Advice Dorset Partnership E News No. 32, 09 July 2026

BENEFITS

PIP Not Fit for Purpose: The Timms review has concluded that the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) system is not fit for purpose, finding that while the benefit is vital for many disabled people, the assessment and claims process is often stressful, dehumanising and fails to meet the needs of people with fluctuating or invisible conditions. Drawing on evidence from nearly 40,000 contributors, the review found widespread dissatisfaction and low trust in the current system. It recommends fundamental reform, with final proposals due in autumn 2026 to create a fairer, more effective and sustainable PIP system. Read the full government press release here.

Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:

“The Interim Report from the Timms Review confirms what we see daily: a system that is not fit for purpose. Our advisers helped nearly 900 people a day with issues claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) last year.

“PIP is a lifeline for many, covering extra costs that come with being disabled or having a long-term health condition – like care, disability aids, or accessible travel. But too often people struggle to get the support they’re entitled to. Last year alone, we had to help more than 50,000 people challenge or appeal their PIP decision.

“That’s why the Review must now bring forward bold recommendations. Fundamental reform is needed to make PIP fair and straightforward to access for those who depend on it.”

CONSUMER

CMA investigation into Ryanair: In the last newsletter it was reported that the CMA was investigating Ryanair’s ‘mandatory family seat’ policy. Ryanair has changed its policy – parents can now sit next to their children without paying a seat reservation fee.

You can read the news story about Ryanair family seating policy on the BBC News website.

Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) action against Marks Electrical: Marks Electrical must refund around £600,000 to customers who ordered from their website. Marks Electrical automatically opted customers into the following services:

• Recycle Old Appliance
• Upwrap & Recycle Packaging

This is against the law. People don’t need to take action – the refunds will be automatic. Affected customers will receive about £15.

You can read ‘CMA orders Marks Electrical to refund customers over pre-selected extra charges’ on GOV.UK.

IMMIGRATION

Extension of right to work scheme to cover other types of non direct contractual working arrangements: New regulations come into force on 1 October to extend right to work checks – and penalties for non compliance – to other types of working arrangements that fall outside of a traditional contract of employment.  Employers must now conduct checks on workers who are not self employed in their own business, but who obtain work in other ways – like through an online platform or a sub contract – for example, agency workers and those in the gig economy.

These extended relationships are described in the Draft Code of practice for employers on preventing illegal working as:

• where a person is under a contract to provide work or services to a third party and enters into a contract with another employer who employs the workers to carry out all or part of the work or services required to fulfil that contract
• where an online matching service matches a service provider with a client or customer to provide work or services, and the service provider enters into a contract with the client or customer, or
• where an employer employs an individual to provide work or services, and the contract permits that individual to substitute their work or services to be carried out by another individual in their placeYou can read the ministerial statement ‘Extending the right to work scheme and tackling illegal working’ made on 30 June.

HOUSING

Vagrancy Act replaced by new trespass and begging offences: The government has issued regulations which repeal the Vagrancy Act 1824. The Act made rough sleeping a criminal offence in England and Wales for the last two centuries.

You can find more about the repeal of the Vagrancy Act on GOV.UK.

Alongside this, the government has also issued Crime and Policing Act 2026 (Commencement No.1 and Saving Provision) Regulations 2026, which create 2 new offences, trespassing with intent to commit a criminal offence and arranging or facilitating begging for gain. These new offences came into force on the same date, 29 June 2026, that the Vagrancy Act 1824 was repealed.

Housing Ombudsman highlights ‘significant learning opportunity’ in pest infestation cases: The Ombudsman has published findings from 2 wider orders issued to 2 different landlords regarding pest infestations. A wider order is a type of review which looks beyond a single complaint to identify root causes for operational issues.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman said: “clear action should be taken on pests but sometimes there is confusion over responsibility between the landlord and resident. There can also be a focus on rats and mice without fully recognising the impact of insects. There was a severe impact on 2 households, including children, caused by pest infestations. These 2 wider orders identify common lessons. This includes the scope of policies, working with specialist contractors, oversight and coordination of works, and reporting. They present a significant learning opportunity for the wider social housing sector”.

You can find more about the learnings from pest cases on the Housing Ombudsman’s website.

ENERGY

If you work with people who may be struggling with rising energy bills, LEAP (Local Energy Advice Partnership) could make a real difference.

Delivered in BCP and Dorset Council areas by Ridgewater Energy, LEAP offers free, friendly home visits from qualified advisors, who provide practical advice on reducing energy use and staying warm (and cool!). During the visit, residents can receive free energy-saving measures such as: 

• LED lightbulbs
• Draught-proofing
• Remote-controlled sockets
• Reflective radiator panels
• and personalised support to help lower bills.
• Additional seasonal measures provided by Ridgewater, such as water saving items in July/August and keep warm items from December to February.

.

LEAP can also refer eligible residents for further assistance, including: insulation, heating upgrades, and in some cases free appliances or gas boiler replacements. To apply, residents must be in receipt of an eligible benefit, or have a household income under £31,000 and be a homeowner,, social housing or private tenant. If you support someone who could benefit, encourage them to get in touch or find out more: https://ridgewaterenergy.co.uk/projects-and-services/leap or call 01202 612726

FAMILY

Family Procedure Rules 2010 Amendment: The Family Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2026 SI 2026/699 introduces amendments to the Family Procedure Rules 2010 (FPR) which will come into force on 20 July 2026.

The amendments to SI 2010/2955 will include the following:

• a new rule including provision within practice directions for the court to give permission to “communicate information from proceedings”
• definition of a ‘regulated expert’ as a person who is “regulated by a UK statutory body, on a register which is accredited by professional standards authority for health and social care or regulated by an approved regulator under the Legal Services Act 2007”
• definition of a ‘technical expert’ as a person who provides “evidence on digital forensics, DNA testing, handwriting analysis or toxicology testing”
• permission for expert evidence will only be given by the court in children proceedings under the Children and Families Act 2014 if the “evidence is from a regulated expert”. There will be exceptions for international social workers, technical experts and in other Children Act 1989 proceedings

If the court provides permission to a non-regulated expert, in cases where there is no other regulated expert available, then the court must give reason for their decision.

You can read the explanatory memorandum to the FPR amendment at legislation.gov.uk.

Research and Reports

Built to Fail: How the Home Repairs Market is Failing Consumers: Every year, millions of consumers rely on tradespeople and repair services for urgent fixes, routine maintenance and larger improvement works. However, for too many people, what should be a straightforward process of maintaining and improving their home becomes a source of stress, financial loss and uncertainty. Citizens Advice has found that in the last 18 months, nearly three in ten (28%) people who hired a trader for work on their home experienced an issue. From living with unfinished or unsafe work, to dealing with stressful disputes with traders, routine home repairs are turning into nightmares. Many face a maze of complaints processes and dead ends, and struggle to get responses, refunds or accountability when things go wrong with work by traders. Read the report here.

No Home to Go To: How Frozen Local Housing Allowance (LHA) Rates Are Causing Homelessness: This report from Crisis argues that years of frozen Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates have failed to keep pace with rising private rents, leaving many low-income households unable to afford housing and driving increased homelessness, rent arrears, and financial hardship across the UK. Read it here.