Serious about business. The business team at Reigate & Banstead Borough Council is committed to helping small firms and start-ups. And not just committed. They’re doing some good stuff to give local people the best chance of starting a successful firm. Have a look at their page on How we can support your business. They […]
Harsh debt collection. Citizens Advice has reported worrying activity by doorstep lenders who earn commission on collecting repayments. It’s estimated that 1.3 million people use these loans, the average amount borrowed being £500. Evidence submitted to the Financial Conduct Authority shows vulnerable people being harassed into making payments they can ill afford. In some cases the practice is linked […]
Keep checking process and billing (and remember who’s paying). Robert had designed a universal device to help the mobility and safety of older or partly disabled people in their homes. He now needed advice about manufacturing and who could make a demonstration prototype he could use in obtaining start-up finance. He approached a local university […]
Look before you leap. I was working in a restaurant for about 5 years as the head chef when I saw a job advertised for a restaurant manager. The pay looked attractive and the restaurant itself meant I could get to work in under 20 minutes. I applied and got the job but the owner […]
Prepayment cap should be first step. Ofgem, the energy regulator, has announced a prepayment meter price cap effective in April. Typical customers should save around £80 a year. Good news that will stop some of the poorest households paying more than they should. But not enough to stop the majority of energy customers paying more than they should. As Citizens Advice points out, the […]
Our partnership benefits citizens and tax-payers. Citizens Advice Chief Executive Gillian Guy shows how close cooperation between local councils and CABs strengthens communities and saves public money.
HMRC to review thousands of tax credit cases. The government has accepted the findings of a critical report by MPs* into the failures of a company contracted by HMRC to improve the tax credit system and reduce fraud. Concentrix was shown to have wrongly reduced or stopped the benefits of thousands of claimants. The company was stripped of the contract […]
A charity that’s often misunderstood. Many people make the mistake of thinking Citizens Advice is a public service paid for by the government. In fact we are a group of community charities that depend on grants – usually from local councils – to cover basic costs such as premises and the salaries of small staff teams. But the grants are discretionary, in other words more like donations […]
Latest from our friends at Healthwatch Surrey. Surrey Care Homes new report – My Way, Every Day Could you be a Patient Leader? How ARE you, Surrey? Healthwatch Quiz Mental Health is key focus during February – Find Our More January Newsletter
Some of what we did as well as helping people solve problems, whoever they are, whatever their need. Community Policy Social media January CARBS 2016 News Archive