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]
Information Updates
BENEFITS
Welfare Reform Updates: The government’s proposed changes to disability and Universal Credit benefits continue to face significant backlash. The vote is scheduled for Tuesday, 1 July 2025. We are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to provide updates on any developments that could an impact on the people we support every day.
Responding to the first reading of the bill, Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:
“This is a crucial moment for disabled people in this country. If MPs vote for this bill, they will be choosing to take away Personal Independence Payment (PIP) from someone who needs help to cut up food, or dress, wash, or use the toilet.”
“By asking MPs to vote without a proper assessment of the consequences, the government has chosen not to ask questions it doesn’t want the answers to. Those questions are now in the hands of Parliament. MPs have a clear choice: be on the side of disabled people or vote for cuts that will cause real suffering.”
SCAMS
Scam QR codes found in Dorset: Dorset Council is advising both residents and visitors to remain cautious following the discovery of fraudulent QR code stickers placed on parking payment machines in the West Bay area. These counterfeit stickers feature QR codes that, when scanned, lead users to a deceptive website that closely resembles an official parking payment page. Rather than completing a legitimate transaction, individuals are inadvertently providing their credit or debit card information to scammers.
If you believe you may have entered your payment details on one of these scam websites, contact your bank immediately and report the incident to Action Fraud or by calling 0300 123 2040.
HOUSING
Housing Allocation Consultation: Dorset Council are now consulting on the Housing Allocation Policy for 2026 to 2031. The demand for social rented housing exceeds the number of homes available to let, locally and nationally. For example, at 31 March 2024, there were:
- 5,406 people households on Dorset Council’s housing register (including social housing tenants seeking a transfer).
- 23,843 units of social housing in Dorset (owned by 55 registered providers).
At the moment, someone in Dorset might have to wait four years before being allocated social rented housing.
Due to demand for social rented housing outstripping the available supply, Dorset Council states that they plan to “allocate social rented housing transparently, making rational, lawful, and subjective decisions.”
Visit the site to have your say on the 2026-2031 Housing Allocation Policy.
COST OF LIVING SUPPORT
Grants Distributed to Community Projects in BCP: Almost £280,000 from a cost of living fund will be awarded to 38 organisations across Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole. Provided by Dorset Community Foundation and BCP Council, these grants are intended to deliver vital food, advice, and support services. The funding will back a range of projects running from June 2025 through to March 2026, including food vouchers and parcels, community meals, cooking workshops, and sessions offering energy and benefits advice.
Cost of Living Grants Continue to Support Dorset Council Residents: Dorset Council has pledged £500,000 every year for the next four years through its cost of living initiatives. This Council funding has previously supported social supermarkets, emergency foodbanks, community transport schemes, households facing homelessness, discretionary housing payments, Household Support Fund supermarket vouchers, and other schemes that have had a really positive impact on Dorset residents. The Council’s cost of living support has made a huge difference to the work that we do at Citizens Advice in Dorset and we are really pleased that they have pledged to continue supporting our communities.
OTHER
Digital Champions for Organisations: Around 25% of people in the UK have the lowest level of digital capability – that’s around 193,000 people across Dorset. Some of these people have never been online. As the need for digital literacy continues to rise, these numbers are concerning. However, Dorset now has more than 40 Digital Champions helping to change these figures. Digital champions are friendly volunteers who can help people get online and increase their confidence with all things digital. They provide face-to-face support in libraries across the county and are now extending the service to community groups and organisations. Community organisations can book a digital champion to talk to their group. The digital champion can also carry out a troubleshooting session on any digital issues people might have.
Any community group that would like to book a digital champion can do so by booking at www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/book-
Dorset Council’s New Economic Strategy: Dorset Council’s cabinet has approved a new economic strategy focused on boosting employment, attracting investment, and fostering innovation across the county. The strategy sets out four main goals: driving economic growth, drawing in investment, generating high-value employment opportunities, and defining key priorities for discussions with government and regional stakeholders. Read further details about the strategy here.
