Benefits worth millions are not being claimed in Stockport and Greater Manchester, a charity has said.

The Citizens Advice Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale and Trafford (SORT) group urged residents to check if they can boost their income after getting a surge in people looking for help with money.

Research cited by the group from Policy in Practice found there could be around £80 million of unclaimed Pension Credit alone around Greater Manchester, a benefit that can help people of State Pension age living on low incomes.

The Citizens Advice SORT group said benefits go unclaimed due to administrative complexity, a lack of awareness, stigma, and the increasingly fragmented nature of support.

Last year, it helped more than 11,000 people with benefits in the four boroughs – an increase of 44 percent compared to 2022 (Image - Joseph Timan)

Many people the group sees are "simply unaware" that they can claim support given their circumstances or income.

A Stockport resident, who didn't want their name published, was dealing with a recent cancer diagnoses and looked for financial help.

They were entitled to Attendance Allowance and Pension Credit – which helped them boost their income by £18,000.

Citizens Advice SORT said many more people around Greater Manchester could be missing out on this 'vital' support which they are entitled to.

(Image - Alexander Greensmith)

Aly Darwin, acting head of business delivery at the group, said: "We regularly see people who are struggling to make ends meet and handle the rising cost of living.

"Many are simply not aware that they may be entitled to benefits or other financial support that could provide vital relief during this challenging economic time."

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: "Support is available to help claimants make a claim to Universal Credit through Help to Claim which offers free, impartial and confidential support online and via a dedicated helpline and we have work coaches across 28 job centres across the Greater Manchester area to support anyone who needs help.

"We know that work continues to be the best route out of poverty and children are five times more likely to experience poverty in a household where no-one works, which is why our £2.5bn Back to Work Plan is going further by helping over a million people to find and stay in work while we cut taxes and bring down inflation to provide families with greater financial security."

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