Homeless on the national stage. A new play, Love by Alexander Zeldin, finished its National Theatre run this week*. The stage is the living area of a hostel for the homeless shared by 4 families. Just before Christmas. Chairs, table, sink, fridge, hob. Cold light, peeling paint. 5 doors off….from audience’s left to right: Door 1 Shared bathroom. Door 2 Barbara, late […]
Terms of Trade. Read the small print. Two brothers are in business. They do small extensions, kitchen and bathroom refurbishment or updating. One brother asked for advice because a supplier had refused to take back a bath that appeared defective. If he had been a consumer, the supplier would have had to remedy the fault – […]
Confusing entry policy raises eyebrows and questions*. Heather and her husband wanted to round off a pleasant weekend in Sussex with an entertaining film. They chose The Secret Life of Pets they’d heard about from friends. Heather bought tickets online to be picked up later at the box-office of Cineworld in Eastbourne. It was then their day took an unexpected and […]
Are millions of families lost in official figures? Home ownership is falling. It peaked at 71% in 2004 and is now 64%. The figures are universally accepted and used to inform policy-making at every level. They may also be very misleading. A recent Resolution Foundation blog* makes the simple but illuminating point that these percentages refer to properties not people or families (by which they mean single adults […]
Healthwatch guide. The NHS has to change to keep up with demand. The latest reform will come from Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) for geographical ‘footprints’ defined by NHS England. These plans really matter. Reigate & Banstead is broadly covered by the Sussex and East Surrey footprint. The area’s main hospital is East Surrey. Find out more in this useful Healthwatch Surrey Guide. Healthwatch Surrey December News.
CAB persistence secures full refund. Our client Jennifer* paid a travel agent £1100 for flights to South Africa for her 2 sons. Soon afterwards she was told the flight was overbooked but could transfer to South African Airways (SAA) for a £100 price supplement. When the e-tickets arrived one of her son’s names was spelt […]
The trustees, staff and volunteers wish clients, colleagues and everyone in Reigate & Banstead all the very best for 2017. Our opening hours…… Wednesday 28 December Adviceline Telephone 0900 to 1300 Thursday 29 December Redhill Drop-In 1000 to 1300 Banstead Drop-In 1000 to 1300 Adviceline Telephone 0900 to 1700 Friday 30 December Banstead Drop-In 1000 to 1300 Adviceline […]
Two true stories. One short message. One. A young single mum living with her 2 children in a housing association property has lost £30 pw from housing benefit. She must find work if she is to manage her weekly rent payments. She is keen to do so but is likely to struggle. She must factor […]
David Mitchell hasn’t got it. “Everyone should shop around for gas and electricity.” At the last count to the frustration of the government, Ofgem, the industry, most consumer groups and high-profile advocates 66% of us hadn’t got the message. Comedian and writer David Mitchell is one. In today’s Observer newspaper he brings his familiar style to the awkward question that apparently […]
Discharge from hospital. Healthwatch Surrey, the group that gives local people a voice with the NHS, wants to find out about our experiences of leaving hospital in 2016. The process is known as “hospital discharge”. The experiences of patients and family members are equally valuable. Heathwatch needs to understand the quality of hospital discharge and work with local hospitals […]