Easier and faster. Good news for those who depend on special parking. Surrey County Council is working on a new online system to make it easier and faster to apply for, or renew, a Blue Badge permit. At Citizens Advice Reigate & Banstead we’re particularly pleased. Our research and campaigns team member Louise Tennuci has […]
Planning to help. Surrey Suicide Prevention Group exists to help health professionals and others work together to identify and support those at risk. Meeting this week in Leatherhead the group continued to develop its new suicide prevention plan for the county. The group’s members include representatives of clinical commissioning groups, Surrey and Borders Partnership, Surrey […]
Access to justice denied. The cost of making a claim at an employment tribunal is reducing access to justice. That’s the opinion of MPs on the Justice Select Committee in a report published this month. Fees were significantly increased in 2013. It now costs £1200 to bring a case for unfair dismissal. Official evidence shows the number of cases […]
Advice and policy. “Everything will stay the same until new laws are made.” That’s the essential advice from Citizens Advice: Brexit: How it affects you. Anyone who has been told their rights have changed since the vote should contact their local office. The referendum also puts policy-makers on the spot. The result was obviously not […]
“At continued risk of economic shock. Unable to plan for the future.” Sometimes plain words in a report show more than statistics. These chilling phrases summarise the lives of many individuals and families. National research commissioned by Citizens Advice asked people what in their lives made them feel secure. 93% said an income they could rely on […]
Common problems. The health of people in 21st Century Britain is being affected by malnutrition, food poverty or poor housing. This week a survey of nurses* again underlined the depressingly common link between family economics and health. 40 per cent of nurses have patients whose circumstances are harming their health. 50% say the proportion of patients with preventable […]
Reducing financial exclusion. Many bankers would privately admit that people with few assets or low incomes make less attractive customers than their better-heeled neighbours. Understandable? Yes but unhelpful to those who find it hard to make ends meet. Banks have provided basic accounts for years. Unfortunately they often had strings attached and weren’t suitable for those who needed […]
Citizens Advice Reigate & Banstead today welcomed colleagues from CA offices in Surrey to a meeting about social policy research and campaigns. Just about everyone knows Citizens Advice provides the country’s best advice service. Not so many know we also work to change the policies and practices that cause problems for our clients. Our advisers’ wide knowledge of […]
Credit policy. True or false: banks and other lenders offer a good service to customers in financial difficulty? This summer Citizens Advice Reigate & Banstead and other CABs are looking at the evidence. A positive credit score is a normal part of a secure and happy life. But getting one can be an uphill task for people on low […]
Talking about abuse. Domestic abuse is a prevalent crime and shocking fact of life in our county and country. Estimates are 1 in 4 women, 1 in 6 men suffer at some point in their lives. On average 2 women a week are killed by their partners. Behind Closed Doors, this week’s conference to raise […]