Millions of households across Britain are failing to claim benefit support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) worth £24billion annually, according to fresh research from Policy in Practice.
Based on the social policy analytics firm’s findings, the unclaimed assistance spans multiple categories of welfare support available to residents in England, Scotland and Wales.
According to Policy in Practice, three primary obstacles prevent eligible households from accessing this support, including: lack of awareness about available benefits, the complicated nature of application processes, and social stigma associated with claiming assistance.
Deven Ghelani, the founder and chief executive of Policy in Practice, identified these three obstacles in detail. “With awareness people just don’t know these benefits exist or, if they do know about them, they just immediately assume they won’t qualify,” he explained.
Millions could claim up to £24billion in benefit support they are not yet receiving
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“Then you’ve got complexity, so being able to complete the form, being able to provide the evidence to be able to claim. Maybe you can do that once but actually you have to do it three, four, five, six, seven times depending on the support you’re potentially eligible for and people just run out of steam.”
“Then you’ve got stigma. People are made to feel it’s not for them or they don’t trust the organisation administering that support,” he added.
Speaking to Radio 4’s Money Box programme last December, benefit claimant Andrea Paterson from London shared how she helped her elderly parents access financial support after learning about Attendance Allowance.
Her father, who has since passed away, had been experiencing health difficulties when the family applied for the benefit.
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The application resulted in her parents receiving the higher rate payment of £110 weekly, which significantly improved their financial situation.
“£110 per week is a lot of money and they weren’t getting the Winter Fuel Payment anymore,” Andrea explained.
“So the first words that came out of Mum’s mouth were ‘well, that will make up for losing the winter fuel payment’, which [was] great.”
“All pensioners worry about money, everyone in that generation worries about money. I think it eased that worry a little bit and it did allow them to keep the house [warmer],” Andrea said.
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The unclaimed support encompasses state benefits like universal credit and pension credit, assistance from local councils such as free school meals and council tax reductions, plus discounted rates from utility companies for water, electricity and internet services.
The Government defended its efforts, stating it promotes available benefits through public awareness campaigns and provides funding for the free Help to Claim service.
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A DWP spokesperson said: “We’re making sure everyone gets the support they are entitled to by promoting benefits through public campaigns and funding the free Help to Claim service.”
Claire Atchia McMaster, the director of income and external affairs at Turn2us, criticised the current system’s impact on vulnerable people. “At Turn2us, we hear from people every day who feel like they’re being locked out of a system that should be supporting them,” she stated.
She argued the research demonstrates how bureaucratic processes discourage legitimate claims. “This new research exposes the consequences of a complex social security system that demoralises people and treats them like children when they try to access support.”
Ms McMaster called for fundamental changes to rebuild public trust in the DWP: “We want to see the Government move from a system grounded in suspicion and control, to one that treats people with dignity and respect,” she said.