Benefits windfall for Dearne residents thanks to advice experts

That sum is part of an astonishing £6m which would have gone unclaimed across Barnsley if residents had been unable to seek advice and assistance to claim what they were entitled to.

The advice service covers Dearne communities which fall within Barnsley - Thurnscoe, Goldthorpe and Bolton-upon-Dearne and is provided by DIAL.

Funding comes from Dearne Area Council, an offshoot of Barnsley Council which has its own budget to spend on local priorities and has used DIAL for years to provide a financial advice service.

Similar services are funded across Barnsley by other area councils.

Many of those asking for help in the Dearne area have been struggling with claiming personal independence payments, a notoriously complex part of the benefits system.

During 2023, DIAL assisted 252 people in the Dearne, helping them to access unclaimed benefits of £718,000.

That not only helps them, but the overall community, because the cash largely goes into the local economy.

For every pound invested in the service, almost £26 has been secured in unclaimed benefit payouts,

DIAL spokeswoman Sharon Brown, who has been with the organisation since it started in the 1980s, told area council members they dealt with people who were either unaware of the benefits they were due, or who had been turned down.

Their specialist advisors were also able to help with ‘upper tier’ claims, where they have to prove an error in law when refusal decisions have been made, in order to get it overturned.

In one case, they had successfully challenged a decision by using legislation under the Human Rights Act.

“We have had a really big increase in the number of people contacting us during the cost of living crisis,” she said.

“Before the crisis, numbers aged over 65 were a lot less.

“We think it is because people were more stoic and would not ask for help, but because of the cost of living crisis, they need help.”

They have also had cash awards which has allowed them to hand out free duvets to those in need, and a ‘pants to poverty’ initiative, distributing free underwear to those who needed it.