| Campaign to help older people claim their benefits and weather the crunch |
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Age Concern North Tyneside is today launching its More Money in Your Pocket campaign to carry the thousands of pensioners in North Tyneside through the recession by helping them claim what they are entitled to. Despite being hit hard by the economic downturn, older people in the UK are still missing out on up to a staggering £5billion of benefits each year. With an average of £690 of Council Tax Benefit alone
Through its benefits campaign in 20082 the North Tyneside charity helped local older people to claim over £1million worth of unclaimed benefits, making a difference to individuals and the local economy. This year the organisation is aiming to help even more older people in North Tyneside access the benefits lifeline they are entitled to. Kicking off today (Wednesday 15th April), ’More Money in Your Pocket’ will focus on different benefits every two months3 starting with Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit during April and May. The recession is taking a heavy toll on more than two million older people in the UK still living in poverty. They are struggling to pay high energy bills and are benefiting less than other groups from the drop in inflation because of their different spending habits. Older people with modest savings have also seen their income from savings shrink as a result of the cuts in interest rates. Despite all this, one in three pensioners entitled to Pension Credit and Council Tax Benefit are missing out. Many older people are failing to claim benefits cash that’s rightfully theirs because they don’t know that they are entitled, are worried about the complexity of the process or are embarrassed about claiming. Yet Age Concern North Tyneside offers free and confidential expert support and advice which can help make claiming simple. Mrs Collins, who Age Concern North Tyneside helped to claim benefits, said: “I would never have known how much I was entitled to without the advisors from Age Concern North Tyneside; they are so patient and approachable. The extra money has given me such a boost to my self-confidence and independence” Age Concern North Tyneside has organised activities in partnership with North Tyneside Council and the local Pension Service around the More Money in Your Pocket campaign launch, to encourage older people to take up their benefits. There is a special launch event at Age Concern North Tyneside’s North Shields Office on Monday 20 April, when people over 50 can book an appointment between 3 – 6pm, please call 0191 2808484 for more details. Jill Davison, Information Centre Manager at Age Concern North Tyneside said: “Last year we helped around 500 local older people to claim benefits worth over £1million, and we aim to reach even more people this year. There are thousands of pensioners in North Tyneside who are missing out on cash that is rightfully theirs, which could be a crucial lifeline in times of recession like this. “Age Concern can help make it easy to claim the money that you’re owed. We have benefits advisers available throughout the year to provide expert help and information to older people across North Tyneside. We would urge all older people in the area to get in touch to find out if they can claim or call our Information Centre on 0191 280 8484 for more information.” Local Age Concerns around the country provide information and advice which plays a key role in the fight against pensioner poverty and social exclusion. Nationally the charity helped older people to claim over £100million in a single year. |