Kirkcaldy MP warns Fifers are missing out on warm home discount
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His comments come as research from the charity Independent Age found that 1,042 older people missed out on more than £146,000 in warm home discount across the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath Constituency last winter.
Mr Hanvey has regularly spoken out about the poor uptake in Pension Credit, with a staggering £5.7 million going unclaimed across the local area last year, and in January he was part of cross-party efforts to push the UK government to come up with a clear plan on how to boost uptake.
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Hide AdThe MP said: “These new statistics from Independent Age show that during this bitterly cold winter it is more important than ever that the UK government works to get Pension Credit to the people that are missing out.
“The lack of uptake is a long-running scandal, but it’s an even bigger issue this year while we’re stuck at home due to the pandemic. There are folk in the local area who are really struggling, facing the unimaginable choice between heating or eating, and they could be getting this helping hand.
“We need to know why folk aren’t applying for Pension Credit and we need a clear plan on how to remedy that. That’s the simple request I have of the UK government. I would encourage everyone in our community to check what benefits they are entitled to with the dedicated calculator on the Scottish Government website, or through Age UK, Age Scotland and Citizens Advice.”