Older people on the Isle of Wight may struggle to get their weekly pension at Christmas  because of a payment decision by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). 

Help the Aged is warning older people who collect their pension from their local post office that they will only have a half day on Christmas Eve to collect their payments.

Many older people still collect their pensions from their local post office and usually have from Monday to Wednesday to collect their money, this year, they will only be able to collect their pension until 12.30pm on Monday 24th December.

Anna Pearson, policy manager at Help the Aged, said:

‘It’s extremely disappointing that the Department for Work and Pensions haven’t made better plans for pension payments this Christmas.

‘Many older people are living on the breadline and budget on a weekly basis. We’re particularly concerned that these people won’t have time to collect their money and then be able to buy their food for the week. They will be left with precious little time to get to shops on what is already an incredibly busy and hectic day.

‘The DWP should ensure that people receive two weeks payment at once rather than shoehorning all the payments into half of Christmas Eve when many people will prefer to be at home or with family.’

Help the Aged is urging older people to do what they can to plan ahead. The Charity is suggesting that, if possible, people should use a cash machine or buy their Christmas goods in advance.

Isle of Wight Community News @Island Pulse.

: Wednesday : December 12th, 2007 at 12:01 am.