Older people due to retire this year need to claim New State Pension or payments will not start

Wedding bells are ringing for two of the Married At First Sight UK stars - and this time they're real! MAFS couple Ally Acklan and Paul Todd are set to marry later this year after the pair's stint on the E4 show was cancelled due to Covid. The couple had signed up for Married at First Sight UK's 2020 series and had been paired up by producers. However, the wedding and whole series was cancelled when a national lockdown was announced.

Forestry England has said that the mild winter and spring could cause bluebells to bloom early. Bluebells usually flower from late March to early May, but this year's mild weather means they may well be early.

Retirement expert Helen Morrissey is urging nearly one million people over State Pension age on a low income not to miss a crucial deadline to claim the £299 cost of living payment. New claims for Pension Credit made before the end of March 5, which later turn out to be successful, will also qualify for a backdated payment of the final round of cost of living support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures indicate that fraud and error in the benefit system is falling after the UK Government restated its determination to drive levels down further and protect taxpayers’ money. The latest national statistics show that in the 2022/23 financial year, fraud and error rates fell to 3.6 per cent (£8.3 billion) from 4.0 per cent (£8.7 billion).

More than 42,200 people have signed an online petition calling for a ‘universal’ weekly State Pension payment of nearly £550 in order to match the current hourly rate of the National Living Wage. Petition creator Michael Thompson has also suggested making the State Pension available to everyone from the age of 60.

A fifth of households claiming legacy benefits have had them stopped after failing to switch to Universal Credit before the deadline on the Migration Notice letter, a new report has found. The National Audit Office (NAO) called on the UK Government to ensure people are getting the benefits they are entitled to as the Managed Migration process of moving people from the older benefits system continues.

Netflix are expected to raise their prices again this year, according to a new analysis by investment bank UBS Securities.Rumours about a possible price increase gained some ground at the end of January when the streamer released its quarterly shareholder letter, which contained details of a potential hike for subscribers.The letter read: “As we invest in and improve Netflix, we’ll occasionally ask our members to pay a little extra to reflect those improvements, which in turn helps drive the positive flywheel of additional investment to further improve and grow our service.”Now, the UBS analysis indicates that price rises are likely to be imminent for Netflix subscribers. “We expect to see rate increases this year,” wrote John Hodulik, who works for the Wall Street bank (via Independent).They predict the shift will contribute to an overall company growth of 15 per cent in 2024, compared to 7 per cent last year.Currently, a basic subscription costs £7.99 a month, while a standard subscription in the UK, which allows for HD and a second device, costs £10.99 a month.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director J.K. Rowling criticized Sky News on X (formerly Twitter) after the British television news channel posted a story about a 26-year-old being jailed for murder and referred to her as a “woman” and not a transgender woman. Scarlet Blake was found guilty last week of murdering a man four months after she live-streamed a video in which she killed a cat.

J.K. Rowling has lashed out at Sky News for failing to make clear that a convicted murderer was a transgender woman.

Six bank branches around Greater Manchester are set to close this year with some being the last branches available in their respective areas. Around 250 banks are set to close, or have already shut, as financial services continue to be stripped away from UK high streets.

Streamer regulation in the UK will not come into place in full for two years, Ofcom said today.

A Labour peer has urged the UK Government to review the decision to freeze the personal allowance at £12,570 until 2026 as it could see future New State Pension payments exceed the income threshold resulting in more people paying tax in retirement. Lord Davies of Brixton warned that if no changes are made, the State Pension and personal tax allowance are on course to “collide” by the 2027-28 financial year.

People living in Scotland are in a unique position as there will be 15 benefits and payments only available for those living north of the border by the end of this year. A pilot rollout of Carer Support Payment began in November in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles and will gradually replace all new claims for Carer's Allowance, delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Newly updated figures show that during the ongoing cost of living crisis, people in the UK claiming their State Pension entitlement only just break even despite a record-breaking increase to weekly payment rates in April. The research, conducted by pension advisors Almond Financial, looked at the State Pension in comparison to the average cost of living in the UK.

A new online petition is urging the UK Government to “commit to not increasing the State Pension age above 68” following the publication of new research by the International Longevity Centre, which suggested that the State Pension age will need to rise to 71 by 2050 to keep up with projected longer life expectancy.

Prince Harryand Meghan Markle’s relaunched website and use of their official coat of arms could be telltale signs of an “internal conflict”, according to a royal expert. Last week, the couple replaced their Archewell website with Sussex.com, and included a notable change in logo from a calligraphed H&M to the couple’s coat of arms, which was designed for their wedding and approved by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2018.

The latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics show that in 2021, 3.3 million people aged 65 years and over were living alone in England and Wales, with around 337,000 single pensioner households recorded in Scotland. Navigating the ongoing cost of living crisis can be challenging for any household, but for older people on their own it’s essential that they are claiming all the additional financial support they are entitled to.

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures indicate that fraud and error in the benefit system is falling after the UK Government restated its determination to drive levels down further and protect taxpayers’ money. The latest national statistics show that in the 2022/23 financial year, fraud and error rates fell to 3.6 per cent (£8.3 billion) from 4.0 per cent (£8.7 billion).

Prince Harry has opened up about his relationship with his father, King Charles, in a new interview on US TV.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has responded to an online petition calling for the UK Government not to use new proposed powers to access bank accounts of people receiving State Pension payments. More than 12,600 people have signed the petition, however, the DWP’s written response clarifies the new measures and the types of State Pension bank accounts that may flag up for review due to potential fraud or error.