1,753 Folkestone and Hythe Pensioners Are Missing Out on Pension Credit

New figures on the take up of Pension Credit show that 1,753 pensioners in Folkestone & Hythe constituency are missing out on money that is rightfully theirs.

Local Liberal Democrat spokesperson Peter Carroll said:

"It is a scandal that so many poorer older people are missing out on money they should be getting as of right. For Folkestone and Hythe constituency, this scandal represents a loss to the local pensioners, and the local economy, of £67,768 a week.

"Any pensioner who is unsure about their entitlements should rings the Pension Service helpline on 0800 99 1234 to find out if they are missing out on money which is rightfully theirs.

"However, what we should be doing is to provide all pensioners with a decent pension, which would mean no-one fell below the poverty line."

The Pension Credit is a means-tested benefit for people over 60 with low incomes. It ensures that an individual doesn't live on less than £109.45 a week, and a couple on less than £167.05 a week.

Calls to the Pension Credit application line are free phone: 0800 99 1234. Lines are open Monday to Friday between 8am - 8pm and Saturdays 9am - 1pm.

The figures were published by the Department for Work and Pensions on 20th October. The most recent figures do not appear to have been made available on the website yet (http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/pcpc.asp) but they can be emailed on request.

The estimate of how many pensioners are missing out applies the national non-take up rate of 34.2% to the local figures. Nationally, the Government estimates that 5 million pensioners are eligible for Pension Credit. With only 3,291,250 in receipt that means that nationally, 1.7 million pensioners are missing out.

The estimate of how much the local economy is missing out on is estimated from the number of people missing out locally times the average payment for pensioners in the area who do receive the Pension Credit.