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Help us end the Council Tax Trap for people with mental health problems

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Help us end the Council Tax Trap for people with mental health problems

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Today we have launched new research into local authority debt collection practices and our campaign to end the Council Tax Trap.

Petition: https://www.change.org/p/it-s-time-to-end-the-council-tax-trap

Our new research has  found that there are up to two million people with mental health problems in the UK who have fallen into a 'Council Tax Trap' — missing one payment that triggers increasingly aggressive demands from councils to repay rapidly escalating amounts of money. Within six weeks of a single missed payment, councils are demanding ten times the original debt, sending court summons piling on unfair charges, and calling in the bailiffs — this has to stop.

https://www.moneyandmentalhealth.org/council-tax-trap

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Like a foodbank but for mobile data, the National Databank provides free mobile SIM cards for people who can’t access the internet.

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What Is The National Databank | Free Mobile Data For Digital Inclusion | Good Things Foundation

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Learn about the National Databank, a Good Things’ digital inclusion service that helps people in need access the internet through free mobile data.

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Changes to winter fuel payments: The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024

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Changes to winter fuel payments: The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024

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This briefing looks at the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024. These regulations would introduce means testing for the winter fuel payment. They are the subject of a motion by Baroness Altmann (non-affiliated) to annul them. The House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee has also drawn the regulations to the special attention of the House.

he House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee has said that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had told it that the policy would mean 9.3 million fewer individuals would be claiming the payment in 2024–25:

In supplementary material, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) told us that the estimated number of claimants in England and Wales for 2024–25 is expected to be 1.5 million individuals in 1.3 million households. This represents a decrease of 9.3 million individuals and 6.3 million households from the 10.8 million individuals in 7.6 million households who claimed in 2023–24.[6]

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Sign up for pension credit doubles after being made requirement for winter fuel payment

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Sign up for pension credit doubles after being made requirement for winter fuel payment

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Close to 40,000 people have signed up for pension credit in the weeks since the government announced it would be a prerequisite for claiming the winter fuel payment...

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Sign up for pension credit doubles after being made requirement for winter fuel payment

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Close to 40,000 people have signed up for pension credit in the weeks since the government announced it would be a prerequisite for claiming the winter fuel payment. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are looking to save money by withdrawing the winter fuel payment from millions of pensioners - with only those that are claiming pension credit viable for the stipend. Before winter, Labour are trying to encourage as many people as possible who are eligible for the credit to sign up.

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Top Tips for avoiding debts at Christmas

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Top Tips for avoiding debts at Christmas

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These strategies can help families enjoy the festive season without financial stress

1. Set a Budget: Plan and stick to a realistic budget covering everything (not just the gifts).
2. Prioritize Essentials: Don’t forget you will still need to cover all the basics even though you have additional Christmas related spends.
3. Save Early: Encourage saving small amounts throughout the year.
4. Shop Sales: Take advantage of discounts and sales events.
5. DIY Gifts: Create meaningful, handmade gifts, or give out your own ‘promise vouchers’ pledging help/time to support loved ones instead.
6. Limit Gifts: Implement gift limits such as £5 each, or Secret Santa exchanges.
7. Affordable Activities: Focus on low-cost or free activities instead of buying ‘stuff’.
8. Start a Gift Cupboard: Buy small gifts throughout the year, from supermarket ‘middle-isle’ offers or re-purpose unwanted gifts (be careful with that one).
9. Avoid High-Interest Credit: Steer clear of high-interest lending, check your budget to make sure you have enough money to cover repayments checkout your local Credit Union here Find Your Credit Union - search to find credit unions near you
10. Loan Alternatives: Interest free Budgeting Advance if you receive certain benefits.

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Help Low-Income Pensioners Claim Their Benefits!

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Help Low-Income Pensioners Claim Their Benefits!

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If you work with low-income pensioners in the UK, your support can make a significant difference in their lives, especially as winter approaches. One crucial benefit they may be missing out on is Pension Credit, which not only boosts their weekly income but also qualifies them for the new means-tested Winter Fuel Allowance.

Many pensioners are unaware of their eligibility for Pension Credit, which is available to those with a weekly income below £201.05 (for single people) or £306.85 (for couples). By encouraging and assisting them to apply, you can help ensure they receive the financial support they need to stay warm and healthy during the colder months.

