££Billions go unclaimed

Nearly three million over-65s – that’s one in four – are struggling financially, according to new research for Age UK*, despite an estimated £3.5 billion in Pension Credit and Housing Benefit alone going unclaimed each year.**

With the latest government figures showing that pensioner poverty is on the rise – with 1.9 million pensioners now living below the poverty line*** – Age UK Torbay is urging older people to get in touch to find out if they’re entitled to some extra financial support.

Helen Harman, Chief Officer at Age UK Torbay, said: “We know that there are many older people in Torbay struggling to manage financially. Every year we advise over 4300 people with general advice and in the last financial year we assisted local people to claim £1.2m in unclaimed benefits. People tell us what a difference the extra money makes to their lives and are often surprised at what they are entitled to and how helpful our trained advisors are. We would urge any older person, or their family members or friends, to get in touch with us for free, impartial information and advice for over 50’s.

The government’s latest figures show that one in 10 people aged 65+ would not be able to pay an unexpected expense of £200, to replace a broken washing machine for example.**** Yet millions of older people who are struggling to survive on a low income could be entitled to benefits such as Pension Credit, which has slightly increased this month and could provide a much-needed boost to their weekly income if claimed. In fact, if people who are eligible for Pension Credit make a claim, it could increase their income by an average of £42 a week – that’s £2,184 a year.

In addition to free information and advice, Age UK Torbay provides a wide range of services designed to help people enjoy later life in Torbay, including a Days Out service, Home Support and befriending.

*Actual number is 2,825,000. TNS polling for Age UK, March 2017 – sample of 1,333 people aged 65+ in GB. “Struggling” is defined here as the aggregated answers “Just about getting by”, “Finding it quite difficult” and “Finding it very difficult”.
**Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2014/15, DWP, 2016
***Households Below Average Income 2015/16, DWP, March 2017
****Family Resources Survey 2015/6, DWP, 2017