Research and Reports
Citizens Advice Report – The Case for Caseworkers – Reimagining the Job Service: This new Citizens Advice discussion paper provides a vision of what a reformed Jobcentre could look like. The central proposal is to introduce a new role: the caseworker. This would overhaul the work coach role by splitting it into two separate positions. The caseworker would be the primary point of contact for service users, providing ongoing pastoral and practical support, and making referrals for more specialist support. The second role, the careers advisor, would be a specialist in employment support, meeting service users when they need in-depth job coaching. Read the full paper here.
Living Standards Outlook: The Resolution Foundation’s annual report examines income trends over the current decade and assesses future prospects based on existing economic forecasts and government tax and benefit policies. The think tank finds that income growth is expected to remain weak through to 2029–30, with the most severe impact falling on lower-income households. Read the full report here.
Insecure Lives – The Growth and Impact of Multiple Insecurities: The London School of Economics has released research on ‘multiple insecurity,’ which refers to insecurity across several key areas of life, including finances, employment, housing, food, health, and care. The study examines how widespread these overlapping insecurities are and their effects. It concludes that current policies have been ineffective in curbing the significant rise in financial and multiple insecurities observed in recent years. Read the research paper here.
Better Off – A Plan to Improve Living Standards in One Parliament: The Fabian Society has released a report outlining how the government can improve people’s well-being amid difficult circumstances. The report details how policies can be effectively prioritised, coordinated, and communicated, structured around three main ‘pillars.’ Read the report here.
Declining Health Could Push People Out of the Workforce: Recent research by the Work Foundation at Lancaster University shows that two in five young workers in the UK believe deteriorating health may force them to leave the workforce in the future. The findings are especially worrying for younger workers, who are 1.5 times more likely than other age groups to report poor mental health. Read the full report here.
Rural Economy Spotlight: A quarterly bulletin from the Rural Services Network highlighting a selection of current rural economic development news, issues and opportunities. Read the bulletin here.
Upcoming Events
Stand Up Against Harassment – 15 July, 12:30, online: Digital event to learn about standing up to harassment against women and girls. Sign up here.
Policy in Practice – Understanding the impact of disability benefits reforms on local authorities, Wed, 27 August, 10:30am – 11:45 (online): This online webinar could be useful for charities in Dorset to get a better understanding of how the proposed benefits reforms will impact local authorities. Register here.
One World Festival – Saturday 9 August, 11am – 4pm: One World is a free local event to celebrate the diversity of cultures in Dorset through music, dance, food & activities featuring a programme of traditional and modern cultural activities performed by local communities. The event is being organised by the South West Dorset Multicultural Network in partnership with Dorchester Town Council. See here for further details.
Homes and Poverty Webinar – 1 July, 13:00 – 14:00, online: Join FrameWorks UK, in partnership with Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Nationwide Foundation, for a useful webinar drawing together insights and recommendations from framing research on talking about poverty and talking about homes. They will provide insights and communications tips to help show how solutions like building more social homes can help to tackle poverty and explain how a strong, supportive welfare system is part of the solution. Sign up here.
Funding
SNG Thriving Communities Fund Launched: Launched on 23 June, the Thriving communities fund is aimed at supporting not-for-profit groups and organisations to deliver cohesive, sustainable, and resilient communities.
This year, the Thriving Communities fund includes two main grants:
Strengthening Place grant – supports projects focused on:
- Health, wellbeing and social inclusion
- Community safety
- Environment and sustainability
- Youth and ageing well
Skills and Learning grant – supports projects focused on:
- Community digital support
- Financial skills and resilience
- Family learning
- Food education
Click here for all the details.
BCP Thriving Communities Fund: Dorset Community Foundation are offering grants of up to £5,000 supporting capital costs to improve community buildings. The grants are to support capital improvements, for community groups running community buildings in BCP that provide facilities for local community-led groups and activities. Further details can be found here.
Local Alliance Group Funding: Do you have a project you are setting up to support children, young people and families?
The Local Alliance Group (LAG) are once more inviting applicants to apply for:
- funding up to £5000 for individual groups/schools, or
- funding up to £20,000 for consortium applications from a group of settings (such as schools, individuals or organisations are also encouraged)
Further details can be found here.