Citizens Advice recommendations. Work and a regular income are vital to our sense of security. Yet we have seen rapid change in these areas. The workforce is increasingly diverse and mobile – many more people now work for themselves, via agencies and with hours that vary. At Citizens Advice we see workers and employers struggling to balance the […]
Workers given just 48 hours notice of shifts starting, changing or being cancelled. Citizens Advice today published new evidence on problems faced by a growing number of people in flexible jobs. The findings of a survey among executives, line managers and human resource managers show that: 1 in 5 (22%) say staff cannot turn down a shift. […]
Improving arrangements. Our client was in full-time but insecure work in the hospitality sector. Her partner was unemployed. In this period the couple built up a lot of debt including Council Tax arrears. Then things looked up. Her partner found a job. His income allowed the couple to begin a CT repayment programme. Their arrears began falling but not at the speed required in the programme. Failing to stick to […]
Concentrix – mounting problems led to contract termination. HMRC dropped its contract with the American-owned business services company Concentrix when a catalogue of delays, mistakes and IT failures became a clear threat to its customer service standards. A report from the National Audit Office today details the purpose of the contract, the cost and repeated attempts to deal with difficulties (including raising payments to the contractor) and […]
Children under “a cloud of uncertainty.” Parents who know they may have to move out of their homes at short notice find it difficult to plan for the future. That’s one of the findings of a survey of adults* in private rented accommodation carried out for Citizens Advice. Not exactly surprising, you may think. What […]
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 […]
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 […]