Welcome to this week’s E News on the Citizens Advice Dorset website. 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. However, if there is something urgent in-between we will send out a supplementary edition.
You can now subscribe to the newsletter (it is free and 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 Thomas Hensher at Citizens Advice Central Dorset: [email protected]
Citizens Advice will be closed on Monday 4 May for the Bank Holiday. We wish everyone a happy bank holiday weekend. For information and advice about working on bank holidays see our website here: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/working-hours-and-rest-breaks/working-bank-holidays/
National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers (NAWRA) Conference in Dorchester on Friday 5th June
Advice Updates
Renters’ Rights Act comes into force in England – End of Section 21: After many years campaigning for tenancy reform, on Friday 1 May the Renters Rights Act 2025 will come into force in the private rented sector. The Act will result in some of the biggest changes in housing law in decades. The headlines being that the private landlords will no longer be able to grant new assured shorthold tenancies. Nor will they be able to serve section 21 notices to end a tenancy.
The following are some resources to help you give advice –
- you can check how the private renting rules are changing on Advisernet
- the Housing Expert Advice Team has prepared for advisers a Renters Rights Overview video recording which can be found on Workvivo
- there is Guidance for tenants on how renting is changing on GOV.UK
- you can also ask general questions about the changes on the Housing and Homelessness (England) group on Workvivo
- if you have a question about how the changes might impact a particular case, then you can also access the Expert Advice Team’s second tier consultancy service on Freshdesk
In addition to this, Generation Rent is running a Renters Rights Awareness week from 27 April to 1 May. Each day they are running free online webinars on various aspects of the changes. You can find the full programme of webinars and details on how to sign up on Generation Rent’s website.
here are some of the immediate effects that the RRA will have on assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs):
- any existing ASTs will automatically convert to periodic assured tenancies (unless a valid s21 notice or a valid s8 notice has been served)
- landlords will no longer be able to use s21 notices to evict tenants from 1 May 2026. They will have to rely on a s8 notice and prove a ground for possession. There are new and amended grounds for possession from 1 May 2026 under Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 (HA88)
- the maximum period of a tenancy will be one month. If a landlord asks for more than one month’s rent in advance, this will be an unlawful payment. If a tenant has paid it (eg because they did not realise that they did not need to or the additional rent was paid before 1 May 2026), they can ask for the payment back
- rent review clauses in tenancy agreements will no longer be valid. The only way for a landlord to increase the rent for an assured tenancy would be to use the procedure set out in s13 of the HA88. This can only be done once every 12 months
- requests to keep a pet must be reasonably considered
- landlords and agents must not discriminate against tenants on benefits or tenants with children
Any landlords with existing tenants must provide written information about the key terms of the tenancy and/or the key changes made by the RRA. The landlord will have from 1 May to 31 May to provide this information.
ENERGY
Warning of Winter Fuel Allowance scams: HMRC has issued a warning to pensioners to be aware of Winter Fuel Repayment Scams from April 2026. Customers who earn above £35,000 will have to repay Winter Fuel Allowances received for 2025/26. HMRC have confirmed that payments will be recovered from recipients PAYE taxcode with no need to contact HMRC. For those filling in a self-assessment form, the repayment field will be pre-populated online. HMRC have confirmed they will not contact people by text or email to ask them to repay their Winter Fuel Payment, or to request bank details.
You can find more information about paying back the Winter Fuel Payment on GOV.UK.
Protection from Higher Energy Prices: On 21 April the government announced plans to protect customers from higher prices during energy prices.
These plans include breaking the link between gas prices and energy prices by:
- offering voluntary long-term fixed price contracts to renewable generators
- increasing the Electricity Generators Levy tax on excess profits from 45%-55% and passing on increases to households via support payments
The government also announced an increase in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant. This means households using heating oil and LPG will now be able to access grants of up to £9,000 to help change their heating to electrified sources.
FAMILY
Fee increases: Amendments have been made under SI 2026/233 The Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Fees) (Amendment and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2026 to increase certain fees for applications and services which concern births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships. These came into force on 6 April 2026 and include the following:
- fee for conversion of a civil partnership into a marriage increased to £55
- fee to obtain a copy of a marriage or death certificate increased to £12.50
AI Pilot: HM Courts & Tribunals Service has announced a pilot, testing the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to produce court transcripts.
