10,000 city pensioners missing out on cold weather payments

NEARLY 10,000 pensioners across the city are expected to have missed out on receiving cold weather payments during the recent bad weather.

To be eligible for the 25-a-week sums, residents must also be in receipt of another benefit, such as pension credit, but thousands are not applying for it.

Edinburgh South Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate Fred Mackintosh says the "complicated" system for applying for benefits makes it difficult for people to secure the money.

He said: "The Government should be making every effort to identify pensioners who are missing out and get them this extra cash. It is a scandal that so many pensioners in Edinburgh on the breadline are missing out on these payments."

Cold weather payments are issued when temperatures are below 0C for seven consecutive days, yet go unclaimed by as many as 1.7 million people.