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.
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:[email protected]
Jobs
Citizens Advice in East Dorset & Purbeck: Two current vacancies:
Energy Adviser to join the Dorset and BCP Energy Unit which runs across the whole of Dorset (both Council areas). The Adviser will be responsible for the delivery of energy advice to households in order to reduce fuel poverty. The project aims to build financial resilience among vulnerable consumers and increase the likelihood of households being able to meet their heating requirements to stay warm and safe and avoid cold-related health problems. Advice may include reducing energy expenditure, income maximisation, avoiding debt and disconnection, and helping to resolve complaints.
Location: Home and office based and home visit appointments, can be flexible. Salary: Based on scale 17 £26,845 per annum (pro-rata). Hours per week: 15. Type of contract: Initially 12 months fixed term, with continuation likely. Closing date: 27 March. Read more:
Project admin support for the Energy Unit: To work alongside the 6 caseworkers in the Energy Unit covering Dorset and BCP. You would be engaging with clients and progressing people to achieve positive outcomes. Whether that be applying for charitable support, making sure that outcomes are recorded or gathering client feedback. It is an interesting and rewarding role, and the outcomes achieved through the project are incredible.
Salary: £26,357 pa fte. Hours: 37 hours per week. Location: Wimborne/Wareham/Remote working. Closing Date for applications: 27th March 2023. Read more:
Project-Admin-Support-Energy-Unit-Job-Advert
Information updates
BUDGET HEADLINES for people working in the advice sector:
- Energy bills for a typical household in Britain will remain at £2,500 until the end of June. They had been due to rise to £3,000 a year from April; however, the £400 discount on bills which most households received this winter will not continue beyond March.
- £200m to bring energy charges for prepayment meters into line with prices for customers paying by direct debit – affects 4m households.
- 30 hours of free childcare for working parents in England expanded to cover one and two-year-olds, to be rolled out in stages from April 2024.
- Families on Universal Credit to receive childcare support up front instead of in arrears, with the £646-a-month per child cap raised to £951.
- Various other changes to UC including: increasing the Administrative Earnings Threshold from 15 to 18 hours at the national living wage for an individual universal credit claimant, and automating parts of the sanctions process.
- Fuel duty frozen – the 5p cut to fuel duty on petrol and diesel, due to end in April, kept for another year.
- Extending the DWP’s ability to use operational measures introduced in May 2021 to reduce waiting times for new PIP claims in England and Wales until November 2023.
- Changes to incapacity and disability benefits set out in a new ‘Transforming Support’ Health and Disability White Paper, including the abolition of the work capability assessment and eligibility for the ‘health top-up’ in universal credit being passported via personal independence payment (see more on this in the Reports section below).
COST OF LIVING
March -Quick links facts sheet – for printing, posting, circulating etc:
Cost-of-Living-Crisis-factsheet-MARCH2023
CPAG cost of living info: Useful resources on AskCPAG here.
Energy bills support discount £400: As previously reported, those people who did not get the £400 credited to their electricity bill over the last 6 months can apply on line. There is more information on this on the help paying your bills section of Citizens Advice website, and the online portal is on the Govt website here.
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) help for mortgage borrowers: The FCA has confirmed final mortgage guidance, setting out the ways mortgage lenders can help customers worried about or struggling with their mortgage payments because of the rising cost of living. Read the guidance here.
BENEFITS
Deductions from benefit for fuel consumption: Regulations introduced in April 2022, placed a temporary pause on energy suppliers being able to make requests for new or increased deductions from means-tested benefits in respect of ongoing fuel consumption. Those regulations were due to expire on 6 April 2023. However, the Social Security Benefits (Claims & Payments) (Amd) Regulations 2023 – here – have now revoked the previous regulations with effect from 1 April 2023, and replaced them with a requirement that energy suppliers must now obtain consent from clients before requesting new or increased deductions from benefits in relation to ongoing fuel consumption.
Voluntary National Insurance Contributions: The Government has extended the voluntary National Insurance deadline to 31 July 2023 to give people more time to fill gaps in their National Insurance record and help increase the amount they receive in State Pension. As part of transitional arrangements to the new State Pension, people have been able to make voluntary contributions to any incomplete years in their National Insurance record between April 2006 and April 2016, to help increase the amount they receive when they retire. Read the press release here.
EMPLOYMENT
Earnings / employee benefit rates from April 2023
National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates from 1 April 2023
- workers aged 23 and above – £10.42/hour
- workers aged 21 and 22 – £10.18
- workers aged 18, 19 and 20 – £7.49
- workers aged under 18 – £5.28
- apprentices aged under 19 and apprentices over 19 but in the first year of their apprenticeship – £5.28
- accommodation offset – £9.10/day
Where there has been a change, for instance because the NMW has increased or the worker has had a birthday, the worker is entitled to the rate in force on the first day of their pay reference period – a month or less. So, if a worker’s pay reference period is a week starting on Fridays, the new rates will only apply to their pay from 7 April 2023.
