The Advice Dorset Partnership E news is published fortnightly on a Thursday, BUT if there is something urgent in-between we will send out a short supplementary edition. Please note due to annual leave E news No. 12 will come out on Thursday 5 October.
As usual feel free to forward this email to colleagues and they can get in touch with us if they wish to go on the list. If you would like to send anything out via the bulletin, and for all other enquiries about the Advice Dorset Partnership, contact Caroline Buxton on her Citizens Advice Central Dorset email: mailto:caroline.buxton
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Information updates
COST OF LIVING
September’s Quick Links fact sheet:
SEPT-2023-Cost-of-Living-Crisis-factsheet
Prepayment meter households and the Energy Price Guarantee: The Energy Price Cap for the period October to 31 December is set at £1,923 a year for a typical household who use gas and electricity and pay by Direct Debit. A prepayment meter household with typical consumption on a dual electricity and gas will pay £1,949 a year. They will continue to benefit from the Energy Price Guarantee, delivered as: a unit rate discount to gas unit rates only between 1 July and 30 September, and a discount to electricity and gas standing charges. Read more on the Govt website here.
BENEFITS
Self-employment, couples and UC: It appears that the DWP is ‘correcting’ the calculation of earnings for couples receiving UC where one is ‘gainfully self-employed’ and the other has employed earnings. The DWP has started putting messages in the online journal of affected UC claimants stating the amount of UC payable may change within the next 2 months. The messages also state that most people in this situation will find that their payment goes down. It appears to affect self-employed claimants subject to the minimum income floor who have a working partner, where for some reason UC has not been using the Minimum Income Floor when they calculated joint income. More on the MIF on the Citizens Advice website here.
EMPLOYMENT
Exploitation of migrant workers in the UK health and social care sector: According to Home Office statistics, there has been a 157% increase in the number of Health and Care Worker visas in the last year. These visas now represent nearly 38% of all main applicant worker visas granted in the UK. Citizes Advice has had an increasing number of enquiries concerning the exploitation at work of these migrants. Issues raised include recruitment scams, unpaid wages, breaches of the Working Time Regulations and other basic employment rights, and clawback of immigration and other fees by employers and agencies, sometimes overseas. It can be difficult to advise clients on Health and Care Worker visas because employment by a sponsor is a visa condition – typically, the worker’s priority is to remain in the UK. ‘No recourse to public funds’ is also a visa condition. Often, these workers are unfamiliar with basic UK rights and organisations such as Citizens Advice. As a first step, there is Govt guidance here – ‘Applying for health and social care jobs in the UK from abroad’. Although the deadline will have passed, the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration has called for evidence about the UK immigration system and the social care sector – read the press release here.
Employment Tribunal claims cannot be submitted online at the moment: There has been a technical problem with the ET1 online submission service since 6 September 2023. This means that currently, ET1s can only be submitted to the Employment Tribunal in one of two ways:
- by hand but only to certain Tribunal offices – see the list of offices here
- for claims in England and Wales, by post to the following address: Employment Tribunal Central Office (England & Wales), PO Box 10218, Leicester LE1 8EG
Govt info here. A claim is treated as having been presented on the date it’s actually received by the Tribunal, not on the date it’s posted. The President of the Employment Tribunals in England and Wales has issued guidance saying that where there is a risk of missing deadlines for presenting claims, claimants should take a screenshot of the error message generated by the online submission service (showing its time), and should submit with their posted or hand delivered ET1 a printed copy of the screenshot, as well as any other evidence to show that they attempted unsuccessfully to present the claim. Doing this will maximise the claimant’s chances of being allowed to submit a late claim if the claim is late because it could not be submitted online.
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) guidance on Covid updated: ACAS has updated its guidance on Covid – here. The revised guidance deals with what should be done if an employee gets Covid, self isolation and keeping everyone safe at work. The revised guidance also deals with long Covid.
