OFFICIAL FIGURES SHOW MORE THAN A THOUSANDS EASTLEIGH PENSIONERS ARE LOSING £40 A WEEK

4.04.20pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 17th Feb 2004

Chris Huhne MEP and Sandra Gidley MP at Rowan Court

Confusion among pensioners about the Government's new Pensioner Credit means that more than a thousand households in Eastleigh are failing to claim their entitlement.

More than one in three Eastleigh pensioners who are entitled to benefit are not claiming, according to Chris Huhne MEP, the Liberal Democrats' prospective parliamentary candidate.

Mr Huhne was speaking after a recent visit to Fern Hill Extra Care Home in Chandlers' Ford with Romsey MP Sandra Gidley.

Official figures released to the Liberal Democrats in parliamentary questions show that so far just 2203 households in Eastleigh are claiming an average of £39.15 a week in the new pensioner credit.

'This leaves at least a thousand Eastleigh pensioner households who could be better off by the same amount if they knew about the Pensioner Credit and put in their claim' said Chris Huhne, the Hampshire MEP and prospective parliamentary candidate for Eastleigh.

'The Government does not estimate the number of eligible pensioner households by locality, but it does say that so far only 210,000 of the 350,000 eligible pensioner households in the South East region are claiming the new Pensioner Credit. This is far too low, and it means that many older people are struggling to get by on their pensions' said Mr Huhne.

'If Eastleigh is in line with the South East average, this means that 40 per cent of eligible Eastleigh pensioner households - about 1300 single people and couples - are losing out on average by £39 per week' said Mr Huhne. 'This is £2.5 million a year that could be going to poorer Eastleigh old people'.

Mr Huhne said that the Liberal Democrats wanted to see an increase in the state pension precisely because of concern that means-tested benefits like the Pensioner Credit suffer from low take-up.

'Most older people are proud of a lifetime's service and many think it is demeaning to ask for more money than is paid out in the old age pension. However, it is really essential that people claim this money when it is their entitlement. They have paid their taxes over their lives, and this is a small pay back for all that' said Mr Huhne.

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