Statutory parental payments and Statutory Sick Pay: Statutory Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared Parental, and Parental Bereavement Pay will all increase from £156.66 to £172.48/week from 2 April 2023. Maternity Allowance also increases to £172.48/week from 10 April 2023. Statutory Sick Pay will increase from £99.35 to £109.40/week from 6 April 2023. The Lower Earnings Limit will remain at £123/week.
HOUSING
Evictions: It is important to ensure clients are aware of the steps required to lawfully carry out an eviction – see Citizens Advice information here. Bailiffs are only able to evict tenants following proper notice and a court order for possession. The tenant should receive a form N54 ‘Notice of Eviction’ giving 14 days notice of when the eviction will take place. Novara media has reported – here – on cases of private landlords hiring ‘uniformed security’ to carry out illegal evictions without court action. The private bailiffs have been attending properties in clothing and vehicles very similar to those used by police officers.
Social Housing Complaints: The Make Things Right campaign aims to ensure more social housing residents who need support know how to make a complaint. It is based on the idea that everyone deserves a home that is safe, secure and well maintained, and anything less is unacceptable. And if a resident has reported an issue and it hasn’t been fixed, it’s now easier to make things right. The campaign sets out the steps of the complaints process that residents can take if they are unhappy with the service from their social housing provider. The Campaign Toolkit contains guidance and links to assets to help spread the word among residents about how to make complaints. This includes posters, leaflets and social media posts (some translated) for you to print or download and share with your networks.
IMMIGRATION
Streamlined asylum process – how to deal with requests for help with questionnaires: The Government has introduced a streamlined process for assessing asylum claims made before 28 June 2022 from citizens of Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria, and Yemen. Asylum seekers who are affected may approach a local agency for help with the questionnaire they are sent. As help of this nature is classed as OISC Level 2 (see below), onward referral may be needed and Citizens Advice BCP may be able to help you signpost your client. Contact Kirsty.
New guide on the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP): The Afghan Pro Bono Initiative has produced a new step-by-step guide to the UK’s ARAP scheme. The new guide covers the full ARAP process, including eligibility criteria and the initial application process, all the way to what you should do if your application is unsuccessful. NB: if you are an adviser this counts as level 2 advice under the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner regulations (more here) .However, it’s designed to be used by anyone from a non-legal background to prepare and submit an application without the support of a legal adviser, so can be given to clients. It’s available in Dari, Pashto and English – go to Refugee Legal Support here.
CONSUMER
Office of product safety and standards (OPSS) safety information campaign: The OPSS have made resources available here to go with their ongoing public safety campaign to raise awareness about hazards associated with toys and electrical products. The resources are designed to help get the message across to consumers that:
- not everything advertised on an online platform is sold by that platform
- they should search ‘product recalls’ on GOV.UK to see if any problems have been identified with a potential purchase
- if they think they have bought an unsafe product they should report it to Citizens Advice.
LEGAL
Legal aid changes in domestic abuse and children cases: From 1 March 2023 changes to the legal aid rules mean applicants in domestic abuse cases no longer need a face to face appointment with their GP to get medical evidence in support of their legal aid application. Read more in the Law Society Gazette here.
Public law children cases: from 1 March, non-means tested legal aid is being extended to parents and those with parental responsibility when opposing applications for adoption orders or placement orders by Local Authorities. Read more on familylawweek.
OTHER
Voter ID: The Government has introduced a requirement for voters to show photo ID when voting at a polling station at some elections. This new requirement will apply for the first time at the local elections taking place in some areas of England on Thursday 4 May 2023. Anyone who does not have an accepted form of photo ID will be able to apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate. Organisations working directly with voters, including local authorities and charities, can play an important role in supporting voters to ensure they have photo ID ahead of the elections. The Electoral Commission has created partner packs for organisations in England. They are designed to help raise awareness, and to support people to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, ahead of the local elections in May 2023. The packs also include information on voter registration.
Bus funding: Additional funding has been awarded to extend the Bus Recovery Grant and the £2 Bus Fare Cap until 30 June 2023. Read more here.
LOCAL
Dorset Youth Association- mental health hub: This hub helps support children and young people, so they can easily find local services that can help with a range of issues. There is also a directory for parents
and carers to get advice on how to support their children. The Hub is here.
Digital Doorway,Dorset Council: This is an initiative to issue free devices to people, aged over 18 and who live in the Dorset Council area, who are currently digitally excluded. NB: this is a referral scheme – please follow this link for full details.
Digital support for BCP residents: Support from libraries, Skills & Learning, BCHA (Bournemouth Digital Project), etc – see this flyer:
Digital-support-for-BCP-residents
Events, training
Citizens Advice – March’s Cost of Living Briefing: 3pm on Tuesday 22 March. Live-streamed from the House of Commons, with an expert panel. Book via eventbrite.
