New State Pension pay delay warning for older people due to retire this year

The Conservative Party manifesto confirms that a General Election win on July 4 will see the introduction of the ‘Triple Lock Plus’, a new measure that will ensure the Personal Allowance - which has been frozen at £12,570 since April 2021 - rise in-line each year with the Triple Lock. This guarantee would mean that the Personal Allowance is always higher than the maximum rate of the New State Pension, which is now worth £11,502 annually.

The Liberal Democrats have launched their Party manifesto which pledges to maintain the State Pension Triple Lock, in a move similar to that of Labour and the Conservatives. They have also pledged to ensure women born in the 1950s, who have been affected by changes to the State Pension age, are “finally treated fairly and properly compensated”.

The State Pension now provides a regular income for nearly 12.7 million older people across Great Britain, including more than one million living in Scotland. The payment is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to those who have reached the UK Government’s eligible retirement age - now 66 for both men and women - and have paid at least 10 years' worth of National Insurance contributions.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show UK inflation fell to the lowest level in nearly three years in April. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate slowed to 2.3 per cent, down from 3.2 per cent in March and is now the lowest level since July 2021 when inflation was recorded at 2 per cent, which is the Bank of England’s target level.

The Killers have played ‘Andy, You’re A Star’ for the first time in seven years at their surprise intimate gig in New York City – watch fan-filmed footage below:The band unveiled their last-minute concert just days ago, which was to take place on the same day as their 20th anniversary for their seminal debut album ‘Hot Fuss’.Now, The Killers have played their concert at the 500-capacity Bowery Ballroom, which saw them perform ‘Andy, You’re A Star’ for the first time since 2018. ‘Andy, You’re A Star’ originally appeared as the sixth track from ‘Hot Fuss’.Not only that, the Las Vegas band performed several ‘Hot Fuss’ classics including ‘Mr Brightside’, ‘Somebody Told Me’, and ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’.Check out footage of The Killers playing ‘Andy, You’re A Star’ below:The Bowery Ballroom show is a warm-up gig for their upcoming UK and Ireland tour later this June, which will see the band stop off at London’s O2 Arena for a whopping six dates.

The Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign (WASPI) have written to shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, following her comments on compensation for 1950s-born women made during a press conference in Edinburgh earlier this week. Speaking to journalists alongside Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar at the head office of NatWest Group on Tuesday, Ms Reeves was asked about compensation promised to WASPI women under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour party. Ms Reeves said that she recognised the injustice, but added that no costing of compensation has been carried out yet.

People over State Pension age living in five council areas will become the first in the country to be eligible for a new disability benefit which is set t replace Attendance Allowance for people in Scotland. Pension Age Disability Payment will be rolled out in phases from October 21, 2024, starting in Argyll and Bute, Highland, Aberdeen City, Orkney and Shetland.

During the first televised General Election debate on ITV on Tuesday night between Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister warned that “for the first time in our country’s history, if Labour are elected, pensioners will pay tax.”

Nearly 1.4 million older people across Great Britain, including more than 126,800 living in Scotland, are currently receiving Pension Credit support of around £3,900 each year. However, the latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) suggest there are still 880,000 eligible pensioners not claiming the benefit they are entitled to.

The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that there are now more than 1.5 million older people receiving additional financial support through Attendance Allowance, including over 136,200 living in Scotland. The payment is worth either £72.65 or £108.55 each week and is designed to help people of State Pension age with daily living expenses.

Following news of their 'split', it has been reported that Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford have been living separate lives for two years. According to The Sun, the presenting duo’s relationship changed when they left This Morning in 2021. Ruth had been presenting the show since 1999 before Eamonn joined her in 2006 - and they worked together for 15 years.

Work and Pensions Secretary of State, Mel Stride MP, will face questions from the Work and Pensions Committee this week in an accountability session examining the work of his Department as well as recent UK Government announcements and policy developments. The meeting with the cross-party group of MPs will take place on Wednesday, May 22 at 9.25am.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced that on Monday, May 27 all Jobcentre Plus offices and phone lines will be closed due to the Spring bank holiday. It has also confirmed people due to receive a scheduled payment on that day will instead see the money land in their bank account on Friday, May 24.

An online petition calling for a public inquiry to be held into changes made to the State Pension age for women born in the 1950s has passed the 10,000 signature threshold and is now entitled to a written response from the UK Government.

Sir Stephen Timms, chairman of the Work and Pensions Committee, has written to Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride, following an oral evidence session last week with the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) Campaign and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) on the findings in its final report into changes made to the State Pension age for millions of women born in the 1950s.

Nearly one million people across Great Britain, including 83,903 living in Scotland are currently receiving £81.90 each week in Carer’s Allowance. However, many of those claimants may not be aware of several changes in circumstances that must be reported to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), or risk losing their benefit entitlement.

More than 59,500 people have signed an online petition calling for a ‘universal’ weekly State Pension payment of nearly £550 to bring into line with the National Living Wage. Petition creator Michael Thompson also suggests making the option to claim State Pension available to everyone from the age of 60 - six years lower than the current official age of retirement of 66.

A jump in people aged in their 50s and 60s who are looking to get on to the property ladder has been recorded by a mortgage services provider. Legal & General Mortgage Services said that in the first quarter of 2024, there was a 13 per cent increase in people aged 56 to 65 looking to move into home ownership, compared with the same period last year.

The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that at the end of August 2023, more than 1.5 million older people were receiving additional financial support through Attendance Allowance, including over 136,200 living in Scotland. This is a significant increase of 36,061 on the number of people claiming the non-means tested benefit in the previous quarter, ending in May 2023.

The next bank holiday takes place on May 27 which means some people will receive their scheduled State Pension or benefit payment early. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has already published updated payment date details for Tax Credits and Child Benefit, while the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Social Security Scotland are expected to announce similar changes soon.