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 […]
Healthwatch guide. The NHS has to change to keep up with demand. The latest reform will come from Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) for geographical ‘footprints’ defined by NHS England. These plans really matter. Reigate & Banstead is broadly covered by the Sussex and East Surrey footprint. The area’s main hospital is East Surrey. Find out more in this useful Healthwatch Surrey Guide. Healthwatch Surrey December News.
CAB persistence secures full refund. Our client Jennifer* paid a travel agent £1100 for flights to South Africa for her 2 sons. Soon afterwards she was told the flight was overbooked but could transfer to South African Airways (SAA) for a £100 price supplement. When the e-tickets arrived one of her son’s names was spelt […]
The trustees, staff and volunteers wish clients, colleagues and everyone in Reigate & Banstead all the very best for 2017. Our opening hours…… Wednesday 28 December Adviceline Telephone 0900 to 1300 Thursday 29 December Redhill Drop-In 1000 to 1300 Banstead Drop-In 1000 to 1300 Adviceline Telephone 0900 to 1700 Friday 30 December Banstead Drop-In 1000 to 1300 Adviceline […]
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 […]
David Mitchell hasn’t got it. “Everyone should shop around for gas and electricity.” At the last count to the frustration of the government, Ofgem, the industry, most consumer groups and high-profile advocates 66% of us hadn’t got the message. Comedian and writer David Mitchell is one. In today’s Observer newspaper he brings his familiar style to the awkward question that apparently […]
Discharge from hospital. Healthwatch Surrey, the group that gives local people a voice with the NHS, wants to find out about our experiences of leaving hospital in 2016. The process is known as “hospital discharge”. The experiences of patients and family members are equally valuable. Heathwatch needs to understand the quality of hospital discharge and work with local hospitals […]
Ofgem’s new data. The energy regulator today launched a fresh attempt to improve the transparency of gas and electricity prices and persuade more customers to switch suppliers. Ofgem issued information about the Standard Variable Tariffs of the biggest companies and the customers who pay those tariffs. For each company they show: the number of its customers paying SVTs; the proportion of customers on SVTs; and data about average prices and potential […]
Government to review participation gap. The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) is planning to look at how government pensions policy affects self-employed people. In an upbeat press release – Review of automatic enrolment to build on success (12/12/16) – they say they will “consider how the growing numbers of self-employed people can be helped to save for their retirement”. […]
Problems multiply. No week in 2016 has been without a worrying new story about social care. In recent days, doubts have even been raised about the sector’s viability. Providers point to a funding crisis caused by lower local government budgets and a higher minimum wage. Today, the BBC reports ministers considering a council tax rise to help solve the problem. Citizens Advice […]