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:caroline.buxton
Advice Dorset Partnership Survey – last chance to complete! – follow this link.
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:caroline.buxton
Advice Dorset Partnership Survey – last chance to complete! – follow this link.
Jobs
No notifications.
Information updates
Cost of Living
JULY Factsheet:
JULY-2023-Cost-of-Living-Crisis-factsheet
Energy costs from 1 July: After 1 July 2023 the ‘Energy Price Guarantee’ won’t apply to most tariffs. This is because the ‘Energy Price Cap’ will be cheaper. The Energy Price Cap is the maximum amount your supplier can charge you for a single unit of gas or electricity if you’re on a standard variable tariff – it’s set by the energy regulator Ofgem. How this change will affect you depends on the tariff you’re on. If your bills are expected to go up, there might be things you can do – for example, switch from a fixed tariff early. Read more on the Citizens Advice website here. Also, the Prepayment Meter premium – whereby those on PPMs paid more – has gone,
The Energy Price Cap explained: This article reviews the situation following Ofgem’s announcement in May on the price cap for the period of 1 July to 30 September. The last year has seen unprecedented turbulence in the energy landscape in terms of both retail prices, and government intervention to reduce the effects of the cost of living crisis on energy customers. This means it’s more complex to understand what the price cap means for clients than in previous years and requires some careful unpicking – which is done here.
Support for mortgage holders: Following the Chancellor’s recent meeting with mortgage lenders and the FCA, new support measures have been agreed for mortgage holders. These will start to take effect over the next couple of weeks. Read the Govt’s press release here.
‘Get around for £2’: The £2 bus fare cap – previously due to come to an end on 30 June 2023 – will now continue until 31 October 2023, helping passengers save a third off the average ticket price. The scheme will then continue at £2.50 for one year until November 2024. Locally, Morebus have confirmed this will be available.
BENEFITS
Tax credit claimants – renewals: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has advised that tax credits customers have a month left to renew their claim or risk having their payments stopped. The annual deadline is 31 July and more than 300,000 customers who received a renewal pack with a red line across the first page and the words ‘reply now’ still need to confirm their circumstances for the current tax year to continue receiving payments. Read the press release here.
Erroneous claims for Income Support: New claims to Income Support (IS) on the grounds of incapacity were closed from 31 January 2011. However, some claims for IS were still accepted and awarded after this date, even though cliamants should have made new claims to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA(IR)). Depending on differences in IS paid and potential entitlement to ESA(IR), some claimants may have therefore been underpaid, so DWP is undertaking an exercise to address this. Details of how potential claimants can apply, eligibility criteria and evidence needed to make a claim can be found here.
DWP guidance on changes to Universal Credit (UC) rules: Guidance – here – has been issued on the Social Security and Universal Credit (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2023; these make several changes to UC rules, and the guidance clarifies that:
- for claimants who already have limited capability for work, the limited capability for work-related activity element is included from the assessment period in which the determination is made
- the earliest a UC award can be backdated is the first day of the assessment period that ends on the date the UC claim was made
- for UC couple claims, the highest rate of the transitional SDP element will be payable if the higher SDP rate was payable in their income support, income-based JSA, or income-related ESA, provided it is an existing award, or it ended within the previous month and they still meet the entitlement conditions
FAMILY & COURTS
New Cafcass video for children: Cafcass (the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) has produced a new animated video for children and young people involved in family court proceedings to try and explain their role and let them know what to expect when Cafcass gets involved in their case. Find out more, and view the video here.
New video on small claims mediation service: His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has produced a new video which explains how the small claims mediation service works; this is a free government service helping resolve money disputes without the need for a court hearing.
SCAMS
Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS): SERS was launched in April 2020 by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the City of London Police. It enables people to forward suspicious emails to an automated system that scans them for malicious links. Since its launch almost 21 million reports have been made to the service. You can forward suspicious emails to [email protected].
