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Campaign To Weather the Credit Crunch

AGE CONCERN DORCHESTER CAMPAIGN TO HELP OLDER PEOPLE CLAIM THEIR BENEFITS AND WEATHER THE CRUNCH

- Council Tax Benefit alone could mean an average £690 extra per year.

Age Concern Dorchester is today launching its More Money in Your Pocket campaign to carry the thousands of pensioners in Dorset through the recession by helping them claim their due.

Despite being hit hard by the economic downturn, older people in the UK are still missing out on up to a staggering £5 billion of benefits each year. With an average of £690 of Council Tax Benefit alone, claiming the benefits which are their due can make a huge difference for pensioners on a low income who are struggling to make ends meet.

Through its benefits campaign in 2008 the charity helped local older people to claim £280000. This year the organisation is aiming to help even more older people in Dorset grab the benefits lifeline they are entitled to. Kicking off today, ’More Money in Your Pocket’ will focus on different benefits every two months starting with Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit during April and May.

The recession is taking its heavy toll on more than two million older people in the UK still living in poverty. They are struggling to pay high energy bills and are benefiting less than other groups from the drop in inflation because of their different spending habits. Older people with modest savings have also seen their income from savings shrink as a result of the cuts in interest rates.

Despite all this, one in three pensioners entitled to Pension Credit and Council Tax Benefit are missing out. Many older people are failing to claim benefits cash that’s rightfully theirs because they don’t know that they are entitled, are worried about the complexity of the process or are embarrassed about claiming. Yet Age Concern Dorchester offers free and confidential expert support and advice which can help make claiming simple.

Peter Lindsley, Information & Advice Manager at Age Concern Dorchester, said:

“Last year we helped around 98 local older people to claim benefits worth about £280000,and we aim to reach even more people this year. There are thousands of pensioners in Dorset who are missing out on cash that is rightfully theirs, which could be a crucial lifeline in times of recession like this.”