IMMIGRATION
Refugees being given 7 days ‘notice to quit’ their accommodation: The Home Office has changed their practice when ending asylum support. The 28 days notice now starts from the date of decision rather than from receipt of the decision letter or biometric residence permit. This can be a lot later, and a notice to quit their accommodation need only be 7 days. Refugees have less time to find somewhere to live and have increased risks of homelessness and destitution. In cases like this it will be important to immediately ask for an extension of support for your clients, by contacting migrant help who have a dedicated escalation route. If this is refused, your client should be referred for urgent homelessness advice and to their local authority for support. Your client may also need some advice about appealing the decision to stop support and can speak to the Asylum Support Appeals Project (here) about this.
OTHER
Guidance on bank account closure: The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has issued guidance to banks on account closures which reminds them of their duty to treat customers fairly. Read the FOS guidance on bank account closures here.
Stamp cost increase: New stamp prices will come into effect from 2 October – the cost of 1st class stamps will increase from £1.10 to £1.25, but the cost of 2nd class stamps will stay the same. Read more here.
Disabled Facilities grants: The govt has announced that an additional £50m has been allocated to local authorities in England to help older people and those with disabilities live safely and independently in their own homes. Eligible disabled people of all ages will be able to apply to their local authority for a grant to adapt their home to better meet their needs and is available to homeowners, private renters and those in social housing. Read the press release here, and for local information: Dorset / BCP.
Events
Gas Safety Week, 11 – 17 September 2023: This pan-industry event is in its thirteenth year with the goal of keeping the nation gas safe. The Gas Safe Register provide a free toolkit full of materials to help you support the week, including social media updates, images, articles, web banners and much more. Read more here.
Pension Awareness – 11 to 15 September 2023: Pension Awareness is a campaign helping people understand their pensions and prepare for the retirement they want. Between 11 and 15 September, there will be free live and interactive webinars that dismantle essential pension topics into bite-sized chunks. More on the Webinars here, and promotional materials/toolkit here.
Ridgewater Energy launch – Home Upgrade grant: This event on Wednesday 4 October 9am – 2pm at the Dorford Centre, Dorchester, will officially launch and raise awareness of the new Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2) – a government funded scheme which Ridgewater are delivering across Dorset with BCP and Dorset Councils; reamore about HUG here. There will be displays and presentations from a range of partners on energy issues, access to food, grants, debt advice, carer support and the general cost of living advice and support available in the Dorset Council area. To book a place, contact Peter at Ridgewater energy: [email protected]
Free Energy Advice Training for Frontline Workers: Citizens Advice in East Dorset & Purbeck is offering free Energy Advice Training to frontline workers supporting households across Dorset in or at risk of fuel poverty. The training is available to both paid staff and volunteers who are working in the community with people who are facing difficulty heating their homes – helping to save money and keep vulnerable residents warm. The energy advice situation is changing regularly and updates are also available on financial support, including grants. There are refresher sessions available for people who have previously attended the full training sessions, and sessions for those new to energy advice – various dates in September and October; to register go to eventbrite.
Multiply [Skills & Learning]: Multiply has many courses on offer in centres, online, or their new Distance Learning courses. Their Distance Learning courses can be completed by learners in their own time and the modules could be tailored to individual needs. They are also running Money and Number Confidence courses all across the county. Read more here.
Multiply Numeracy Champions – volunteering opportunity: Online training session on Wednesday 20th September 2023, 4 – 6 pm. This is a great opportunity for anyone who already is or would like to support people with numeracy tips and advice. By taking part in the training, people can join their network of Numeracy Champions and have access to resources and support. To sign up for the training, please complete the online form here.
STARS professional events: Two more events this autumn – details below. STARS encourages any agencies and professionals who refer clients for specialist support from them to come to either of these events, meet some of the team and hear about the Service. There will be the opportunity for networking as well as a short presentation explaining how we work at STARS, what services we offer and how to refer.
