Maidenhead & Windsor

A scheme to help the Maidenhead Royal Borough's older residents with their claims for welfare benefits has enabled them to claim well over £½ million in additional financial help in a year.

However, government funding runs out on September 30 so Maidenhead council's welfare benefits team has issued a final call to residents aged over 60 to make sure they take advantage of the scheme before it comes to an end.

The Maidenhead borough's successful bid to the Department of Work and Pensions in 2004 attracted £60,000 specifically to help older residents with their claims It enabled the welfare benefits team to specifically target hard-to-reach older people to make sure they were getting all the benefits they were entitled to.

Since the scheme was introduced in May 2005 the team has

* helped residents claim more than £535,700 in extra benefits
* held 35 surgeries and information stalls at various events and spoken to more than 800 people
* sent almost 700 direct mailshots to individual people
* received 355 referrals.

Cllr Pam Proctor, lead member for Maidenhead adult services, said this was a fantastic result for older people and she thanked the team for their hard work.

She added: "We all know that a great deal of benefits help goes unclaimed because many people don't appreciate they are entitled to it or don't know how to go about applying for it."

Cllr Proctor said that although the welfare benefits team worked all year long to encourage take-up of benefits, this scheme meant the council could increase its efforts to reach older people, with very satisfying results.

She said: "Unfortunately, the government funding runs out at the end of September so we need to send out the message that if older people would like help from the welfare benefits team now is a good time to get in touch. "

The scheme applies to Maidenhead Royal Borough residents who are aged 60 or over. The welfare benefits team can make home visits, complete a benefits check and help fill in the application forms.

Janice Dean, Maidenhead welfare benefits team leader, said she was delighted by the results so far but hoped they could help even more people before September 30.

She said: "Our message is: if you know of any resident who is over 60 and needs advice or help in claiming benefits, please pass on our details to them or, with their permission, contact us yourself. All the work we do with residents is totally confidential and we would be delighted to hear from anyone who thinks they might benefit from our help."

The team's core work is with people receiving home care services, part of which involves helping them ensure they get all the benefits they are entitled to. As well as the additional benefits through the government scheme, they have improved benefit take-up generally – enabling residents to claim more than £660,000 extra benefits a year.

Contact the welfare benefits team on 01628 683231 or 01628 683230 or email welfare.benefits@rbwm.gov.uk or view the team web page at http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/social_welfare-benefits.htm

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead