9,940 Edinburgh pensioners will miss out on Cold Weather Payments - Fred Mackintosh

10.31.26am GMT Wed 13th Jan 2010

Just short of 10,000 Edinburgh 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 as many as 1.7m pensioners.

A total of 9,940 pensioners in Edinburgh are believed by the Government to be eligible for, but not receiving Pension Credit and therefore won't receive Cold Weather Payments.

Commenting, Edinburgh South Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Fred Mackintosh said: "It is a scandal that so many pensioners in Edinburgh on the breadline are missing out on these payments. The payments lost in Edinburgh amount to almost a quarter of a million pounds a week as this cold snap lasts.

"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."

City of Edinburgh Council Convenor of Health, Social Care and Housing Council Paul Edie said, "Fuel prices are at an all time high, making Cold Weather Payments all the more important to people already struggling on a poverty pension. 19,980 people in Edinburgh already claim pension credit. I would urge any pensioner who thinks they might be entitled to pension credit, but wants some help making an application to contact the Council's Advice Shop on 0131 225 1255."

Related Links:

Find out how to get Cold Weather Payments worth £25 when temperatures are below zero degrees Celsius for seven consecutive days when they claim a qualifying benefit.

Pension Credit is a qualifying benefit yet Department for Work and Pensions figures for 2007-08 (the most recent available) show that between 1.1m and 1.7m pensioners who are poor enough to qualify for Pension Credit do not claim, meaning they won't receive Cold Weather Payments to help with fuel bills during the recent cold snap. .