𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The number of pensioners in poverty would crash by 280,000 if every older person claimed the benefits to which they are entitled, according to a new analysis. The research by Public First calculates the improvements in their health would save the NHS and social care services in England £790million.

It found that if everyone who is entitled claimed the pension credit, pensioner housing benefit and the council tax reduction, then pensioner poverty would fall by 15%. The Government is now being urged by leading charity Independent Age to publish a strategy so older people do not miss out on life-changing help.

The charity, which commissioned the research, warns there were around 1.7 million older people in relative poverty in 2024-35 – an increase of approximately 200,000 on the 12 months before. It states another million are at risk of poverty but 38% of those eligible for pension credit are not receiving it, and around 230,000 older households are “missing out on housing benefit”.

Valerie Michalski, a 68-year-old pensioner, from the Isle of Wight, described the difficulty she faced before she received the full support for which she qualifies.

She said: “I had to cut back on everything. I lived on £1 meals… I relied on a local community pantry where £5 bought roughly £15 of food. I couldn’t afford to put the heating on. My house is all electric and it was simply too expensive. I spent winters wrapped in blankets, drinking cups of instant soup to keep warm, and sometimes slept downstairs so I didn’t have to walk through cold rooms at night.”

She was helped by Independent Age to receive housing benefit and a reduction in her council tax.

She said: “Life is so much better now. I still budget carefully, but I’m not living on my credit card anymore.

“I can buy fresh vegetables, cook proper meals and freeze portions so food lasts longer.”

Joanna Elson, chief executive of Independent Age, said: “Our social security system was designed as a safety net for all of us but the evidence is clear, it is failing older people in poverty. Money that has been set aside is not reaching the older people who need it and at a time with increasing costs, the impact of this is devastating.”

Ms Elson said the change in prime minister should be a “golden opportunity for the UK Government to reverse the worsening picture of poverty in later life”.

Her charity reports that in 2023/24, “only 62% of those eligible were receiving the income top-up pension credit, meaning that 1.2 million older people were missing out on a combined £2.5billion of available pension credit”.

A Government spokesperson said: “Supporting pensioners is a priority and our commitment to the triple lock for the rest of this Parliament means millions of pensioners will see their yearly State Pension rise by up to £2,100.

“Thanks to our biggest ever pension credit take-up campaign, we have seen an additional 33,500 pension credit awards in 2025, worth on average £87 a week, compared with the previous year.

“We are also working to bring together the administration of pensioner housing benefit and pension credit, to ensure more pensioners receive all the benefits they are entitled to.”