Pensions Minister Visits Tameside
Pensions Minister Visits Tameside
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Interview - 25th November 2004
Malcolm Wicks, Minister of State for Pensions is encouraging local authorities to follow Tameside Council's example when it comes to working with older people.
Mr Wicks visited Ashton-under-Lyne, on November 25, to meet with staff from Tameside Council's joint team with the Pension Service. Tameside was the first council in the North West to set up this joint team with the Pensions Service to ensure the over 60s get the benefits to which they are entitled.
The team, from its base in Beech House in Hyde, is providing a one-stop service in which more clients are being seen and their claims are processed more quickly and effectively.
Take up of the Guarantee element of Pension Credit has reached 92.2% in Tameside and there are now over 1,700 extra claimants compared with July 2000. The new Joint visiting team is beginning to assist hundreds of Tameside residents to claim their full entitlement to benefits. They are seeing over 300 people a month, and, for example, people seen in July are now receiving over £3,500 a week in extra benefit as a result of being helped to claim the benefits they were entitled to. Mr Wicks also launched OWL, a website dedicated to older people.
Councillor Margaret Oldham, Executive Member for Co-ordination services said: "We are delighted that Mr Wicks visited us to hear about our successful work with older people. Tameside is leading the way in this work and we are pleased that he is encouraging others to learn from us."
Text Only Version
Malcolm Wicks meets with Pensions Staff in the New Archives Centre in Ashton and is given a tour by Cllr Margaret Oldham and Paul Dowthwaite.
There then follows a presentation of the OWL project developed by Tameside Council.
Mr Wicks is then shown the OWL website in action and is photographed by the press.
"I'm very committed to the fact that we've got to join up services and benefits across Britain for the benefit of older people.
From Tameside we've seen joint working in practice. I've met members of the Tameside team and I'm encouraged by skills and work they're doing for the benefit of older people in Tameside.
I think the website is another example of that joined up approach because many older people are interested in I. T. or they're learning it for the first time. If they can't operate it themselves they're asking a grandchild or neighbour that can. I think the website is an excellent way of bringing service provision and benefits to older people in Tameside.
I go away back to London, Whitehall and the House of Commons very encouraged by what I've seen here in Tameside."