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POOREST BLACK AND MINORITY ETHNIC OLDER PEOPLE AT RISK AS ADVICE DEFICIT DEEPENS

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Many of the 26% of black and minority ethnic (BME) older people who are living in poverty in England risk missing out on vital financial help and other support this year following huge cuts to advice services, Age Concern said today.

Across England, 80% of Age Concerns1 have suffered funding cuts to their trusted information, advice and advocacy services with the latest reductions beginning to bite in the last seven days. Last year alone, these services helped put £100 million of money benefits into the pockets of older people. Many Age Concerns in areas with high BME populations provide dedicated advice services to BME older people and in many cases these services are being hit by cuts.

Age Concern has today (7th April) launched both a new campaign ‘The price of no advice’ and an accompanying report ‘Transforming Lives’ to highlight the disastrous impact of these cuts and call for increased funding for these vital services. The campaign also calls for a new cross-government strategy to develop a more co-ordinated approach to providing and funding advice services.

Cuts to advice services mean that in the new financial year, about 480,0002 people who come to the charity looking for support risk either not being helped or receiving a reduced service that may not meet their needs. The cuts come at a time when older people on low fixed incomes have been hit by massive price hikes and yet continue to miss out on claiming their share of up to £4.6 billion3 in money benefits each year. The services provide a vital means of helping them claim the money they need to meet their living costs.

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