Andrea Dunhill
Chief Executive
As we said goodbye to 2019, Redhill staff and volunteers also said goodbye to the offices at 24 High Street. The keys were handed back on 23 December 2019. Our former accommodation is now surrounded by barriers in preparation for demolition and replacement by new modern buildings to enhance the appearance and amenities in Redhill.
New office, new ways
We now have smart new accommodation at 43 High Street, Redhill. Our new office is small but this is making us devise new ways of working smartly, efficiently and sustainably. Some of the new ideas include:
We are always looking for ways to help more of the people who need us. Our Banstead office has expanded its drop-in service from 2 to 5 mornings a week. We increased our presence at Merland Rise Church in Tadworth from 1 to 2 mornings a month. Horley continues to be busy every Wednesday and we are now open two days a week at Merstham Hub.
During the year we had an independent assessment of the quality of our policies, operations, governance and financial management and scored 45 out of a possible 49 points.
Help to Claim
We have implemented a new service: Universal Credit Help to Claim. This has involved active webchat, phone advice and face to face appointments helping vulnerable clients to navigate the steps to claim Universal Credit for the first time. Universal Credit has required our staff and volunteers to take in-depth training to gain the right level of expertise. All this activity has produced a significant increase in the number of clients we have helped.
Many Thanks
We would like to thank everyone who has supported us during 2019:
I wish a happy and successful 2020 to you all.
Andrea.