6,485 PENSIONERS STILL MISS OUT ON PENSION CREDIT IN EACH LONDON BOROUGH

4.35.08pm GMT Tue 13th Jan 2004

Almost half of entitled pensioner households are still missing out on the Government's flagship Pension Credit in the Capital.

New figures revealed today by the Liberal Democrats show that out of 450,000 pensioners in London entitled to receive the means-tested benefit, 214,000 (48%) are failing to claim. This means 6,485 pensioners in each London borough are still failing to claim the pension credit.

The low take-up comes despite months of costly Government advertising promoting the Pension Credit.

Commenting on the figures, Liberal Democrat London Mayoral candidate Simon Hughes MP said:

"It's shocking that Pension Credit is reaching so few of the people who should be getting this money. This eye-wateringly complex benefit is claimed by few and understood by no-one.

"The Government has a bizarre strategy of writing to 80% of all London pensioners to tell them about the benefit only after it had been introduced. This has resulted in an appalling take up and thousands of older people missing out on benefits they are entitled to.

"The only guaranteed way to get extra money to the poorest pensioners is by boosting the inadequate state pension."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

The table below shows the number of households still missing out on the Pension Credit. The Column headed MIG Claimants shows the number of households who where previously claiming the Minimum Income Guarantee (the Pension Credit's predecessor benefit). These households were automatically transferred to the Pension Credit. The column headed New Recipients shows the number of Pension Credit claimants who had not previously claimed the Minimum Income Guarantee. The final Column gives the percentage of eligible households claiming the Pension Credit for each region.