Exclusive: More than £40million has been paid out in vital support for older Londoners since the Mayor’s campaign launched in February 2023
More than 4,400 older Londoners have claimed up to £21.5million in “vital” Pension Credit in the last year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has learned – with the recipients pleading for those eligible to take advantage. City Hall is today (Wednesday, October 8) expanding a campaign to help Londoners secure the financial support they are entitled to after new figures showed that Londoners will miss out on almost £4.1billion in unclaimed benefits this year, including £326million in Pension Credit.
Pension credit, introduced in 2003, tops up the income of older Britons who earn less than £230 a week as an individual, or £350 a week as a couple. It is thought that thousands of Londoners are still missing out on the benefit despite the Mayor of London’s Pension Credit campaign assisting 9,000 households in the capital to claim it since February 2023.
The awareness campaign so far has helped pensioners like Peter Power alleviate their financial troubles. The 66-year-old Croydon resident credited Age UK – and particularly Megan Palser, a Community Support Manager at the Sutton branch – for helping him claim the benefit.
“I had developed some mental health issues and anxiety and with my pension age coming up, I tried to go online to access the forms but couldn’t manage it,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. “I went to Age UK and they helped me by doing it all for me.
“They set me up so the Pension Credit then comes automatically – I had no idea about what it was. It’s helped hugely, it’s been a great help. It makes it a lot easier to pay bills – I have no financial worries.
“It meant I could replace my oven and fridge-freezer. I’ve also got plenty of new clothes now to prepare me for winter to keep me nice and warm. To people who haven’t claimed – go to Age UK to learn about it – I couldn’t have done it without them. I don’t know if I’d still be here without them, it was a very tough time.”
Sonia Powell , a retired 75-year-old nurse, told the LDRS that her Pension Credit application had initially been rejected before she sought help with Age UK. “I retired at 71 and was finding it difficult to make ends meet,” she said.
“A friend recommended I go to Age UK and see how they can help. I wasn’t expecting anything but received a surprise to find out I was eligible to claim Pension Credit. I had previously applied but was told I wasn’t entitled. Age UK helped me with all the papers and sat with me while I spoke to the relevant people from the government department.
“I was very pleased. I had used up my ISA already to pay my rent, council tax and bills before this came – it has helped me enormously.
“I used to go to bed worrying about my finances and rent. I couldn’t sleep due to the impending bills. For anyone who is struggling who is my age, go and speak to people like Age UK and see if you can claim it.”
The borough with the highest number of Pension Credit claimants in the last year is Haringey, in North London, followed by Hackney and Newham. On the other end of the scale, just 61 individuals have claimed the benefit in Merton since last October.
Sir Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, told the LDRS that he was “proud” of the campaign but that it was “shocking” that billions in benefits still go unclaimed across London. He said the success of the Pension Credit awareness drive has prompted City Hall to take similar action with low-income parents and disabled Londoners.
“Far too many people are still missing out on the vital support that they are entitled to,” he said. “That’s why I’m extending my campaign to help reach more Londoners on low incomes and urging Londoners to use City Hall’s Cost of Living Hub to check their entitlements to ensure they or their loved ones don’t miss out.
“As we build a better, fairer London for everyone, I will continue to work with boroughs, charities and communities to ensure more Londoners get the help they need to thrive.”
Abi Wood, CEO of Age UK London, added: “This campaign has been highly successful in reaching the older Londoners that are eligible to receive more support and assisting them get that help through the Age UK network in London. This will help pull older people in London out of poverty.
“There is still a lot of work to be done, with almost a quarter of older people over the age of 80 living in poverty in London and we are pleased to hear that the Mayor is extending the campaign to further help Londoners.”
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