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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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]
Jobs
Citizens Advice Central Dorset is advertising for several part time roles, including a Debt Caseworker, a peripatetic supervisor, 2 roles with our new Improving Lives Through Advice project, and a 0.5 advocacy worker post to support the Gypsy Roma and Traveller communities in the BCP area. Read more about all of these here.
Information updates
COST OF LIVING
June’s Cost of Living quick links fact sheet:
2024 JUNE Cost-of-Living-Crisis-factsheet
Energy Price Cap: Ofgem has announced the energy price cap for the next period – 1 July to 30 September 2024. This means that from 1 July 2024 a household with a typical consumption on dual electricity and gas will pay:
- £1,568 a year if they pay by direct debit
- £1,668 if they pay by standard credit (on receipt of their bill)
- £1,522 if they have a prepayment meter
Prices are worked out per unit of energy used. If consumers use more they will pay more. The exact rate and standing charge will depend on the region where the consumer lives. Read more from Ofgem and further explanation in this Adviser Online article.
BENEFITS
Deprivation of capital: If someone is found to have deprived themselves of capital they can be excluded from certain benefits under the ‘notional capital rules’. There is a useful article on Adviser Online looking at how those calculations work, and how they reduce over time, enabling someone to become entitled again.
ID for claiming Universal Credit: If you want to claim Universal Credit you must verify your identity. This guide for claimants and people supporting them explains how to do that, and includes an updated list of ID documents you’ll need to bring if you’re invited to a face-to-face interview at a Jobcentre Plus.
HOUSING
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024: This was passed on the last day parliament sat. This new act aims to make it cheaper and easier for leaseholders to extend their lease, buy their freehold and take over management of their building. Although the act has been passed many of its provisions have yet to come into force; read more here. NB: The dissolution of Parliament has meant that the Renters Reform Bill was not passed. This means that legislation to introduce renters reform will have to start from scratch by a new government following the General Election.
IMMIGRATION
Transition to eVisas: UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) are developing a digital immigration system. They are replacing physical documents with an online record of someone’s immigration status, known as an eVisa. The documents being replaced are:
- biometric residence permits (BRP)
- biometric residence cards (BRC)
- passport endorsements, such as indefinite leave to enter wet ink stamps
- vignette stickers in passports, such as entry clearance or visa vignettes
People will need to set up an account and then link their eVisa to it. Govt guidance is here. ILPA (Immigration Law Practitioner’s Association) has written a letter to the Home Office, expressing concerns about the process involved in the digitalisation of immigration status in the UK. They say that many issues they have consistently raised remain unaddressed and do not appear to be considered in the roll-out of the transition to eVisas. Read more here.
OTHER
General election: A few things:
- Register to vote by 18 June – more info here.
- Voter ID: If people don’t have photographic ID they can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate; they need to do this by 5pm on 26 June 2024 for the General Election on 4 July 2024. Read more here.
- General election guidance 2024 for civil servants: General elections have a number of implications for the work of departments and civil servants. These arise from the special character of government business during an election campaign, and from the need to maintain, and be seen to maintain, the impartiality of the Civil Service, and to avoid any criticism of an inappropriate use of official resources. This guidance took effect from 00:01 on 25 May 2024 at which point the ‘election period’ began.
- For VCSE organisations: Information on the rules that charities must follow, and how parliamentary candidates can engage with them during an election campaign, is on gov.uk. Additionally, key issues and questions for charities to consider based on insights from casework into campaigning and political activity during previous election periods is here.
Claiming 15 hours of child care for children under 3: The free 15 hours childcare scheme application process is now open for children who will be 9 months old on 1 September. The Government has updated their website – here – with the relevant application dates, depending on the age of the child.
BT digital landline switch deadline update: BBC News has reported that BT has further delayed plans to force all customers to switch from public switched telephone network landlines to digital landlines. The switch was paused at the end of 2023 after several incidents where telecare devices stopped working – the aim is now to complete the move by the end of January 2027.
LOCAL
Dorset Nightstop: Safe emergency accommodation for young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Young people using Dorset Nightstop can spend 1 – 3 nights with trained volunteers. They have their own bedroom, meals and washing facilities, as well as a chance to talk if they want it. More information here.
Citizens Advice BCP – Immigration clinic: As previously advised, the clinic is once a month on a Wednesday – please note that the October clinic date has changed to the 9th, as in this flyer:
Events
Volunteers’ Week 3 – 9 June 2024: Volunteers’ Week celebrates the amazing contributions volunteers make to communities across the UK. The celebration starts on the first Monday in June every year. It’s a chance to recognise, celebrate and thank the UK’s incredible volunteers for all they contribute to our local communities, the voluntary sector, and society as a whole. Read more here and locally from Volunteering Dorset here and CAN here.
Carers Week – 10 – 16 June: This is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support – read more here. Locally Carer Support Dorset is organising an event – Carers Week – Connecting the community: putting carers on the map – in Ferndown, Monday 10 June, 1 – 4pm – info here.
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month (GRTHM) – June 2024: Through celebration, education and raising awareness, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month helps to tackle prejudice, change the story, and amplify the voices of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in wider society. Read more here. Locally Kushti Bok is organising Roma History Day, in the Borough Gardens Dorchester on Saturday 15th June 2024, 12-4pm; this is an annual event to bring us all together to celebrate Gypsy, Roma and Traveller month. Read more here.
