London Mayor Ken Livingstone has advised pensioners to be aware of their benefit rights.

Speaking at London’s City Hall, where he was promoting Age Concern ‘Your Rights’ week, Mr Livingstone highlighted the problems of underclaiming benefits by older people.

Over a third of pensioners (36 per cent) do not claim their full entitlement under Minimum Income Guarantee.
Furthermore, a third fail to claim Council Tax Benefit and between forty and sixty per cent of those entitled to Attendance Allowance do not claim it.

According to Mr Livingstone 36 per cent of inner city London pensioners are living in poverty, higher than anywhere else in Britain.

The Mayor said, ‘My message to older Londoners today is to make sure that you are claiming every penny you are entitled to.’

Age Concern’s Your Rights Week campaign (4-11 April 2003) encourages pensioners to claim the benefits they are entitled to as the new increases in social security benefits come into force on Monday (7 April).
From Monday, the MIG will top up a single person’s weekly state pension to £102.10 – the first time it has been more than £100.

Age Concern can provide advice to pensioners anywhere in the UK on benefit rights.