The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced the expansion of a scheme that has helped Londoners receive an additional £8.4m in unclaimed Pension Credit.
Unclaimed Pension Credit is estimated to be worth £246.5m a year in London, with eligible households missing out on average over £3,500 every year.
In February, the mayor and the capital’s boroughs launched a campaign to encourage eligible residents to apply for Pension Credit.
More than 8,200 older households were sent reminders. This resulted in 2,165 successful claims, amounting to just under £8.4m – an average of £3,879 per claim.
The mayor yesterday announced that he will be expanding the campaign this autumn to include up to 23 boroughs or 10,000 households.
Mr Khan said: ‘This has been a hugely successful campaign that has secured more than £8m in unclaimed benefits for older Londoners on the lowest incomes, who are disproportionately feeling the cost-of-living squeeze.
‘I am pleased that we will now be extending the scheme to thousands more older Londoners who may not know they are eligible to receive Pension Credit or how to claim it. This is part of my commitment to continue building a better and more prosperous London for everyone.’