Benefits - are you getting enough?

Many Hull residents may not be claiming their full state benefits. Hull in print reports.

More than 300 elderly people in Hull now have more money coming in each week, thanks to the work of Nick Cawthorn.
Nick, a Hull City Council visiting officer, works in the Revenues and Benefits Team to ensure pensioners across the city get their full entitlement of state benefits.
He works in partnership with the Pensions Service, which is a Government agency, and visits older people at home.
It's believed a significant number of Hull residents are not getting their full entitlements, but Nick is helping to tackle the problem.
"I have been working in partnership with the Pensions Service since January this year, and we have been looking primarily at Pensions Credits.
"We arrange a meeting with a client, and then sit down with them at home, go through all their existing details regarding benefits claims, and calculate everything to the penny.
"Then we find out if they are entitled to anything extra, such as Pensions Credit and also Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance. They may also be entitled to help with optical and dental charges.
"If they are, we help them with the application forms and make the whole process smooth and easy to follow."
Nick said pensioners often find themselves £15 to £20 per week better off - and in one case he helped a pensioner claim more than £60 per week extra.
More than 300 Hull pensioners have received visits from Nick and his colleagues in the service so far.
And claims can be backdated for 12 months, meaning benefits claimants can receive a tidy lump sum.
"It's very fulfilling work and I'm glad to be able to help make people better off," Nick added.

Who else is missing out?

Meanwhile, Hull City Council wants to ensure people are getting their full entitlement of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
More than 37,000 Hull people are currently in receipt of these. Around £25 million of Council Tax Benefit alone is claimed by Hull residents, but it is still believed people are still not getting their full entitlement.
Among those missing out are the elderly, people from ethnic minorities who have English as a second language, disabled people, single people living alone, families on low incomes, single parents, and people in hospital.