Local organisations supported by Frome Town Council will host a drop in session on Tuesday, October 22, encouraging people to check their eligibility for unclaimed pension credit.

Taking place between 10am and 12pm, the session is hosted by Fair Frome, Prosper Frome, The Bridge Cafe and the Frome branch of Health Connections Mendip. The session is open to join for anyone who personally needs support, or are themselves supporting a friend or relative.

This comes in the wake of the government’s announcement to have the winter fuel payment be restricted to pensioners in receipt of pension credit or other means-tested benefits.

Independent Age, a national charity focussing on improving the lives of those struggling financially later in life, launched an information campaign earlier in the year on the subject. Their research found that, 1240 people in what was the constituency of Somerton and Frome may be eligible for pension credit, but not claiming it.

The deadline for successful claimants is December 21 in order to receive back payments for the winter of 2024/25.

Each of the participating organisations commented, with Anne Hills from Prosper Frome saying: “We often see older people at our regular drop-in sessions, and we know that our colleagues at Citizen’s Advice have seen an increase in enquiries from people of retirement age too. It may turn out that you don’t qualify for pension credit, but you lose nothing by checking.”

Lenka Grimes, of Fair Frome, said: “Sadly, there are people of all ages in our town who are struggling. If that person is of pension age, the loss of the Winter Fuel Payment is a huge blow. The threshold to qualify for pension credit is quite low, and eligibility doesn’t give a full picture of an individual’s circumstances. This means some people won’t qualify for pension credit despite being in genuine need.”

Jenny Hartnoll, from Health Connections Mendip, stated “Many people don’t know what pension credit is, whether they qualify, or how to apply for it. The need to increase awareness is now urgent, in light of the government’s recent policy change on winter fuel payments. The more people who know about pension credit, the more chance we have to reach those who may be eligible.”

Tony Perry, of The Bridge Cafe, added “Managing financial affairs can be a complex task, especially as we age. Personal pride can make it difficult to ask for help, and using the internet or phone to manage finances isn’t suitable for everyone. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but it is important that we can all get the help we need, in the way we need it.”

Chief executive of Independent Age Joanna Elson also released an open letter, and said: “Pension Credit can be transformative, it tops up income by on average, almost £4,000 a year. It also acts as a gateway to other benefits such as free TV licences for over 75s, free NHS prescriptions, council tax reduction, Housing Benefit, free eye tests and much more.”