Raising Awareness of Pension Credit
This week at the House of Commons I met with representatives of pensioners groups from the North East, who had come to London as part of an Age Concern lobby. This Government has a good record on making life better for our older citizens – but there is always more that can be done.
Since 1997, Labour has lifted almost a million pensioners out of relative poverty, and almost two million out of absolute poverty. That’s down to increased investment from the Government. Around £12bn more is now spent on pensioners each year than in 1997, meaning that the average pensioner is now about £1500 a year better off. It’s also down to targeted measure like free bus travel, free TV licenses for over-75s, and substantial Winter Fuel Payments.
The single biggest reason pensioners are now in poverty is because they do not claim the income related benefits they are entitled to. It estimated that as many as 110 000 pensioners in the North East alone are not claiming their full level of Pension Credit. Making sure people know about these allowances, and making sure they know where and how to take them up, is now key to tackling pensioner poverty.
The Government will soon be launching a new awareness drive on this issue. As part of the regional effort I’ll be running a take up campaign in my constituency to let people know about the assistance that’s on offer. I’ll be getting round over the summer recess, street by street and ward by ward, to make sure our pensioners are claiming everything they’re entitled to.
During difficult economic times, the right thing to do is to offer assistance to those who need it most. The Government is moving to make sure our older people can enjoy the more comfortable retirement that they deserve. We should never forget the threat that would be posed to the most vulnerable in our communities by cutting services in response to the downturn.