Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with (a) Staffordshire County Council and (b) Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council on their potential role in increasing the number of people claiming pension credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

The Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions wrote to all local authorities on 20 August. The letter acknowledged the vital role local authorities play in supporting their communities. The Government recognises that many local authorities already do a huge amount of work to promote benefit take-up. We are asking that local authorities support our national Pension Credit campaign and help us reach those eligible pensioners who have not claimed Pension Credit, so they continue to receive an annual Winter Fuel Payment.

Building on last year’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial, the Department will be directly contacting approximately 120,000 pensioner households who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit.

We will be inviting these households to apply for Pension Credit before the 21 December backdating deadline, in order to ensure that if they are eligible they will also qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment.

As part of last week’s Pension Credit Week of Action, we joined forces with national charities, broadcasters and local authorities to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim.

From 16 September, we will be running a national paid marketing campaign on a range of channels (including print advertising in the Stoke Sentinel and regional radio advertising - including on Greatest Hits Radio - Staffordshire and Cheshire). The campaign will target potential pension-age customers, as well as the influencers who can encourage and support them to apply, such as friends and family.

Our future campaign messaging will also focus on encouraging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit before the 21^st December 2024, which is the last date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment.