Welcome to this week’s E News on the 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.
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Information updates
COST OF LIVING – May’s Fact Sheet
2024 MAY Cost-of-Living-Crisis-factsheet
BENEFITS
Increase in Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET) for UC: For people that are fit to work, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) places Universal Credit claimants on low incomes into groups known as ‘Light Touch’ and ‘Intensive Work Search’. The Administrative Earnings Threshold or AET determines which group a person is placed in based on how much they earn, and therefore how much support they receive to find work and develop a career. From 13 May 2024 the AET is increased to 18 hours pw at the national living wage for a single claimant and 29 hours pw for a couple. This is currently equivalent to £892 per month for single claimants and £1,437 for a couple. The original regulations amending the AET were revoked to change this – read them here.
Pension age claimants and managed migration: Pension age claimants who claim Child Tax Credits (CTC) or Working Tax Credits (WTC) will be subject to managed migration. Depending on the claimant’s circumstances they will either be advised to claim Universal Credit (UC) or Pension Credit. The regulations regarding the migration of pension age claimants will be laid in early May, to come into force in June. Mixed age couples are included in current managed migration plans and won’t be in scope of the new regulations. Letters will be included in the Tax Credit (TC) renewal packs for pension age claimants warning that they may be subject to managed migration. Read more on Managed Migration on Gov.uk.
ENERGY
Prepayment Meters (PPMs) change to judicial guidance: The Senior Presiding Judge and Chief Magistrate have updated their directions to the Judiciary for the issue of warrants for the involuntary fitting of PPMs. The summary within the direction reflects the latest version of the Ofgem PPM Guidance (Safe and Reasonably Practicable) in relation to vulnerable groups. Suppliers must always follow the rules in the latest version when carrying out an involuntary fitting of a PPM. Read the Ofgem guidance, and Citizens Advice information is here. See also below (Reports) – a report on compensation for force fitting meters.
Local Energy News – LEAP: A new element is the LEAP Heating System Tune-up which focuses on improving the efficiency of gas central heating systems for owner-occupiers with boilers less than 10 years old. Eligibility is based on means-tested benefits or income below £31k. Services offered may include boiler servicing, CombiSave valves (to reduce wasted water and gas), heating controls, radiator upgrades, adding inhibitor and more. Service is not guaranteed and depends on the engineers assessment. There is also still funding for LEAP appliances .Read more from Ridgewater Energy.
DEBT
DWP – debt (and other) deductions: Information on deductions fro benefits is here, which include third party deductions for debt and other types of deductions (non-dependent deductions). There is information on UC deductions from Citizens Advice.
OTHER
Digital switchover hub: The UK is moving toward a digital age. Both the landline telephone and 2G/3G mobile networks are changing, which may impact council services for residents. Between now and 2025 most telephone providers will be moving their customers from old analogue landlines over to new upgraded landline services using digital technology. Beyond 2033, mobile network providers have confirmed they will not offer 2G and 3G services. The Local Govt Association has information and a partner toolkit to help you give info on what is happening and what the implications are. Read more here.
Fake barcoded stamps: There has been a surge in the circulation of fake barcoded stamps. Customers have reported buying fake stamps online and at retail outlets. Royal Mail is pausing the £5 fee charged to recipients of letters with fake stamps. The fee will restart when Royal Mail introduces an online scanner that customers can use to check their stamps. Royal Mail has also added an independent expert to its team of specialists who investigate customer complaints over authenticity. Read Royal Mail’s press release here.
OTHER LOCAL NEWS
Dorset – Digital Doorway: Do you work with Dorset residents who are being left behind in this digital world? Dorset Council’s Digital Doorway scheme gives devices to people who struggle to get online, using funding raised from recycling Dorset Council laptops and computers. You can read more and refer people to the scheme here.
Events
DWP workshops on overpayments: PC overpayments – 10am on Tuesday 7 May or 2pm on Thursday 9 May. PIP overpayments – 2pm on Tuesday 7 May or 10am on Thursday 9 May. The DWP want to gather insight on the experiences of vulnerable claimants who have received notification of being overpaid by Pension Credit/PIP , and other issues accessing and navigating DWP services. More information is on rightsnet.
Citizens Advice BCP Immigration clinics: Once a month on a Wednesday. Please note the clinic can be very busy, and although it starts at 10, clients must arrive at or before 9am to sign up for a slot. The clinic gives advice only. Next dates are in this flyer:
Consultations
Sickness absence from work: The Government has opened a call for evidence for reform of the fit note regime, embracing changes such as private companies issuing fit notes instead of GPs. You can respond to the Fit Note Reform call for evidence here. This call for evidence will be open until 8 July 2024.
