Official Figures Show Stafford Elderly Miss Out On Pension Cash

Written by Cllr Barry Stamp on Sun 20th Feb 2005

New figures released today by Stafford's would be Liberal Democrat MP have revealed that hundreds of local pensioners are missing out on pension credit payments.

Barry Stamp said that according to the Government's own figures only 70% of people entitled to this money were currently claiming it. In Stafford and Penkridge that would mean 1368 pensioner households were failing to receive money due to them.

"Pensioners continue to get a bad deal from this Government. Schemes such as the Pension Credit are complex and confusing and many people just don't bother to apply. In the last few months take-up of Pension Credit has plummeted and it now looks increasingly likely that the Government will miss its own target of an 80% take-up rate. Even if this is achieved a fifth of all pensioners will still not be getting money that is rightfully theirs. The Government's own figures would suggest that well over 1000 pensioners in Stafford and Penkridge will miss out on this cash which is rightfully theirs. Under the current system it is often people who have taken time out of paid employment to look after family members who are the worst off. I believe that every pensioner should receive an adequate basic pension and people should not be penalised for saving for their retirement. Liberal Democrats are working hard to get the current means-tested benefits for pensioners scrapped and replaced by a Citizen's Pension which would mean a decent level of pension would be available to all," said Barry Stamp