This article covers the expected rise in energy bills coming in April, following the end of the government's energy price guarantee. The i interviewed IA media volunteer Veronica on her experience of the cost of living crisis. The article also used a comment from Morgan Vine, Head of Policy and Influencing, who described the expected rise of £500 to be 'catastrophic' for those already struggling to pay bills. Read the article here
Following IAs release of the report “"'Not enough to live on’: Pensioner Poverty in Scotland”, several Scottish outlets picked up on the story. The Herald ran with it both in print and online outlining key statistics such as the extra 25,000 Scottish pensioners in poverty since 2008 and using quotes from participants from the study.
An Op-ed from Debbie Horne, our Scotland Policy and Public Affairs manager, also went out the same day as the report was released. It was published by The Herald (print), The Poverty Alliance and on our own Medium blog : We need a pensioner poverty strategy for Scotland
Following the DWP releasing their Pension Credit caseload statistics for 2022, Independent Age reacted by praising the apparent increase in uptake. However, the lack of data regarding how many people still weren't receiving Pension Credit led IA to call for greater clarity on how many people are still missing out on the benefit. The story was picked up in England and Scotland with both the Daily Record and The Express running stories using IA's statement. The Express also used quotes form IA media volunteer Yvonne about the positive impact Pension Credit has had on her life.
The i did a long read article on the issue of pensioner fuel poverty. This follows a recent survey by Independent Age in which 50% of retired people said they were worried about not being able to pay their energy bills over the next six months. The i spoke to Morgan Vine, Head of Policy and Influencing, who revealed harrowing stories from the IA helpline and called for more government support. The i also spoke to IA media volunteer Thabani, who spoke about the help she received from IA and the huge difference Pension Credit has made in helping her pay bills. Read the full article here.
With Valentines Day approaching, Independent Age circulated a press release warning older people of the growing issue of romance scams. The story was picked up by The Express, who's article included a statement in the issue from Fran McSweeney, our helpline number and our tips for spotting scammers. The article also discusses IA's partnership with nationwide aimed at tackling scammers targeting older people.
The Daily Express spoke to Independent Age media volunteer Veronica about her experience of the cost of living crisis, which she compared to living in wartime. The article also quotes Morgan Vine, Head of Policy and Influencing, discussing the worrying statistics revealed in a recent survey carried out by Independent Age. The figures imply that a significant proportion of older people will be cutting back on essentials this Christmas.
Both the Daily Mail and the Telegraph ran with comments made by Morgan Vine, Head of Policy and Influencing, on the worrying prospect of blackouts affecting older people amidst the current cold snap. She expresses concerns over the health and safety of vulnerable older people who rely on equipment that requires continuous power and the risk of some older people being cut off.
Ahead of the 18th December cut off point to become eligible the second half of the cost of living payment by back dating a Pension Credit claim, Independent Age circulated a press release to alert the public. The story was picked up by the national news outlets. Read more in the Daily Express and i News.
