Havering Labour councillors warn many residents could be missing out on support they are entitled to.

Changes to support for some of those in receipt of the state pension has naturally hit the headlines. With an estimated 4 in 10 eligible people not claiming Pension Credit, it may be time to review your entitlement and alert friends and relatives to do the same. To check eligibility, visitwww.gov.uk/pension-credit/eligibility or call the Pension Credit claim line at 0800 99 1234.

Across the country, up to £23 billion of benefits is going unclaimed by people who are entitled to support. Havering residents should take the opportunity to find out whether there is any support they are not claiming. 

Labour Group Leader Councillor Keith Darvill was keen to point out that there are a few ways to check, “Residents can visit https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators also they can contact the Citizens Advice Bureau by searching online or calling 08081 898 273.  Peabody offer the same service and can be reached on 0300 123 3456″.

Labour Group Deputy Leader, Councillor Mandy Anderson understands that the range of benefits can appear overwhelming. “Perhaps the clearest reason why benefits might go unclaimed is that people are simply unaware of what and how they can claim. One example is Attendance Allowance, available to people over pension age who are assessed as needing assistance with day to day living or mobility, even if no assistance is in place – income and savings are disregarded”

The UK’s benefit system has evolved significantly over time and is an administrative obstacle course for claimants. People experiencing poverty are more likely to be under extreme stress, which can be worsened by their efforts to navigate the system. Havering Council’s own assessment is that 20% of households are not ‘internet savvy’. Placing many sources of information and forms online means that some people are struggling when they don’t have to.

Claiming benefits continues to be stigmatised and associated with a sense of shame by many individuals. Benefits claimants are often cast as being ‘undeserving’, and surveys have found that up to a quarter of respondents eligible for but not claiming Universal Credit cited ‘benefits stigma’ as their main reason for not making a claim.

Unfortunately, deliberate barriers in the social security system like conditionality and threats of sanctions can also deter eligible claimants from engaging with the system.

“It’s not wrong to ask for the help that you deserve” said Councillor Katharine Tumilty, “and while there will always be people that sit just over the line and find themselves ineligible for one particular form of assistance, these figures show that there may be many people who don’t realise that there is more help available for them”.

Councillor Trevor Mckeever is hopeful that the new Labour Government’s plan to grow the economy and take control of energy prices will mitigate the impact of changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance, “Dagenham & Rainham’s Labour MP, Margaret Mullane, has already confirmed that she will continue to press for a rise in baseline for Pension Credit eligibility, any possible delay to the introduction, and better safeguarding to ensure that pensioners in places like Dagenham and Rainham do not fall through the gaps.”

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