THOUSANDS of people on low incomes across Wales have secured an extra £170m by claiming benefits they didn’t know they were entitled to, thanks to free Welsh Government advice services.

The Claim What’s Yours helpline connects people with friendly advisers who help cut through the confusion of the benefits system. For many who call, including working families, new parents and pensioners, it’s their first time claiming benefits, with many surprised to learn they qualify for financial help.

With around £2bn in benefits going unclaimed in Wales each year; the Single Advice Fund and Claim What’s Yours services have helped 361,000 people to deal with their social welfare problems and to claim £170m of benefits they were entitled to, and write off £49.1m in debts from January 2020 to December 2024.

The services have seen growing demand, with advisers handling over 6,500 calls in the past six months alone – showing how valued the service has become.

Colette Smith, Advice Project Worker at Citizens Advice Rhondda Cynon Taf, has helped hundreds of callers navigate the benefits system. She said: “Every day I speak to people who are genuinely struggling but have no idea they’re entitled to extra support. I recently took a call from a person who was really struggling to make ends meet, on the call I identified that the person was able to claim Pension Credits which meant they were entitled to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction. We helped the client to make the claims and they felt so much better and could now see a way forward.”

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, said: “With billions in benefits going unclaimed each year, it’s clear that too many people don’t know that they are eligible for support. When someone successfully claims pension credit, carer’s allowance or other benefits they’re entitled to, it can mean the difference between struggling and stability, and helps reduce stress and improve their wellbeing.

“The service provides friendly, professional and confidential advice and could make a significant difference to your household budget. If you’re unsure whether you qualify for support, I encourage you to make that phone call and find out what help might be available to you.”

Anyone wanting free, confidential advice can call Advicelink Cymru’s Claim What’s Yours helpline on 0808 250 5700 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. Calls are welcomed in English or Welsh, and help is available for those who cannot hear or speak on the phone through the Relay UK service

PARAMEDICS across the UK are warning that patients are dying because ambulances are unable to offload them into overcrowded A&E departments — a situation tragically echoed in the death of a Pembrokeshire mother whose ambulance never arrived.

Charlotte Burston, 40, from Llanteg, began experiencing severe chest pains on Christmas Day 2023. Her teenage daughter called 999 twice, but was told it would be an hour and a half before help could arrive.

No ambulance was dispatched in time, not because of a lack of willingness, but because so many vehicles were already stuck in hospital bays, unable to hand over patients due to chronic delays and lack of space inside emergency departments.

With no other option, Charlotte’s stepfather drove her towards Withybush Hospital. She suffered a heart attack on the way and later died at Morriston Hospital on New Year’s Eve.

An expert report presented at a recent pre-inquest hearing concluded that had ambulance staff been present at her home, she would “on the balance of probabilities” have survived.

The case comes as a new report by Unison highlights the scale of the crisis facing ambulance services. A survey of almost 600 ambulance workers found that two-thirds had witnessed patients deteriorate during prolonged waits outside hospitals, and one in 20 had seen patients die in their care due to delays in handover.

More than half of respondents reported delays of over six hours, and one in seven had waited 12 hours or more outside emergency departments.

Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea said: “Ambulance workers want the best for their patients. But this is no longer the reality. Ambulances and hospital corridors have become makeshift treatment rooms. The pressure on the NHS is unsustainable.”

Unison is calling for urgent action to increase staffing levels across ambulance, hospital and community services, improve GP access, and expand social care capacity to free up hospital beds.

Pembrokeshire Coroner Mark Layton, who is overseeing the Burston inquest, said that had the 999 call been prioritised properly, paramedics would have been sent and the tragic outcome may have been avoided.

Carmarthenshire politician among those elevated to House of Lords

FORMER Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire MP Simon Hart has been appointed to the House of Lords in Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list.

Mr Hart, who previously served as Secretary of State for Wales under Boris Johnson and later as Chief Whip for Mr Sunak, lost his seat at the general election in July 2024. The Conservatives were wiped out in Wales during that election.

Several other former ministers were also recognised. Michael Gove, who served as education secretary and housing secretary under different administrations, was granted a peerage. He is currently editor of The Spectator magazine.

Knighthoods were awarded to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, former foreign secretary James Cleverly, former defence secretary Grant Shapps, and former work and pensions secretary Mel Stride.

Outside politics, former England cricketer James Anderson was knighted after retiring from Test cricket in July. He holds the record for most wickets by a fast bowler in Test history.

Filmmaker Matthew Vaughn also received a knighthood for services to the creative industries. His credits include Layer Cake, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class, and the Kingsman films.