The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced he is extending his successful Pension Credit campaign for a further year, as new figures showed the scheme has delivered an additional £9.5m to more than 2,100 older Londoners on low incomes in the past year alone.
Together with London boroughs, Sadiq launched a campaign in February 2023 to ensure older Londoners do not miss out on receiving all of their Pension Credit. Since then, more than 4,300 Londoners have claimed Pension Credit they are entitled to, resulting in £17.9m in direct additional annual income.
With cost-of-living pressures persisting and energy bills rising again, it is important that older Londoners are made aware of all the extra support, including Pension Credit and Winter Fuel Allowance, that they are entitled to.
The Government provides Pension Credit to people of state pension age on low incomes, however not everyone is aware that they qualify for it. In addition to providing extra money for older Londoners on low incomes, receipt of Pension Credit also unlocks a range of further support, including help with energy and council tax bills, free NHS dental treatment, Housing Benefit for renters and free TV licences for those aged 75 or above.
The Mayor will be extending the campaign for another year to work with 25 boroughs in the capital. The scheme is expected to reach over 12,500 households, with up to £10m in Pension Credit likely to be claimed.
The campaign, which launched in February 2023 in partnership with welfare and data analytics company Policy in Practice, sees eligible older Londoners in 23 London boroughs receive targeted letters to make them aware that they should be claiming this valuable benefit.
Since autumn last year, the campaign has targeted more than 12,400 households. This led to 2,174 older Londoners on lower incomes claiming Pension Credit they are entitled to, worth an average of £4,394 per person. In addition to this, all were able to claim Winter Fuel Payment, totalling £200 per household.
This approach is easily replicable across councils and can significantly narrow the gap in unclaimed support.
Sadiq recently announced a further £3.5m in funding to extend free advice and support services across the capital that have already helped low-income Londoners secure more than £25m in financial support.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Many older households in London are disproportionately affected by cost-of-living pressures so I am delighted that thanks to our campaign they have claimed over £17m in Pension Credit.
“I’m pleased to be extending the scheme for a further year, helping to reach even more households across the capital that are eligible to receive Pension Credit. As Mayor, I will continue to stand up for all Londoners and do all I can to help them with cost-of-living pressures, building a better and fairer London for everyone.”
Deven Ghelani, Founder and Director of Policy in Practice, said: “We are delighted to see this campaign’s continued success, which has helped put an additional £9 million into the pockets of Londoners in the past year after already securing over £8 million in the previous year. It’s great news that more pensioners are getting the financial support they need.
“The increased income for some of London’s poorest elderly citizens, worth over £4,000, can have wider benefits, providing much needed relief this winter, opening access to additional support such as Warm Home Discounts and free TV licence.
“We fully support the Mayor’s decision to extend the campaign, boosting incomes ahead of changes to Winter Fuel Payment eligibility. The results achieved in the capital are easily replicable across the country and we encourage local authorities to get in touch to see how they can follow suit.”
John McGeachy, Campaigns Manager at Age UK London, said: “Sadly, it is often the case that those people who would most benefit from certain information, are the last to hear about it. This is certainly true when it comes to Pension Credit and sadly London has some of the lowest Pension Credit uptake rates in the country.
“That’s why this campaign is so important, and we’re delighted that it has been so effective so far. London has the highest poverty rate for people of pension age in the UK and having such a targeted campaign has never mattered more than it does now.”
