1.7m pensioners will miss out on Cold Weather Payments

Up to 1.7m pensioners will miss out on Cold Weather payments triggered by the recent weather, according to analysis of Government figures by the Liberal Democrats.

Cold Weather Payments of £25 a week are paid to people on low incomes who receive a qualifying benefit, such as Pension Credit, which goes unclaimed by 1.7m pensioners.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman for Brentwood & Ongar, Cllr David Kendall said

"It is a scandal that pensioners on the breadline are missing out on these payments, worth an estimated £42.5 million.

The figures for Brentwood & Ongar suggest there are over 1,670 pensioners missing the payments and it could be even higher. Fuel prices are at an all time high, making cold weather payments all the more important to people struggling on a poverty pension.

Labour has failed pensioners by creating a complicated system that makes it difficult for them to get the help they desperately need. The Government should be making every effort to identify pensioners who are missing out and get them this extra cash"