled
or who are responsible for a child or young person to check if they might be
eligible too.
Pension
Credit can top up your weekly income to £201.05 if you are single, and it
can top up your joint weekly income to £306.85 if you have a partner.
For those who are eligible, Pension Credit can also act as a passport to
other forms of support including, but not limited to, cost of living payments,
a council tax discount, help with heating costs, housing benefit if you rent
the property you live in and a free TV licence if you are aged over 75.
According to recent research by the charity Independent Age, about 2.3
million older people are entitled to receive Pension Credit to top up their
retirement income. Despite this, around three in 10 of those who qualify aren’t
claiming it.
In Wirral West, the latest official figures show that 1,766 claims for Pension
Credit are currently in payment. However, it is highly likely that there are
people who can claim it who are not doing so and are therefore missing
out.
You can check on the government’s website whether you might be eligible for
Pension Credit and you can also find information there on how to make a
claim:
https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit
There is also a helpful factsheet on Pension Credit from Independent Age
available here:
https://tinyurl.com/4t5yma9d
Margaret Greenwood MP said:
“It is a matter of extreme concern that around 30% of people who are of state
pension age who are eligible to claim Pension Credit are not doing so.
“This is support that could make a real difference to people’s weekly income.
“Pension Credit isn’t just an end in itself; by receiving it, people also
become eligible for several other benefits.
“I would urge anybody of state pension age who thinks that they might meet the
eligibility criteria for Pension Credit to check to see if they do.
“I would also urge people with vulnerable family members or friends to help
them to check if they might be eligible.
"This is especially important given the cost of living crisis and the
steep increases in the costs of essentials such as food and energy that we have
seen.
“If people need further assistance, they might wish to contact an organisation
such as Citizens Advice Wirral on 0808 278 7848 or Wirral Age UK on 0151 482
3456.”
“Nobody should be missing out on support that they are entitled
to.”