Supporting Wokingham Borough Pensioners

Are you - or a friend, family member, or neighbour - a pensioner living on a low income? Please read this article – you or your loved one could lose out on thousands of pounds this winter. There is a deadline of 21st December 2024 to claim a key benefit.

Hundreds of low income pensioners are eligible for Pension Credit, but are not receiving this very valuable benefit. As many as 845 households in Wokingham Borough may be missing out on Pension Credit.

Pension Credit provides eligible households with an average income boost of around £3,900 a year. Not only does the credit increase direct income, it is the gateway to a number of other means tested benefits, from free TV licenses to council tax reductions, and from energy bill discounts to Housing Benefit.

The Winter Fuel Allowance is now a means tested benefit. It will be paid to pensioners who receive Pension Credit, but the individual must be signed up to receive Pension Credit by 21st December 2024, or be receiving another qualifying benefit.

Please don’t be put off by the statement on the government’s website that, ‘You’ll need to have been getting a benefit during the qualifying week of 16 to 22 September 2024’. Pension Credit can be backdated by up to 3 months, so if you’re otherwise eligible for Pension Credit, you could still receive the Winter Fuel Allowance.

The rules for eligibility are complex, but to get Pension Credit you will need to be of state pension age (currently 66 or older) and have a total weekly income under roughly £220 if you’re single, or £320 if you’re a couple. Pensioners with higher incomes can get Pension Credit in certain circumstances. There is an online Pension Credit checker, and a national helpline which you can contact on 0800 99 1234.

Wokingham Borough Council’s cost of living crisis help page for pensioners has links and further information on Pension Credit and other sources of help at wokingham.gov.uk/cost-living/cost-living-help-pensioners. If you need help in claiming this allowance, please contact Citizens Advice on 0808 278 7958 or Age UK Berkshire on 0118 959 4242. Library staff and council staff who deal directly with the public have also been trained to signpost people to
sources of help.

If you are in a position to help others to make others aware or to help them to claim, you might want to check in with the pensioners you know. Many are unaware of this benefit or may have additional challenges in making a claim if they don’t use the internet.

Wokingham Borough Council’s support for pensioners

Wokingham Borough Council, Age UK Berkshire and Citizens Advice are three of the partners in the Hardship Alliance. The Hardship Alliance has been working for over two years to maximise the incomes of Wokingham residents living on the lowest incomes, and raising awareness of Pension Credit has been an important part of this work.

As soon as the Government announced the changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance, the council stepped up its work to reach eligible pensioners. This has included:

• Contacting pensioners claiming Housing Benefit and Council tax credit
• Using our communication channels such as resident newsletters and the
  council website
• Supporting customer facing staff to advise residents.
   

Their information has gone out to an astonishing 19,000 residents, and has directly led to 1,400 people checking the government’s Pension Credit eligibility checker. From our work supporting pensioners, the Council have identified 165 people who they believe are missing out on Pension Credit and will be writing to them direct. The council and our partners are also offering direct support to those who may need support in completing applications. The council’s welfare service, libraries, and Age UK Berkshire are all providing direct support. Volunteers run digital drop in sessions at our local libraries, and these volunteers can help pensioners to access the forms and upload documents, as well as signposting suitable support with completing the form itself.

The work that the council has done with our partners in the Hardship Alliance and the wider community over the last two years, are allowing us to make a much greater impact than would otherwise be possible. Working together, we are providing a range of help to pensioners and other residents living in hardship, including help with paying council tax, distribution of the Household Support Fund, and helping to get access to energy and affordable food.

Rachel Bishop-Firth is Executive Member for Resident Services, Inclusion and Fighting Poverty