The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today announced that he is extending a successful campaign to help Londoners secure the financial support that they are entitled to, after helping older Londoners on low incomes secure £40m towards their cost of living.
The Mayor’s Pension Credit campaign has helped almost 9,000 London households secure life-changing financial support from the Government since being launched in February 2023.
In the last year, this has seen more than 4,400 households successfully claim Pension Credit, unlocking more than £21.5m in new annual support and £773,000 in Winter Fuel Payments that they are entitled to.
Now the Mayor is extending the campaign by investing up to £220,000 to help even more low income Londoners to receive the financial support they are entitled to claim. Working with local boroughs, the campaign will expand to help parents on low incomes access Healthy Start Vouchers, and a new pilot will support disabled Londoners to access entitlements such as Personal Independence Payment.
It comes as new analysis from Policy in Practice shows that Londoners will miss out on almost £4.1bn in unclaimed benefits this year, including £326m in Pension Credit. That represents more than 1.1m missed claims – with an average of £3,674 per household left unclaimed.
Sadiq is urging Londoners to check their entitlements via City Hall’s Cost of Living Hub to ensure they, and their loved ones, don’t miss out. The Hub provides trusted, accessible guidance to help Londoners claim vital financial support, and to date has been viewed more than 800,000 times.
The Mayor has taken bold action to help tackle poverty in the capital, with a raft of supportive measures. His landmark Universal Free School Meals programme has ensured that every child in London state primary schools receives a free meal each day, saving families as much as £500 per child per year. Alongside this, City Hall’s income maximisation campaigns and advice services have already helped more than 120,000 Londoners claim the support they are entitled to, securing over £80m in financial gains.
In the summer the Mayor launched Holiday Hope – a new £6m programme funding more than 100 community organisations to provide disadvantaged young people with activities and food during school holidays.
The Mayor has also protected free and discounted travel for children and young people, ensuring cost is not a barrier to accessing education or opportunities across the capital.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said, “I am determined to do everything I can to support Londoners with the cost of living and I’m proud that my pension credit campaign has already unlocked over £40m in unclaimed benefits for older Londoners.
“But I know far too many people are still missing out on the vital support that they are entitled to, and it’s shocking that more than £4bn in benefits will go unclaimed across the capital – money that could be making a huge difference to families, disabled Londoners and older people. That’s why I’m extending my campaign to help reach more Londoners on low incomes and urging Londoners to use City Hall’s Cost of Living Hub to check their entitlements to ensure they or their loved ones don’t miss out.
“As we build a better, fairer London for everyone, I will continue to work with boroughs, charities and communities to ensure more Londoners get the help they need to thrive.”
Deven Ghelani, Director and Founder of Policy in Practice, said: “Too many Londoners miss out on vital support because the system is hard to navigate. We’re proud to work with the Mayor to help people access the financial support they are entitled to. This campaign has already put millions into older Londoners’ pockets and extending it will make a life-changing difference to even more households.”
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