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 […]
‘Everything else falls apart’. The number grows each quarter. Everyday 170 UK families have to leave their homes. Two stats from ‘Eviction’, a cool radio analysis of the meaning of homelessness in Britain and the US today*. Also chilling. Attitudes to eviction it seems are becoming more matter-of-fact (worse in America but we’re going their way.) At Citizens […]
Latest from colleagues at Trading Standards Surrey. Fraud….£5.2m online ticket fraud Scam….Student job warning….Microsoft phone scam….Scam targets renters on Rightmove….PayPal phishing scam…. Recall…Argos tablet chargers….IKEA GOTHEM lamps….more…. Read TS Alert 24 March
Never more relevant. Stephen Crabb, secretary of state for work and pensions, starts work this week on the revision of government benefits policy. We hope the DWP team will draw his attention to the new edition of Citizens Advice ‘Advice Trends’. The report that collects and presents the problems brought to Citizens Advice has never been more relevant. Mr Crabb needs the best frontline information about the […]
Problems growing Budget falling We can safely say benefits policy isn’t always in tune with information from those who meet claimants everyday. Changes to disability benefit confirmed in the Budget are expected to mean a reduction of £4.4 billion in personal independence payments in the current parliament (up to 2020). The chancellor introduced the change saying “we will continue […]
Halting the increase. “There but for fortune go you or I”. An old protest song. But even half a heart makes the connection to homelessness in 2016. It’s growing and more people are noticing. Social media are reflecting the anxiety. Housing charities are turning up the volume. Last weekend some of our councillors spent a night […]
Joined up care please! That was the big wish shared by everyone at a Voice Network event hosted by Surrey Community Action (SCA) and Healthwatch Surrey. It won’t surprise policy-makers and managers who want to improve quality and efficiency. But the opinions of people in local services are vital current information. A dozen faith and voluntary groups […]