Pride Month – June 2024: Pride Month is a vibrant and inclusive celebration that honors the LGBTQ+ community, their history, achievements, and ongoing struggle for equality. This annual event serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of acceptance, diversity, and love. It brings together individuals, organizations, and communities to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and celebrate the progress made towards a more inclusive society. Various websites have information – this is taken from the awareness days website.
How has Britain’s safety net changed since 2010 and what comes next? Resolution Foundation briefing – Thursday 13 June 2024, 9:30am – 10:45am. How has our social security system changed since 2010? Who has gained or lost out from these changes? What are the main challenges facing Britain’s welfare today and in the years ahead – from an ageing population, to high levels of child poverty? And what are the main parties’ plans for the future of our welfare state? Register for this and other RF events here.
Research, reports, blogs and consultations
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) research on treatment of domestic abuse survivors: In its recent blog the FCA says that firms must act to ensure that domestic abuse survivors don’t experience further avoidable harm. This could include the way firms deal with the repayment and recording of debts.
Citizens Advice blogs:
- Universal Credit exists in a different timezone to the people who depend on it: The DWP insist there are 52 weeks in a year but in fact there are actually 52.14 weeks in a year; 52 weeks and one day. Read more on the impact this has here.
- A drop in the ocean: Inflation has finally come down to 2.3% — the lowest it’s been since September 2021 – so is the cost-of-living crisis over? The short answer is, no. 5 million people are still in a negative budget — unable to afford their essentials — and our analysis shows that 680,000 more could be pushed into the red this year by rising housing costs. Read more here.
Carers UK press release on Carer’s Allowance overpayments: Carers UK has reacted positively to the news that the Government is planning to text or email carers who are at risk of overpayments on Carer’s Allowance, but is warning that the DWP needs to invest in good advice, information and staffing to make sure that it works well for unpaid carers. Unfortunately, the changes will not change some of the underlying problems with the policy; recently the issue of overpayments has highlighted the fact that Carer’s Allowance, as a benefit, is not fit for purpose. By going even £1 over the earnings limit of £151 per week, unpaid carers in receipt of Carer’s Allowance stand to lose 100% of their benefit worth £81.90 per week. Many carers unwittingly went over the earnings limit, many didn’t inform the DWP, which then resulted in an overpayment of Carer’s Allowance. The DWP, however, receives regular alerts from HMRC telling them who has gone over the earnings threshold, but does not notify the carer. Their lack of action can go on for years, effectively allowing the unpaid carer to clock up massive debts to the DWP, some running into tens of thousands of pounds. Read the full press release here, and Carers UK also have a survey open to collect people’s experiences – here.
Child Maintenance consultation: Through a new consultation paper, DWP aims to improve the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) so more children get the financial support they are due. This includes ending the option of direct payments between parents through the CMS, meaning if parents do not pay it will be detected and enforcement action can be taken sooner. It also asks what further support the CMS can provide to help separated parents make family-based arrangements, which are agreed by parents, without state intervention, and how the CMS can better support victims and survivors of domestic abuse. Read more here – the deadline to respond is 31 July 2024.
Funding News
Dorset Local Alliance Group funding: This is now available to the voluntary sector, education settings and community groups in Dorset; there are six local alliance groups in Dorset, each representing a different geographical area. The groups agree on priorities and create plans to improve things for children and young people in their local area. Read more here.
Woodward Charitable Trust: This is one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, and twice a year it awards grants to UK registered charities with an annual turnover of less than £200,000 who are making ‘a real difference in their communities and who stand out in the work that they do’. The funding is for charitable organisations working in the following areas:
- Children and young people (up to 25 years) who are isolated, at risk of exclusion or involved in antisocial behaviour. This covers gang violence and knife crime, education and mentoring, as well as projects that work to raise self-esteem and employment opportunities and encourage an active involvement in and contribution towards the local community.
- Disadvantaged families. This covers parenting support and guidance, mental health, food poverty, refuges and domestic violence projects.
- Prisoners and ex-offenders and specifically projects that maintain and develop contact with prisoners’ families and help with the rehabilitation and resettlement of prisoners and/or ex-offenders after their release.
Most grants are for £1,000 or less for one year, and the Trustees favour small-scale, locally based initiatives; the grants are for core costs rather than specific projects and will cover staff salaries, rent, utilities, general office costs, accountancy/audit costs, fundraising, governance and compliance, and costs supporting the core programmes of the organisation.
The current deadline for applications is 26 July 2024 (12 midday). Read more here.
Smallwood Trust: This trust, with funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, has opened the second round of its £5.43 million funding programme to support organisations providing frontline services for women in England to manage the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.
Round 2 will provide funding for not-for-profit organisations with an income of £1 million or less who are delivering frontline services that are led by, for and/or serving women. Grants of up to £20,000 per year for three years will enable organisations to respond to the spike in demand of priority basic needs from women who are most at risk of poverty, because of the cost-of-living-crisis. Priority will be given to organisations and/or services supporting the following groups:
- Women experiencing racial inequality.
- Disabled women.
- Women with No Recourse to Public Funds.
- Women that are the sole parent to children under 18 years.
- LGBTQ+ communities experiencing financial insecurity.
Funding must be used to support the provision of essential services to women most impacted by poverty and the cost-of-living crisis. Grants can pay for core and frontline staff salaries, running costs/overheads, services and goods, and other organisational costs. Smallwood Trust will host a ‘How to Apply’ webinar on 13 June (11:00 to 12:00) – register via the Smallwood Trust website. A two-stage application process has been introduced for Round 2. The deadline for Expressions of Interest is 21 June 2024 (17:00). Read more here.