Suspicious mobile phone calls: Mobile phone providers also offer a service that allows customers to report suspicious text messages, by forwarding them to the number 7726. The service is free of charge and enables providers to takedown malicious websites and block malicious texts from being sent across their network.
Mortgage scams: Action Fraud has reported an increase in mortgage scams, and fraudsters taking advantage of concerns over increasing mortgage rates. People are receiving emails offering cheap, time sensitive mortgage deals – these emails have links to websites designed to harvest victims’ financial and personal details. Read the Which? report here.
LOCAL NEWS
Immigration Clinic: dates for future sessions at Bournemouth Library are in this flyer:
Let’s talk renting: People renting privately across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole who find themselves struggling as a result of the cost-of-living crisis are being offered free support to maintain their tenancies. This is part of a major drive to prevent homelessness. More information here.
Patient transport – helping patients in Dorset attend hospital appointments: From 1 July 2023 the non-emergency patient transport service for outpatient appointments will be provided by HTG-UK. To book transport call the Patient Transport Advice Service on 01278727457. For on-day enquiries regarding your transport call HTG-UK on 01268209655.
Events
Scams awareness week, 3 – 9 July: Scams Awareness is an annual campaign aiming to give people skills to identify scams, encourage people to share their experiences, and help people gain the confidence to report scams. What can people do:
- Stop and get advice. Contact Citizens Advice online at citizensadvice.org.uk/scamsadvice or on 0808 223 1133
- Report scams to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or @actionfrauduk on Twitter.
- Talk with friends, family and neighbours about scams they’ve experienced.
Research, reports etc
National Minimum Wage (NMW): Under the ‘name and shame’ scheme, more than 200 employers including large businesses such as Marks and Spencer have been identified as failing to pay their workers the NMW. Key areas of non-compliance include pay deductions that lower the hourly rate of pay to below the NMW, a failure to pay for all time worked and a failure to pay apprentices at the correct rate. Read the Govt press release here.
Citizens Advice – Housing costs are going through the roof. What can we do about it?: This blog makes the case for a small targeted fund for people on low incomes who are at real risk of losing their home. Read more here.
Benefit levels in the UK: Policy in Practice gave evidence to the Work and Pensions Select Committee. Their director shared that benefits are down by 7.5% in real terms from a decade ago with one in six households on working age benefits facing a shortfall from month to month. He argued for Universal Credit data to be used to proactively widen access to support and evaluate the impact of interventions. Read the blog here.
Are changes to Prepayment Meter customers enough to end rural fuel poverty? Following the Govt’s announcement it is scrapping the prepayment meter premium, this RSN article looks at whether this will really help rural customers, especially those who have oil central heating.
Funding news
Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust: The trust has reopened for it’s third round of 2023, with funding to support children and young people in care and care leavers in the UK. During this round, charities can apply for grants of £1,000 provided their annual operating income is between £100,000 and £1 million. (NB: Round 4 in September will accept applications for up to £5k). Charities can only apply for one grant per calendar year.
The funders continue to recognise that Black Lives Matter has highlighted discrimination faced by the Global Majority. Across each grant round, applicants will be asked to detail how their project addresses these issues.
Applications are accepted from 1 July 2023 to 31 July 2023. Read more here.
SSEN Resilient Communities Fund: Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has announced the 2023 round of its Resilient Communities Fund for projects which create a stronger, coordinated resilience framework for local communities. A total of £280,000 is on offer for 2023, with grants ranging from £1,000 to £10,000. In exceptional circumstances multi-year or multi-community funding to a maximum of £40,000 could be considered. Projects must achieve one of the following essential criteria:
- Vulnerability – To protect the welfare of vulnerable community members through enhancing their resilience and improving community participation and effectiveness.
- Resilience for Emergency Events – To enhance community facilities, services and communication specifically to support the local response in the event of a significant emergency event.
The fund is open to constituted not-for-profit groups based in the SSEN the Distribution area in Central Southern England. Applications accepted until 31 July 2023 (5pm). Read more here