6,000 Oldham pensioners will miss out on Cold Weather Payments says Mark Alcock

11.28.00pm GMT Thu 14th 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.

This includes 6,000 people in the Oldham area. [See attached table]

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.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow MP for Oldham West & Royton, Mark Alcock, 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 under this Labour Government".

"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 now when they need it."

Notes

1. People can get Cold Weather Payments worth £25 when temperatures are below zero degrees Celsius for seven consecutive days when they claim a qualifying benefit.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Inretirement/DG_10018668

2. Pension Credit is a qualifying benefit yet Department for Work and Pensions figures for 2007-08 (the most recent available) show that between 1.1m and 1.7m pensioners who are poor enough to qualify for Pension Credit do not claim, meaning they won't receive Cold Weather Payments to help with fuel bills during the recent cold snap

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/income_analysis/jun_2009/0708_PensionCredit.pdf

3. A table is attached showing estimates of the number of pensioners in each parliamentary constituency and government region that are missing out on Cold Weather Payments. The combined estimated figure for Oldham East & Saddleworth and Oldham West & Royton constituencies is 6,165.

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