Employability Skills: CAN and BCHA are delivering a new 5 week course for anyone looking to return to work, unable to work in a traditional role, retired and even people who want to volunteer alongside their regular job. This course is open to anyone aged 19-plus in Dorset, and aims to work with people to develop skills and help them get into volunteering and be successful in their role. The first, 5-week course starts with enrolment on 30th March and continues each Thursday for half a day, at BCHA Learn in Boscombe. For more information here or call BCHA Learn on: 01202 410595.
Consultations / surveys
Ofgem / Citizens Advice survey – PPMs: Ofgem, in partnership with Citizens Advice, has put forward a call for evidence asking energy pay-as-you-go customers to share their experiences of being moved onto prepayment meters (PPMs). Read Ofgem’s press release here. Please share the form with clients who are willing to share their experiences, as this will form part of their market-wide review. The form will take 10 minutes to complete and will be open until Thursday 4 May.
Consultation opens on ‘Help with fees’ scheme: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has announced a consultation on reforms to the current court fee remission scheme which is available to people on certain benefits or low incomes. Clients applying to the family court are able to apply for help with court fees if they qualify financially. The proposed changes include:
- raising the income thresholds and including variations according to family circumstances and ages of children
- revising the rules on partial fee remissions
- increasing the lower capital threshold for eligibility, and simplifying the capital test
You can read the press release here; the consultation closes on 30 May. Information on the current Help with Fees scheme is here.
Research, reports etc
Locked out of work: This new Citizens Advice report (published just before the budget) looks at the cost of childcare. Parents wanting to work need to buy childcare, but with the cost of full-time care for children under 3 now exceeding the average cost of renting in England, many simply can’t afford to. And instead of helping parents overcome these barriers, the support offer for low income families reinforces them. Read more here.
Fairer, warmer, cheaper – Citizens Advice energy report: This new report looks at the need for a long-term solution to the problem of high energy bills. The report was produced alongside the Social Market Foundation and Public First and has the support of consumer (Martin Lewis) and industry groups (Energy UK). Read the report here, and a Guardian review here.
Is this the worst time to be a private renter? What Citizens Advice cost-of-living data dashboard is telling us about housing – read the blog – here.
Policy in practice – Putting the ‘universal’ into Universal Credit: This new report highlights how the broken housing and childcare markets in the UK mean that more people, including higher-rate taxpayers, can access Universal Credit. We estimate that around £19 billion of benefits and other support goes unclaimed each year, typically because people are unaware of their entitlement. Households with savings below £16,000 who rent or have children are particularly likely to be eligible for support. Read more here.
TUC research on caring responsibilities: An analysis by the TUC concludes that women are 7 times more likely than men to be kept out of the labour market because of caring responsibilities. This is true at every age, although the impact is greatest on women in their 30’s. Read more here.
Transforming Support – The Health and Disability White Paper: This Policy paper[published 15 March], sets out the government’s proposals to help more disabled people and people with health conditions to start, stay and succeed in work. This includes a proposal to remove the Work Capability Assessment (WCA): ‘In our new system, there will be no need to be found to have limited capability for work, or limited capability for work or work-related activity, to receive additional income-related support for a disability or health condition. We will introduce a new universal credit health element that people receiving both personal independence payment (PIP) and universal credit will be entitled to, which will enable people to try work without the fear of losing their benefits’.
Funding news
Asda Foundation – Empowering Local Communities Grant: Grants of between £400 and £1,600 are available to support a broad range of activities which can contribute towards transforming their community and improving the lives of people in their community. Support to help with the cost of living rise and for refugees is available.
Applications are accepted from local not for profit community groups and organisations based in the UK.
Eligible costs and projects under each theme supported by the programme include the following (but not limited to):
• Essentials: for the basic essentials to address an immediate need and/or situation
• Transform/Improve: funding to transform and/or improve a space/activity.
• Connect Together: funding for bringing people together and encouraging community connections.
• Coronation: funding for celebration events for the King’s Coronation
The closing date for applications is 21 April 2023, which must be made via your local Asda Community Champion. Read more here.
Thomas Pocklington Trust: Grants of up to £10,000 for registered charities across the United Kingdom to deliver a broad range of projects and activities that achieve positive outcomes for blind and partially sighted people. In 2023, preference will be given to Collaboration and Sustainability -promoting positive change to improve the capacity and sustainability of the sight loss sector and organisations which work with blind and partially sighted people. Funding will also be considered for applications in the following areas:
- Infrastructure and impact – including developing technological capabilities, restructuring reviews, Theory of Change, feasibility studies, partnership working (including resource sharing) and integrations and mergers.
- Insights and research – including gaps in data and evidence that can improve knowledge across the sector.
- Innovation Seed Fund – initial funding for ideas and projects which can have a transformative benefit to the lives of blind and partially sighted people.
Deadline 31 March; read more here.
Millions released from dormant accounts to support vulnerable people with cost of living: Govt press release from 8 March on using £76 million tied up in forgotten accounts to support people to get out of debt and assist social enterprises with innovative energy saving solutions. Await further details?!