Welcome to this week’s E News now on our new Citizens Advice Dorset website. Just a reminder that the Advice Dorset Partnership is a network of organisations providing advice and support to residents of Dorset and Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole. It is managed by Citizens Advice and is open to any organisation which provides information, advice and support/guidance to local residents.
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 can you now subscribe to the newsletter (it is still FREE but in future you will get an automatic notification when it is published) – and do encourage colleagues to subscribe too. The Subscribe option is at the bottom of this page! If you would like to send anything out via the bulletin, and for all other enquiries about the Advice Dorset Partnership, contact Caroline Buxton at Citizens Advice Central Dorset: [email protected]
SAVE THE DATE! We are planning an online Advice Partnership Forum for Tuesday 28 November 2 – 4pm, aimed at frontline workers, with a focus on cost of living support and other useful updates. We have confirmation of speakers from the DWP, Local Authority, Citizens Advice – including the Dorset Energy Unit, Ridgewater Energy, Age UK NSWD and Great Western Credit Union…..…more details soon. You won’t need to book, we will publish an agenda including a zoom link so you can just join on the day.
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Information updates
COST OF LIVING
November Cost of Living Fact Sheet
NOV 2023 Cost-of-Living-Crisis-factsheet
Next £300 Cost of Living Payments: The second payment for those on benefits / tax credits will be paid shortly:
- For those on means-tested benefits (Universal Credit, Income-based JSA, Income-based ESA, Income Support, Pension Credit): between 31 October and 19 November 2023.
- For those just in receipt of tax credits: between 10 November and 19 November 2023.
Read more here.
Winter 2023 Voluntary Debt Commitment: This commitment, developed with Energy UK, Ofgem and Citizens Advice, means that energy suppliers are going further than existing regulatory obligations to provide better support to residential customers who are falling behind on their bills. The commitments include:
- substantial pledges of additional financial support
- training for frontline staff
- talking to callers with debt problems
- proactively identifying customers struggling to pay bills
The commitments also involve continued close working with debt charities and consumer bodies who can offer specialist advice and make referrals, and steps to provide suitable solutions for customers in debt, and ensure they are treated fairly at all times. Read more on the Energy UK website.
Local Energy Support: We’ve previously published information about Healthy Homes Dorset and LEAP. As part of the package of free measures offered at a LEAP Home Assessment Visit, people can be provided with heated blankets. Residents must be a single occupant, struggling with mobility, and keeping to one room all day to keep warm. More on LEAP here.
BENEFITS
Changes to UC conditionality for parents: The DWP has stated that parents with responsibility for children aged 3-12 will now have expected hours of up to 30 hours per week if they’re in the all work-related requirements group. Previously, DWP guidance said that expected hours should not be more than 16 hours for parents responsible for 3-4 year-olds, or 25 hours for parents responsible for 5-12 year-olds. The legislation still says that the expected hours should be those that the DWP considers compatible with caring responsibilities and with normal school hours (including travel time). Expected hours should take into account individual circumstances. It can therefore be worth negotiating for a lower number of expected hours, or for a temporary reduction, depending on the individual case. Read the Govt press release here, and you can find various comments on the potential impact of this change from agencies such as Gingerbread.
EMPLOYMENT
Flexible Working: With the upcoming new flexible working law in 2024 and Acas updating their Code of Practice on handling requests for flexible working, Acas has advice and resources to help employers and line managers to best manage flexible working in the workplace. The advice covers:
- Working from home and hybrid working
- Making a flexible working request
- Responding to a flexible working request
- Flexible working policy template
Read the current ACAS guidance here.
Working hours when the clocks go back: The clocks going back can cause workplace confusion if staff are working overnight. The employer’s response must embrace the National Minimum Wage and Working Time Regulations, and anything set out in the workers’ contracts of employment. Read more on the Personnel website.
DEBT
Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) register: The ECB has published its register of accredited bailiff firms here. More information on Bailiffs – their powers, options for dealing with bailiffs, etc – is on the Citizens Advice website here.
LEGAL
Changes to court fee remission: The Courts and Tribunals (Fee Remission and Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2023 sets out increases in capital limits and caps, and adds that passporting benefits will allow for automatic fee remission. The changes come into effect on 27 November, but the existing scheme will apply to applications for fee remission or fees paid before that date. The Order is here, and more explanation from the Civil Litigation Brief is here.
HOUSING
Implementation of renters reform to be delayed: The Renters (Reform) Bill received its second reading in Parliament last week. A motion was also passed that the bill will be carried over to the next session of Parliament which is due to start on 7 November 2023. Separately, in response to a question to a Select Committee report, the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities has announced that it will not implement the abolition of section 21 until there has been sufficient progress in reforming the courts. So even if the Renters (Reform) Bill passes through Parliament there will likely be significant delay before implementation. See commentary on nearlylegal.
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and Council Tax: The Government plans to ensure that HMOs are banded as one property and liability for council tax is with the HMO landlord not individual tenants. Government plans to lay regulations later this year, to bring this into force before the end of 2023.
IMMIGRATION
Changes to habitual residence test (HRT) and past presence tests for benefits: The Government has brought new exemptions from the HRT for income-related benefits, and from both the HRT and the past presence test (PPT) for disability and carer benefits. The exemptions cover people who left Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories or Lebanon, in connection with the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 or the escalating violence in the region since then. The requirement to be living in the UK for 3 months before qualifying for Child Benefit has been removed. This was a planned change, but has been brought forward due to the current situation. In addition, payments from the Victims of Overseas Terrorism Compensation Scheme will now be disregarded indefinitely as capital for income-related benefits, and disregarded as income for Tax Credits. The Regulations are here.