The pilot will undertake research on the use of AI to transcribe court hearings which would make it both faster and easier for a survivor to obtain a copy of a court transcript. This would also be more cost effective as it can cost hundreds of pounds or more to obtain transcribed copies, which at present are produced by “contacted providers”.
This has been described by the Victims’ Commissioner as “an important step towards improving access to justice for victims and families”.
You can read more about the AI court transcripts to boost access to justice for victims at GOV.UK.
BENEFITS
Extending fixed term awards of PIP: The government has amended regulations so that a PIP award can be superseded to extend a fixed term. This will allow the DWP to extend existing awards of PIP, as part of their plans to increase the time between award reviews.
You can read the amending regulations on legislation.gov.uk.
DEBT
Reform to council tax administration and enforcement on the way (England only): The government has published its plans for council tax administration, including:
From April 2028:
- bills will be set to 12 monthly instalments instead of 10
From April 2027:
- newly liable people have 12 monthly instalments
- the whole bill will be due after 63 days, up from 7
- a consultation on mandatory pre-enforcement steps
- capping liability order costs at £100
When parliamentary time allows, modernise language in legislation so that ‘severe mental impairment’ becomes ‘significant cognitive impairment’.
You can read ‘Modernising and improving the administration of council tax – government response’ on GOV.UK.
Research and Reports
Exploring the Relationship Between Problem Debt and Risk of Homelessness: This report from the Centre for Homelessness Impact and Bristol University finds that debt is a key mechanism through which structural pressures become housing crises. Read the report here.
Fragile Budgets, Difficult Choices: Age UK have released a new report highlighting long term financial hardships of older households. Read the report here.
An Analysis of Repeat Food Bank Use and Development of an ‘Opportunity Pathways’ Framework: This commentary presents findings from a research project investigating repeat food bank use in Nottingham, UK. The research was commissioned to explore reasons for repeat food bank use and identify gaps in non-food support. Read the paper here.
Upcoming Events & Training
Developing a Communications & Marketing Plan, Thursday 21st May, 10:00-13:00, Volunteer Centre Dorset: This interactive workshop run by Volunteer Centre Dorset will take you through the essential steps in creating a communications/marketing plan for your voluntary group or organisation. They will cover:
– setting clear objectives
– understanding your audience
– finding the right channels
– creating engaging, accessible content
– evaluating your work
The session will include peer feedback, and each person attending will leave with an actional mini-comms plan. Be prepared to bring a piece of communications you are currently working on or planning, and think about what your biggest communications challenge is.
Funding: Income Sustainability & Diversity, 7th May 2026 10-11am, online: This online session run by the Volunteer Centre Dorset will help community groups and small charities reduce reliance on grants by developing a broader, more resilient mix of income sources.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• Understand why grant dependency is risky for long-term sustainability
• Identify sustainable income types suitable for your organisation
• Assess their current income mix and identify gaps
• Explore practical ways to diversify income (community fundraising, trading, partnerships, contracts, donations)
• Begin developing a realistic plan to strengthen financial resilience
Funding
Wessex Water Environment Fund: The current round of this Fund opened on April 17, 2026 and the deadline to apply is midday on May 18, 2026.
Wessex Water have £16,250 to distribute in this round.
In the last round, 54% of applicants were successful and the average grant was £1200.
Applicants must be based and working in Dorset or Ringwood.
Applicants must have been running activities for at least 12 months
Wessex Water do not fund national charities, including those with distinct services in Dorset.
BCP Crisis and Resilience Fund: The deadline to apply to the current round of this fund is midday on Thursday, June 4.
This programme distributes part of the funds allocated by the UK government’s Crisis & Resilience Fund to BCP Council. This is a three year scheme running until March 31, 2029. Organisations must work in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and funded activities must benefit BCP residents. Priority will be given to those based in the area. This fund complements a range of services that are being supported by the UK government’s Crisis & Resilience Fund, delivered by BCP Council and partners. The ‘crisis’ element is being delivered largely through the Housing Payments scheme and the Crisis Payments scheme, offering support to individual households. These services will provide a safety net for those on low incomes who encounter a financial shock. See the council’s webpage on the Crisis & Resilience Fund for more information.