The application process is straightforward, and your guidance can be invaluable. Spread the word, offer assistance, and help low-income pensioners claim their Pension Credit today. Together, we can make a real difference in their quality of life this winter. For more information, visit the official government website or contact local councils. Check entitlement here www.turn2us.org.uk

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The Warm Home Discount scheme is currently closed and will reopen in the autumn for the winter of 2024 to 2025.

Individuals receiving benefits might be eligible for a £150 discount on their electricity bill or £150 added to their prepayment meter. Applications for the scheme are not necessary as payments are automatic.

Those who received the Warm Home Discount last winter and whose circumstances have not changed should receive it again. However, those who did not receive it last winter should check their eligibility for this year.

**Eligibility Check**

The government assesses eligibility for the Warm Home Discount scheme on a specific date, typically in August. The exact date will be announced later in the year. It is advisable to check eligibility before August.

To qualify for the Warm Home Discount, the individual or their partner must be receiving one of the following on the specified date:

- The Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit.
- Another benefit, with the home having high energy costs.

Additionally, the energy supplier must be part of the scheme.

Residents of mobile homes or park home sites might be eligible for the Park Homes Warm Home Discount Scheme. Eligibility requires that they pay their park site owner for electricity.

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There are plenty of grants but they are usually aimed at the most vulnerable, so if you have nowhere else to turn, you may be able to get help from a charitable grant.

You can search on http://www.turn2us.org.uk or call their helpline operators who will do a search for you – 0808 802 2000.

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Check out Groups on Facebook
There are a number of school uniform swap and exchange groups on facebook which can allow you access to hundreds of nearly new items of school uniform at next to nothing or free.

Cheshire used school uniforms - https://buff.ly/3Q2Qr3X
Crewe & Nantwich School Uniforms - https://buff.ly/44xazQ4
Uniform swap or free give Chester Ellesmere Port, Wirral Area - https://buff.ly/3pTpmWo
Flintshire School Uniform Exchange - https://buff.ly/3Ojv3WX
Uniform Buy & Swap Page - Flintshire Schools - https://buff.ly/44HiY3g
Flintshire Uniform Shop Age 3-16 - https://buff.ly/44O7Q4t
Flintshire School Uniform Exchange - https://buff.ly/44RVSqy
Wrexham School Uniform Exchange - https://buff.ly/3XXtmSg
Conwy School Uniform Exchange - https://buff.ly/3OjiScz
Denbighshire School Uniform Exchange - https://buff.ly/44Q2oOB

There are also organisations & charities that maybe able to help:
Wirral FUSS
KidsBank

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At this time of year all the big supermarkets are fighting to get your custom, so if your child’s uniform is not too specific you can grab a bargain.
School uniforms can start from as little as £3.00 from Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Matalan Poundland and Aldi.

For up to the minute information about the best deals on uniforms, freebies and everything else visit Martin Lewis’ website www.moneysavingexpert.com
or Jasmine Birtles at www.moneymagpie.com

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With many parents and childcare settings feeling the pinch, it’s not always easy to come up with budget-friendly options.

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8 Budget-Friendly Outdoor Activities

As we head into the warmer months, it's time to start planning more outdoor activities. But with many parents and childcare settings feeling the pinch of the rising cost of living, it's not always easy to come up with budget-friendly options. If you're short on funds for new resources, we've put together some great ideas for getting your preschool children active outside at very little cost.

Gardening projects

Weather-related projects

Hunting for things

Obstacle/activity courses

Feed the birds

Window painting

Large-scale creative projects

Target games

The benefits of outdoor activities

It's important not to let a tight budget stand in the way of running high quality outdoor activities. There are so many benefits to getting children outside learning and playing:

It's good for their mental health - having a break from being inside promotes wellbeing, simply by providing a change of environment, a switch of pace and routine, fresh air and more space.

It encourages physical activity - being outside prompts children to be less sedentary and more physically active. Fostering physical fitness from an early age is vital in the fight against childhood obesity.

It helps them develop key skills - outdoor activities can help with the development of emotional and social skills such as independence, creativity, collaboration and problem solving, as well as fine and gross motor skills.

It fosters a connection with the natural world - exploring their surroundings and the wildlife within encourages children to engage with the natural world. Making this connection in the early years is important not only for the planet but also for the child's ongoing wellbeing.

Tips for cutting costs

It's a good idea to keep a stash of materials that you can dip into for outdoor activities. Here are some cost-saving ways of building up supplies:

Collect recycled materials such as packaging

Ask others for their recycling too (make a list of specific things you need, eg cans, jars, boxes)

Scour charity shops and car boot sales for bargains

Ask local businesses for donations

Another tip is to always think about how you can extend activities to get the most out of your resources, for example creating a wildlife or vegetable garden can provide almost endless spin-off projects.

