LABOUR ACTION TO HELP PENSIONERS WITH COUNCIL TAX BILLS

Labour has done a lot to address pensioner poverty with initiatives like the winter fuel payments, concessionary fares, free TV licenses and pension credit. But the take-up of some social security benefits among older people could still be improved.

I know from my casework as a councillor, and previously as a welfare rights officer, that some elderly people feel there is a stigma in claiming their full entitlements. The British Legion agrees and is one of a number of organisations who have voiced concerns about this phenomenon.

It’s a sad irony that the very people who built the welfare state are among the most reluctant to enjoy the fruits of the welfare state that they secured. It was this generation who voted in their millions for the first post-war Labour government to make sure we didn’t go back to the grinding poverty of 1930s Britain under the Conservatives.

It’s therefore good news that the Labour government has decided to rename Council Tax Benefit, which was originally introduced in the aftermath of the disastrous poll tax. In future it will be known as Council Tax Rebate. This might seem like a relatively insignificant step, but I’m sure it will encourage more pensioners to claim the help to which they’re entitled. At the moment the take-up of this benefit is between 62 – 68 per cent and the average award is just under £16 per week. Anything that helps to increase take-up should be welcomed.

But simply renaming Council Tax Benefit is not enough. It needs to be part of a wider programme to raise awareness about social security benefits. Labour has recognised that further steps need to be taken to make claiming simpler and the government is taking action. Since November last year, pensioners have been able to apply for support with their Council Tax and Housing costs through an initiative that allows people to avoid pages of paper work. Pension Credit now only requires just one free phone call.

Poverty remains a stain on our society. Under Labour it’s been reducing, but a change of government would see that decline reversed. It was Harold Wilson who said the Labour Party is a moral crusade or it is nothing. The elimination of poverty is certainly a moral crusade that’s well worth fighting for.