South Cambridgeshire District Council contact find almost 300 homes aren't claiming pension credit
The Council's written to them to encourage households to claim
South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) has identified hundreds of households which are not claiming for Pension Credit, and could be eligible for Winter Fuel Payments (WFP).
Access to the WFP has been restricted following recent changes made by Government, meaning only those on certain credits, such as Pension Credit, are given access.
The Council say it's written to 287 households in it's District, who are eligible but currently not claiming pension benefit.
That is thought to be the case for an estimated 880,000 UK households across the country, who are not claiming their Pension Credit.
Detailing how the letter's have helped, SCDC say a 79-year-old woman, who lives in Longstanton, said: “Before receiving the letter from the Council I hadn’t seen anything about Pension Credit. I didn’t know I was eligible for the payment and didn’t know that I could still receive the Winter Fuel Payment. I’m really grateful to the Council for being so proactive with this as it will be a great help to me.”
A 77-year-old from Great Shelford commented “I was disappointed when I thought I was going to be losing the Winter Fuel Payment. I had checked before about claiming Pension Credit but didn’t think I was eligible. It’s such a complicated system so the Council sending me this letter helped a lot. I’m delighted to know that I’ll still get the Winter Fuel Payment with this Pension Credit, as well as getting a free TV Licence too. I’d really encourage any pensioner to see if they can claim this because I had no idea I could.”
The Council has written to those in the District who are believed to be eligible, but have also posted the criteria on their website.
You need to be receiving either; Income Support; Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance; Income-related Employment and Support Allowance; Pension Credit; or Universal Credit (for example, through a joint claim with your partner) to be eligible for the WFP.