Age Scotland welcomes Chancellor’s support package for lowest income pensioners

The national charity for older people has welcomed news that the lowest income older households across Scotland are set to receive additional support of over £1,000 this year to help with rising energy bills, including a new one-off £650 cost of living payment and separate one-off payments of £300 to pensioner households. 

With many of the measures being paid directly to those already claiming social security benefits, the charity is also urging older people to check their eligibility and ensure they are claiming everything they are entitled to with a free call to their 0800 12 44 222 helpline.  

Age Scotland’s Chief Executive, Brian Sloan, said: 

“There’s no doubt that the measures announced by the Chancellor today will make a significant difference to older people, particularly those on low and fixed incomes who need the greatest level of support.  

“There is certainly more money available than we might have expected. And with tens of millions of pounds of extra money being made available to the Scottish Government, they must ensure this also gets to those most in need.  

“We are experiencing exceptional circumstances in terms of the rising cost of living and, especially following this week’s ominous predictions from Ofgem, the only way to mitigate the damage to households was with urgent and preventative action like this. 

“The extra support will go a long way to ease the minds of people who have been really struggling in recent months, offering much-needed reassurance that they will be in a better position to heat their homes and afford essentials in the winter without fears of falling into debt.  

“As it stands, more than 100,000 older households in Scotland are not claiming important social security payments available to those on low incomes, such as Pension Credit. They will miss out unless they claim, so now is the time to do it. 

“Across Scotland, hundreds of millions of pounds of social security are being missed out on by older people in Scotland every year. Age Scotland can help people understand what they are entitled to and access it. Call us on 0800 12 44 222 or visit www.age.scot/benefitscalculator.”