"Inflation may be falling but it still remains high for the poorest and oldest pensioners who spend a bigger slice of their income on basic living costs. Steep food and energy costs – coupled with falling interest rates affecting those who rely on savings cash to top up their income – have hit many pensioners very hard‚ with more than half feeling forced to cut back on essentials in recent months.

 “Yet despite the high cost of living‚ up to £5 billion in benefits is still going unclaimed by some of the poorest pensioners. The Government should launch a high profile campaign to get this vital cash into the pockets of all those entitled‚ with a view to moving towards a system where benefits are paid automatically.”