Modernising Support for Independent Living – The Health and Disability Green Paper: The Green Paper explores how our welfare system could be redesigned to ensure people with disabilities and long-term health conditions get the support they need to achieve the best outcomes, with an approach that focuses support on those with the greatest needs and extra costs. These ideas include removing the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment altogether for people with certain long term health conditions or disabilities, including those with terminal illnesses to reduce bureaucracy and make life easier for those most in need of support. The consultation is here, and is open until 22 July. See also below – various reports and reactions to the Prime Minster’s speech on welfare reform.
Research, reports etc
Welfare reform announcements: The Prime Minster’s speech on 19 April is reported in a press release, and word for word – here. He announced ‘significant reforms and controls’, particularly to disability benefits such as PIP. Various organisations have published responses, eg. Scope, and the Money and Mental Health Institute – here. Policy in Practice say that the ‘devil is in the detail’.
Empowerment for Enforcement – redefining employment support for benefit claimants: This blog from the Citizens Advice Family, Welfare and Work research team looks at why eradicating the current punitive paradigm is needed to achieve meaningful, effective and evidence-based employment support system for benefit claimants.
Compensation for force-fit prepayment meters (PPMs): Information on the number of compensation payouts made to people wrongly put onto PPMs has been released by Ofgem as part of their update on the Market Compliance Review into force-fitting of PPMs. 150,000 cases have been reviewed so far by suppliers themselves, resulting in 1,502 customers receiving initial payments with a further 1,000 due to receive compensation. The review is continuing – British Gas is not included in the Market Compliance Review nor in the current published figures as it is the subject of a separate investigation. The Energy Secretary, Clare Coutinho has confirmed she had spoken to Ofgem, to “make sure that people can get the compensation as quickly as possible”. Read more here.
Our 5 concerns about migrating people to Universal Credit: The process to finally replace legacy benefits with Universal Credit is speeding up, but too many problems remain unresolved. This Citizens Advice blog looks at a number of concerns and also asks why other options weren’t considered (eg. automatic migration rather than requiring people to make a new claim). Read more here.
‘Mandatory reconsideration’ in 2024: Until 2013, a claimant who disagreed with a benefit decision made by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) could appeal directly to the independent social security tribunal. But since 2013, there has been an extra step in this process. Before going to tribunal, most claimants must now ask the DWP to look at the disputed decision again, a requirement called mandatory reconsideration (MR). Only once the claimant has gone through this internal review process can they take their case to appeal. This briefing, produced by CPAG in association with Age UK and RNIB, focuses on two new MR policies introduced in 2022 and 2023 which put access to justice for particular groups of claimants at risk.
Renters Reform Bill: Prior to the third reading, the Renters Reform Coalition publicly criticised the Bill (here), stating that in its current form “…it will be a failure” and that “the result of all the government’s backtracking is that we now have a bill that abolishes section 21 in name only”. In response to such criticism, the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) published a statement advising that “Abolishing section 21 notices is a manifesto commitment and we have been very clear that we will end these no-fault evictions as soon as possible.”
Funding News
Dorset Council’s Community Connection Fund: This fund exists to enable eligible Voluntary Community Sector Organisations (VCSO) to offer a range of community-based activity and projects to support asylum seekers residing on the Bibby Stockholm Barge in Portland to access a range of activity to promote physical and mental wellbeing and community integration. Grants of up t £4k (£1k for newly formed groups).
Funding could be for the supply of practical personal items to address hardship such as clothing and toiletries where this is not provided by the Barge contractor; physical activity opportunities such as football and cricket; community events and social activities, etc ……see the website for more details and information on how to apply. No deadline is noted.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Migration Fund: The Foundation is currently accepting applications to the Migration Fund, previously known as the Shared Ground Fund. The Fund has reopened after a pause and is now focused on supporting not-for-profit organisations in the UK who are working towards the Foundation’s vision of a world in which everyone is free to move and no is forced to move.
Grants of up to £60,000 per year for three to four years (a total of £240,000) or grants up to £50,0000 per year for five years (a total of £250,000) are available to support core costs and specific programme costs. Applications will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations of any size working anywhere in the UK who are working towards things such as embedding anti-racist practice across their organisation and work, or a adopting an organisational culture that centres care and wellbeing.
The funding can be used for work such as:
- Collaborations, alliances, and coalitions
- Campaigning and mobilisation
- Community and worker organising
- Intersectional non-party political education
- Migrant and diaspora leadership development
- Working towards changing law, policy and practice on issues affecting migrant and diaspora communities
- Strengthening advice infrastructure
- ……etc (see their website).
The first step is to request an enquiry call with the Foundation. This can be done at any time; there are no deadlines.