Daily Mirror - 04.03.2020

mirror.co.uk WEDNESDAY 04.03.2020 DAILY MIRROR^31

DM1ST

national housing emergency,

which shows no sign of

recovery. At the last count

280,000 people in England

were homeless.

“Every day our dedicated

advisers answer countless

calls from people at the

sharpest end of this crisis.

Their expert advice can be the

difference between a family losing

their home or keeping it. It can

provide a glimmer of hope at the end of

a very dark tunnel.

“Nothing will change until the Govern-

ment invests in the stable social homes

we desperately need.”

Putting people into expensive, private

rented properties has created a system

that isn’t working for anyone, as I found

out on the Shelter helpline.

And the victims of this chaos are

vulnerable people desperate for a basic

essential in life – a roof over their heads.

Q

Is the Winter Fuel Payment an automatic

payment or do people have to apply for it?

My 70-year-old dad hasn’t received it this year,

and I would think he is entitled to this help on

his meagre pension.

A

People usually receive the Winter Fuel

Payment automatically if they have reached

the qualifying age which means they were born on

or before April 5, 1954. It may need to be claimed

by people who have not received it before, and

those who do not get a state pension or benefits

or who have deferred their State Pension. The

Winter Fuel Payment Centre is on 0800 731 0160.

YOUR MONEY

Thanks to our independent financial

advisers – The Money Map (0800

848 8250) and PMI’s John Stewart

(0800 018 3751).

For independent advice write to

Your Money Independent Advice

Bureau, Daily Mirror, One Canada

Square, Canary Wharf, London,

E14 5AP. Please give your age,

income, family circumstances and

details of financial products

you want advice on, along with your

phone number.

Or email [email protected]

marked “advice”.

[email protected]

■■Millions of people aged

over 55 plan to sell their

property and downsize over

the next year so that they

can boost their savings,

according to research by Ford

Money.

This could see around

£89billion moving from

property into savings accounts.

Those planning to move reckon they

will get an average £85,250 windfall.

Eight out of 10 plan to keep some

or all of the cash in savings for an

average of six years.

Four out of five plan to use cash

savings accounts, while one in eight

are considering investments such as

stock and shares ISAs.

■■In six months, the first

Child Trust Fund holders will

turn 18 and they can take

control of their accounts.

These savings accounts

were given to every child

born between September

2002 and January 2011.

But a third of teenagers

are unaware they are due a windfall

• averaging £2,100 for children
  born in 2002.
  Figures from financial services
  firm OneFamily, suggest that up to
  six out of 10 parents and teens
  could have lost track of their funds,
  having not added anything since
  they received a government head
  start to ensure every child arrived

at adulthood with a nest egg. Track

down Child Trust Funds at: one

family.com/child-trust-fund/#findit

and gov.uk/child-trust-funds.

■■The retirement income people

expect they will need is more than

double the amount current

pensioners receive.

Older homeowners believe they

will need £35,196, but compared to

today’s average retirement income

of £17,212, that will leave people with

a potential shortfall of £17,984.

A report from the Equity Release

Council and retirement firm Key

shows that pension pressures are set

to rise as many people access their

pension pots early.

£^

NOTES

Picture: Andy STEnnIng

HEARTBREAKING

Tricia on helpline with

Shelter’s Nadeem.

She was horrified by

the distressing

calls she took

DON’T

WAIT TO GET

HELP

Whatever your housing problem, it’s

always easier to sort things out if you

deal with it as soon as possible.

Whether you’re struggling to pay your

rent, worried about eviction,

homelessness or living in bad

conditions – you can turn to Shelter

for free and get expert help.

Visit:shelter.org.uk/get_

help