Eligibility for social housing: People applying as homeless, or for an allocation of social housing, will now be eligible for assistance if they:
- were residing in Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories or Lebanon immediately before 7 October 2023
- left these areas in connection to the Hamas attack in Israel on 7 October 2023 or the escalating violence following this attack
have been granted leave in accordance with immigration rules
NB: The rule does not apply to people who have ‘no recourse to public funds’.
Asylum support rates increase: Weekly asylum support rates have increased from £45 to £47.39 per person. The rate for those receiving full board accommodation increases from £8 to £9.58 per person.
Events
Festival of trusteeship 6 – 13 November 2023: Running as part of trustees’ week, a range of thought-provoking, insightful and thoroughly entertaining online events to help you consider, become and be brilliant and effective trustee. Read more here.
RAISING MONEY – A Funding Festival: Dorset Community Action are running a free event on Friday 10th November, in person (or the choice to join online), for this event held from 12.30pm until 4.30pm at Wimborne Community Centre. It includes a chance to ‘Meet the funders’ (The National Lottery and Dorset Community Foundation), a choice of 4 workshops, including 10 new ways of raising money and how quality assurance can help you to become funding-ready. Guest speaker Ian McClintock from Charity Excellence will talk about AI and how it can help fundraising. Register via the DCA Training Academy here.
Talk Money Week 6 – 10 November: The week is an opportunity for everyone to get involved with events and activities across the UK which help people have more open conversations about their money – from pocket money to pensions – and continue these conversations year-round. This year, we’re asking stakeholders, partners, organisations and businesses all over the UK to encourage their own audiences to Do One Thing that could help improve their financial wellbeing. Read more here.
Citizens Advice cost-of-living briefing – 14 November, 12:30 – 13:30: In the run up to the Autumn Statement Clare Moriarty, our Chief Executive, and Tom MacInnes, our Data Analyst will be drawing on our latest frontline insights and exploring what tools are at the Chancellor’s disposal, and how they should be used to fix the cost-of-living crisis and stop people from living on empty. Book via eventbrite.
Fuel Poverty Awareness Day: Thursday 30 November 2023 is National Energy Action’s Fuel Poverty Awareness Day (FPAD). It’s been two years since the energy crisis first began and from 1 October, 6.3 million UK households are in fuel poverty. Keep an eye on the NEA’s website for more info and resources.
Multiply is the Skills & Leaning programme offering support with basic maths. In the Dorset area they are running some Get Money Confident courses: This is a relaxed course with games, discussion and activities designed to help you make your money work harder for you! From understanding bills and discounts to creating a budget we’ll work together to make understanding your finances less scary and have some fun doing it! Refreshments provided.
- Mondays 2- 4 PM at Bridport Youth Centre
- Thursdays 2 -4 PM at Dorchester Library
People can register here.
Research, reports, etc
Migrant workers in care sector: A report from Unseen UK, the national helpline for victims of modern slavery, describes the increasing exploitation and abuse of overseas workers in the care sector, including a 606% increase in modern slavery care sector cases between 2021 and 2022. They note: The Home Office added care staff to the labour shortage list but did not address concerns about low pay. The result was focused recruitment on cheaper labour from non-EU countries – individuals drawn by the opportunity to improve their quality of life and earning potential. Of care sector staff recruited in 2022, 90% came from non-EU countries, illustrating the reliance on short-term cheap labour rather than long-term planning for provision. Read more here.
The Hidden Housing Tax: This Citizens Advice blog looks at how Local Housing Allowance shortfalls are causing significant hardship for the people we support. LHA determines the financial support for housing people on Housing Benefit or Universal Credit can receive. LHA rates are supposed to be set at the 30th percentile of rent costs in the area where a claimant lives — placing a limit on how much can be claimed, but with the value of this limit being protected as rent costs rise. However, LHA has been frozen since 2020. Restoring the link to local rents is essential….read more here.
2022/23 Almost 5,000 excess winter deaths: The House of Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committee has heard estimates that there were 4,706 excess winter deaths in 2022/23 caused by living in a cold home in England, Scotland and Wales. Mounting evidence suggests that a new class system is emerging in Britain, based on access to energy. Fewer than 5m of the UK’s 28m households could be classed as being in the “energy elite” and unaffected by the current energy bills crisis. Around 8m have to borrow money to pay their energy bills and over 1m have disconnected for periods this year. MPs heard of the dangerous coping measures and sacrifices some people had to make to heat their homes last year. Read more here.
Funding news
Lloyds Bank Foundation Specialist Programme: The Foundation supports charities that help people overcome complex issues that don’t have simple solutions, issues like homelessness, domestic abuse and addiction. The Foundation says: “Small, local, specialist charities play a unique role in helping people rebuild their lives. Their size, connection to their communities and deep understanding of the issues people face makes small charities best placed to reach, engage and support people. That’s why we support small charities with an annual income between £25,000 to £500,000 where the main focus of your charity is to provide support for one of the eight themes outlined below.”
They want to ensure that the charities supported can thrive beyond the lifetime of their funding. That’s why they combine an unrestricted grant of £75,000 with a breadth of tailored support aimed at helping to strengthen charities and build the knowledge, skills and capabilities of staff and trustees. The programme opened for applications on 1 November 2023. Read more here.