Latest from our friends at Healthwatch Surrey. Safe havens Care Quality Commission campaign Stroke services consultation Mental health Read HWS February. And they’re looking for a Project Officer based in Guildford. Find out more!
Action against the small-print merchants. Many consumers are losing out from not realising they are paying a regular subscription they think has come to an end. It’s all too easy to skip the small print. But that can allow suppliers to extend a contract through a ‘continuous payment authority’. And last year Citizens Advice reported up to 2 million people […]
David and Sue’s commitment. Reigate & Banstead CA volunteer David Smith and his wife Sue are leading local efforts for One Last Push the campaign to end the suffering polio still causes around the world. We’re proud to add our voice to the couple’s call on government to continue UK support for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. And proud too of David’s continuing work for local […]
Latest news and policy. Our courts are closing. CABs are often misunderstood Energy prices: still a story High cost credit Talk Self Employ CARBS February
Is self-employment really for you? Jack was a plumber with a big UK energy company for 25 years. He left the company following an accident and has been out of work and living on savings for 6 months. He’s now thinking about setting up his own plumbing business. In addition to his trade he has […]
Care homes: important research from Healthwatch Surrey. Surrey County Council should ensure every care home resident has access to good quality activities that meet their needs. That’s the message from a new study of 25 care homes carried out by Healthwatch Surrey. Overall the findings are mixed. Care home managers and staff understood the meaning of activities centered […]
Harsh debt collection. Citizens Advice has reported worrying activity by doorstep lenders who earn commission on collecting repayments. It’s estimated that 1.3 million people use these loans, the average amount borrowed being £500. Evidence submitted to the Financial Conduct Authority shows vulnerable people being harassed into making payments they can ill afford. In some cases the practice is linked […]
Keep checking process and billing (and remember who’s paying). Robert had designed a universal device to help the mobility and safety of older or partly disabled people in their homes. He now needed advice about manufacturing and who could make a demonstration prototype he could use in obtaining start-up finance. He approached a local university […]
Prepayment cap should be first step. Ofgem, the energy regulator, has announced a prepayment meter price cap effective in April. Typical customers should save around £80 a year. Good news that will stop some of the poorest households paying more than they should. But not enough to stop the majority of energy customers paying more than they should. As Citizens Advice points out, the […]
HMRC to review thousands of tax credit cases. The government has accepted the findings of a critical report by MPs* into the failures of a company contracted by HMRC to improve the tax credit system and reduce fraud. Concentrix was shown to have wrongly reduced or stopped the benefits of thousands of claimants. The company was stripped of the contract […]