3430 Rochdale pensioners will miss out on Cold Weather Payments

12.00.00am GMT Tue 12th Jan 2010

Rochdale MP Paul Rowen has slammed the Government after figures recently obtained by the Liberal Democrats show that around 50% of all pensioners entitled to Cold Weather Payments in Rochdale have failed to make a claim.

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 around 3040 pensioners in Rochdale.

Up to 1.7m pensioners will miss out on Cold Weather Payments across the country, triggered by the recent weather, according to analysis of Government figures by the Liberal Democrats.

Rochdale MP Paul Rowen said: "It's an absolute scandal that pensioners in Rochdale, who are struggling to make ends meet, are missing out on these payments. Fuel prices are at an all time high, making Cold Weather Payments all the more important to people already struggling on a poverty pension.

Mr Rowen added: "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."