- Thursday 19th October: 2pm – 4.30pm @ Dorchester Community Church, Liscombe Street, Poundbury DT1 3DF
- Thursday 2nd November: 2pm – 4.30pm @ The Citygate Centre, Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth BH8 8AS (opposite ASDA and train station)
To book, email [email protected] by 9 October. Please include the name, job title, organisation and email address for each guest place. See also the flyer – An Introduction to Working with Trauma – detailing some upcoming training events.
An-Introduction-to-Working-with-Trauma
Reports, research, consultations etc
Work Capability Assessment consultation: A consultation on changes to the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) will run from 5 September 2023 until Monday 30 October 2023. The proposals are intended to encourage and support people with health conditions into work, while providing a safety net for those who need it most. The WCA is how DWP assesses people’s capability to work and the support they receive from Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance. The DWP published “Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper” in March, which set out our planned reforms to remove the WCA in the future. Ahead of this change, we need to take steps now so that the WCA delivers the right outcomes while it still exists. The consultation seeks views from the public, charities, employers and other interested parties on proposed changes to the WCA to better reflect the changing world of work and opportunities for flexible and home working. It is open for anyone to comment. You can find more detail on the consultation proposals and how to respond here.
EUSS Application Delays – call for Evidence from the Independent Monitoring Authority (IMA): The IMA has launched an inquiry into the considerable delays being experienced by EU citizens in relation to their settlement scheme applications. The enquiry will also look at the impacts these delays are having on their lives. The IMA is calling for evidence from EU and EEA citizens and family members living in the UK who have been affected by the delays. The call for evidence is here, and the deadline for submitting evidence is 16 October 2023.
What can the UK learn from Germany’s welfare sanctions reforms? This Citizens Advice blog looks at the different approaches between the UK, where clients sanctioned on Universal Credit can often lose their benefits completely for 6 months, and Germany’s more lenient approach, which includes allowing more time for someone to present evidence to challenge the sanction. Read the blog here and for more background, the July report on The Sanctions Spiral is here.
Hanging on the telephone – Customer service in the energy market is in urgent need of reform. Citizens Advice’s joint survey with Ofgem on consumer perceptions of the energy market looks into how far standards have fallen over the past few years. It shows that 26% of respondents found reaching their supplier difficult from October to December of 2022, up from 14% from October to December 2019. Read more here.
No Action on ‘No Fault’ Evictions: The government is yet to pass the Renters Reform Bill which would put an end to ‘No fault’ evictions. Meanwhile, over the summer (May to July), Citizens Advice has seen 33% more people coming for help with no fault evictions than last summer. Read more here.
The housing crisis: what will happen if we don’t act? This National Housing Federation report – here – highlights that the lack of a long-term plan for housing has led to the housing crisis we are living through today. The issues we face around housing are systemic. If we don’t act to fix the housing crisis, things will get much worse for people living in England.
Hidden renters – The unseen faces of the rising older rental wave: This Independent Age report looks at the situation for older people on a low income who are renting – issues which are often hidden. A growing number of older people are renting privately, and it is essential that the private rented sector in England delivers for them too. They face issues around affordability, security of tenure and quality; read more here.
Funding news
Suicide Prevention Grant Fund 2023 – 2025: The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has launched a £10m Suicide Prevention VCS Grant Fund for 2023/24 and 2024/25, to support suicide prevention activities delivered in England by non-profit organisations. The application period is open until 1st October. Applications must be made online via the Find a Grant portal here unless exceptional circumstances apply.
Guidance can be found here, which provides full details of the objectives of the fund, the eligibility criteria, and details on the application process itself. DHSC will also be holding Meet the Funder webinars for potential applicants, to answer any questions – you need to sign up by emailing here.
NFU Mutual Charitable Trust: The Trust focuses on providing funding to larger initiatives, which would have a significant impact on the rural community. The Trustees are particularly interested in initiatives in the areas of education of young people in rural areas and relief of poverty within rural areas.
The Trustees meet twice a year to consider applications received. These meetings are currently held in June and November. Applications for the November meeting must be submitted by 27th October 2023. Read more here.