JEFF PRESTRIDGE: The Grinch is alive and well at the DWP and Royal Mail

Grinch 1

I was quite alarmed when I received a copy of a text message sent by the Department for Work and Pensions to someone whose entitlement to Personal Independence Allowance (PIP) is under assessment.

Although individual payment assessments – made to people with long-term physical or medical conditions that make carrying out daily tasks difficult – are a hallmark of PIP, they can be traumatic experiences, sometimes requiring a medical assessment. They can also lead to payment being stopped.

It was therefore somewhat insensitive of the DWP to send a notice of an impending review (via text message) to a PIP recipient just after 8am on Christmas Day. Especially since the woman who got it has mental health problems that can only be controlled by powerful seizure medications.

According to her mother, the text caused her daughter to have a panic attack and anxiety symptoms that ruined the holiday for her and her family.

It has also led to a dark cloud hanging over her as the ‘endless’ review process ‘slowly comes to an end’. I asked the DWP whether it thought it was appropriate to send such an insensitive text to so many people on an important family day of the year. I also asked how many text messages it had sent on Christmas Day notifying PIP claimants of upcoming assessments.

The press office responded by saying that the information I had requested was not available except through a freedom of information request – insensitively it did not comment on the poor timing of the text.

I have submitted the Freedom of Information request – and will keep you informed when I receive it.

Grinch 2

Still in the Christmas theme, a dear friend (Adrian) received a note in the letterbox of his parents’ home from Royal Mail on December 21st. It was not a letter of apology for the pervasive poor service, but a notice that he had to pay £5 before a specific item would be delivered to his home.

Assuming it was a parcel, Adrian did as he was told, paid the £5 and gave Royal Mail the date he wanted it delivered. When the item arrived a few days ago (amazingly on time), Adrian was rather miffed to discover that it wasn’t a package after all, but a Christmas card from a family friend that had been sent without stamps.

Adrian believes the £5 rate is quite excessive as a first class stamp costs £1.25 while a second class stamp is 50p cheaper. That’s true, but Royal Mail is still in a dire financial state (losses of £319 million in the six months to September 24 last year) and so needs every pound it can wrest from customers.

The irony of the message on his friend’s Christmas card was not lost on Adrian: ‘Special Christmas delivery.’

Could you be €1,200 better off?

Hats off to pension specialist Just Group, which highlights the poor acceptance of income-related benefits among the elderly.

According to the latest research, eight in 10 retired homeowners who qualify for benefits do not do so, missing out on an additional average income of £1,231 per year. Another nine percent do not claim full rights.

Benefits that are not widely claimed include guarantee and savings pension credits, council tax reductions and universal credits (for people under state pension age).

Many retirees who live in rented accommodation are also not entitled to housing benefit.

Just Group says that not applying for a pension credit, payable to people who have reached state pension age and are on a low income, excludes households from a wide range of other benefits. These include free NHS dental care, cold weather payments and a free TV license (for over 75s).

The message is clear. If you think you are missing out, contact Citizens Advice or Age UK who can help you make a claim. There are also some useful calculators at: gov.uk/benefits-calculators.

Fight in your corner… no matter your age

Of the hundreds of emails I’ve received in recent days from readers recently plagued by rising insurance premiums (thank you, thank you), two immediately stood out.

They came from retired police officers Hugh Colin Penfold and Derek Bradley, both of whom had completed advanced driving training while working for the Metropolitan Police. Although Hugh and Derek are now 85 and 90 respectively, they passionately claim that the driving skills they learned on the job have never left them.

Hugh, from Epsom Downs in Surrey, took part in the London to Mexico Car Rally in 1970 and insists he could give a professional driver like Lewis Hamilton value for money today. To be clear, he has never had an accident.

Meanwhile, Derek, from King’s Lynn in Norfolk, has never had to make a claim for an accident where he was at fault – although he did make a no-fault claim four years ago after someone rear-ended his car in stationary traffic. . He remains a member of IAM RoadSmart, formerly known as the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

Both are outraged that insurers consider them bad risks because of their age. Hugh says car insurers regularly view him as ‘an old man who is probably too clumsy on the road, a danger to others, and should not be driving’.

While Derek admits some older drivers should be kept off the road, he is angry that insurers are treating people his age in a blanket way. “Older drivers are discriminated against,” he says. ‘Some such as NFU Mutual do not want to insure me because of my age. To this day, I drive the way I learned as a police officer.”

Yet Hugh and Derek are strict by nature and are happy to challenge their insurers when they are offered renewal premiums that they believe are unfair. Every year, Hugh’s insurer tries to jack up the cost of his coverage, only to get on the phone and fight back. Last November was no exception.

By pleading his case with insurer AA and agreeing to pay part of his annual premium upfront, Hugh managed to limit the increase to £5 instead of the originally requested £205. Derek’s insurer – a subsidiary of Liverpool Victoria – wanted to increase his premium by 25 percent to around £1,000, but by agreeing to forego his protected no-claims bonus, he managed to limit it to 12.5 percent.

Yes, both Hugh and Derek had to give a little to keep their premiums affordable, but the insurers ended up taking less than they wanted. No matter your age, fight your corner.

The tax deadline is approaching

Just a friendly reminder. The deadline for self-evaluation (midnight, January 31) is approaching. So make every effort to file your tax return before the deadline and pay the tax due (for the tax year ending April 5, 2023).

As you probably know, late filing will result in a £100 penalty, regardless of whether you owe tax.

Don’t give His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs the opportunity to reduce your household’s finances even more than it already does.