Local Pensioners Miss Out On Cold Weather Payments

4.34.51pm GMT Tue 26th Jan 2010

Up to 1.7m pensioners will miss out on Cold Weather Payments triggered by the recent weather, according to analysis of Government figures by the Liberal Democrats.

Local MP for Carshalton and Wallington Tom Brake has now learnt that 1,850 pensioners who are eligible for Pension Credits in his constituency, and therefore Cold Weather Payments, are not currently receiving it. This amounts to over £46,000 of unclaimed benefits.

Cold Weather Payments of £25 a week are paid to people on low incomes who receive a qualifying benefit, such as Pension Credit, which goes unclaimed by as many as 1.7m pensioners.

Tom said 'The Government has failed pensioners in the Sutton area, just as they have across the country, by allowing so many to miss out on these crucial payments. I would urge any of my constituents who have not claimed for Cold Weather Payments and their Pension Credits to do so. Many people are struggling to pay for their fuel bills this winter and it is important that they get all the help that is available to them.'

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb said, 'It is a scandal that pensioners on the breadline are missing out on these payments, worth an estimated £42.5m. Fuel prices are at an all time high, making Cold Weather Payments all the more important to people already struggling on a poverty pension. Labour has failed pensioners by creating a complicated system that makes it difficult for them to get the help they desperately need. The Government should be making every effort to identify pensioners who are missing out and get them this extra cash.'