What we got up to in April. Community liaison Policy and campaign issues Communications. CARBS April PS Volunteer with our Research and Campaigns team – find out more.
Volunteer with our social policy research and campaigns team in Redhill or Banstead. First aim at Citizens Advice Reigate & Banstead is to provide the help and advice our clients need, whoever they are, whatever their problem. Second aim (and essential for first) is to improve the policies and practice that affect people’s lives. As […]
More clients have mental health problems. Our advisers are seeing more clients whose problems are compounded (or caused) by a mental health condition. Next week our District Training Day with NHS First Steps Surrey will help by building up advisers’ knowledge and understanding. The higher numbers aren’t unexpected. All sides in the public debate accept that professional […]
Benefit delay and low income are biggest causes. Set aside for a moment the ‘leafy rich county’ stereotype. In the past year a growing number of clients at Citizens Advice Reigate & Banstead needed help to feed themselves and their families. Most common causes were benefits – late payment and sanctions – and low income in the […]
Help to make contact. The aim of our national campaign Talk about abuse is that more people are able to recognise domestic abuse and offer help to victims. In Surrey and across the country we have excellent specialist services. Helplines, refuges, legal and police professionals are there to help. But many victims and families don’t make contact, […]
CA Research and Campaigns. Most people know Citizens Advice exists to help people – whoever they are, whatever their problem. Not so many know we’re also here to improve the policies that affect people’s lives. The two are connected. Meeting and advising thousands of clients gives us a real understanding of their experience. It allows us to spot the most common problems and tell the MPs, councillors, civil servants and managers who […]
But not all good. Latest from Nationwide Building Society: annual UK house price inflation was up 5.7% in March. In London 11.5%. But wait. In Surrey (part of the Outer Metropolitan Area) prices were up 12.2%. No wonder housing problems brought to Citizens Advice Reigate & Banstead were up 15% in the past year. The impact on […]
PIP assessment puts college course on hold. Our client’s daughter is a determined young woman. She is autistic but doing well in her college course with a full attendance record. A PIP assessment has put this on-hold by reducing her benefit. She used her payments for taxi fares to and from college. If she travels […]
Payment in arrears. Universal Credit is paid monthly in arrears. A basic point but capable of causing problems. This month we’re seeing people who have applied for Universal Credit but don’t realise there’s a delay of several weeks before first payment. One client was told he would have to wait SEVEN weeks. This shouldn’t happen because every claimant has the right to ask for […]