Two benefit claimants in Newcastle and the 21st Century.
Big Energy Saving Week. 31 October-6 November. Citizens Advice Reigate & Banstead is supporting this campaign to help people manage their fuel bills. Lots of people pay more than they need to. Many also find it hard to pay. BESW aims to spread awareness of how to save energy and money. Throughout the week, we’ll be signposting people to information and trying […]
Why not. You don’t have to try very hard to find advice on how to get a better energy deal. Citizens Advice online is thorough, up-to-date and impartial. Broadcast, print and social media offer advice everyday. But most of us don’t switch, as the prime minister pointed out in a speech last week. Why not? Here’s one suggestion. On 9 […]
The Sun comes out. The UK’s biggest selling daily newspaper has launched a campaign for fairer energy prices. It says seven out of ten customers are on standard variable tariffs – the most expensive kind. This means families are paying £6 billion more than they would on the cheapest tariffs. The Sun wants suppliers to […]
PM’s employment review. Modern economies and markets are always changing. They need flexible workers. Great for some. Others work long hours but still find it hard to get by. The prime minister knows what’s happening. Taking office in July Theresa May promised action to help those who are “just managing”. She has commissioned an independent review of the impact […]
Citizens Advice Reigate & Banstead in September. Including Martin Lewis Fund award Mental health Letting problems Consumer service (poor)
£23 billion cost of poor products and service. Occasionally we’re all disappointed in the consumer choices we’ve made. But what is the total cost of this collective regret? Citizens Advice research* shows what’s going wrong, which sectors are worst and who’s getting hurt. The 2015 numbers are huge. Whether it’s cost to the economy (at least £22.9 billion) or number […]
Young adults increasingly affected. More and more young people desperate for somewhere to live are falling foul of the ‘pressure-cooker’ private rental market. Citizens Advice data* this week show the number of 17-24-year-olds asking for help more than doubled in a year. Along with many others in the fast-growing private rental sector, they are affected […]
No standard benefits. I’ve been working for about 18 months as a driver for a company that provides transport to hospitals. When I joined I had been unemployed for about 9 months so I was very keen to find work. When the company said I had to be self-employed I agreed although many of my […]
Perverse Independence Policy? We’ve been helping someone whose job is at risk. We often have to, unfortunately. But in more and more cases the risk seems linked to government policy. This person was required to have a Work Capability Assessment – a normal step in moving from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment. The result […]