Ideas for outdoor activities

We've collected a range of projects to suit different interests and ages, give opportunities to develop different skills, and maximise the advantages of being outdoors - access to natural resources, open space and the freedom to create mess.

1. Gardening projects

There are various things you could try, depending on the space available and the type of plants you want to grow - from herbs in a window box to a small vegetable patch to a full-blown wildlife garden. Keep costs down by using upcycled containers (eg old wellies as pots, tyres as planters and colanders as hanging baskets), and ask your local garden centre, DIY shop, friends and neighbours to donate seeds, cuttings and tools. Get the children involved with planting, watering and caring for the garden.

2. Weather-related projects

Make the most of being outside and engage with the weather, whatever it's doing. This could include making shadow drawings, rain gauges and wind chimes. On a really hot day get the children to paint on different surfaces with water, and see how long it takes to evaporate. On a changeable day, put large sheets of paper or plastic on the ground, splash them with different coloured paint, then see what happens when it rains. Use rainbows as inspiration for all kinds of artwork.

3. Hunting for things

Outside spaces open up scope for all kinds of exploration, for example minibeast hunts (looking for insects in various habitats), scavenger hunts (spotting and/or collecting a list of things, such as leaves) and treasure hunts (solving a series of clues to find a final prize). Although all of these types of hunt take time to set up, they don't need much in the way of physical resources, apart from some sheets for ticking things off (these could be laminated so they can be wiped and reused).

4. Obstacle/activity courses

Be creative and see what kind of obstacle course you can make with objects you already have, such as skipping ropes, inflatables, balls, blocks, buckets etc, as well as recycled materials such as cardboard boxes. Use your outside space to spread out and really get the children moving as they go around the course carrying out different actions. An alternative idea to using actual obstacles is marking out a chalked activity course, using different colours, shapes and drawings.

5. Feed the birds

Encourage the children to learn about and care for our feathered friends by making bird feeders and baths. Hanging feeders can be made by filling containers (eg recycled pots, orange halves) with loose bird seed, or mixing seed and peanut butter into a paste to stick onto things like pine cones. Ask for seed donations to keep costs down. All kinds of objects can be upcycled into bird baths, from china bowls to metal bin lids - look online for some creative ideas. Once you're attracting more bird life into your outside space, teach the children how to recognise and record them.

6. Window painting

This is a really fun activity that is much easier to do outdoors than indoors - you just need windows (or other glass panels) that are within reach of small children, and paint that will easily wash off. Let the children loose with their imaginations, or try putting up templates on the inside surface so that they can trace them from the other side (eg to help them learn numbers or letters).

7. Large-scale creative projects

Take advantage of your outside space to work on a really big, collaborative, creative project. This could be a huge chalk drawing (eg a map of a town or a fantastical landscape), or perhaps a giant sculpture made from recycled materials stuck together and painted (eg a monster or a castle). If the project is likely to take a few days, wait for a good forecast!

8. Target games

There are lots of different kinds of target games you can set up outdoors, at little or no cost. Here are just a few ideas: build and knock down a tower of recycled tin cans; make hoops from paper plates to throw over objects or onto hooks; set up a bowling alley using recycled plastic bottles; toss beanbags into buckets or bowls; use water pistols to soak mounted foam targets.

The benefits of outdoor play for young children are manifold, and you can be sure that these activities will help keep your preschool children active, engaged, and enjoying the outdoors throughout the summer without straining your finances!

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Need outdoor activities for the warmer months? Here are some budget-friendly ideas for getting your preschool children active outside.

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You may be able to get help with school uniform costs, contact your local council to find out if there is support in your area.

https://www.gov.uk/school-uniform

Or you can speak directly to your child’s school to see if they can provide any help.

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Pupil Development Grant

Children whose families are on lower incomes and qualify for certain benefits can apply for a grant of £125 per learner, and £200 for those learners entering year 7, recognising the increased costs associated with starting secondary school.

All compulsory school years from reception to year 11 are now eligible.

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Household Budget Calculator

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To help with meal planning, food waste and save time and money.

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Food Inventory to help save money and cut down on food waste.

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Food Inventory to help save money and cut down on food waste.

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Interactive sheet to help keep track of your food budgeting.

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Free Healthy Start Info Sheet.

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Emma was a social tenant with a local Housing Association, she was struggling with debt and low income. She lived alone, with no obvious support network to turn to and had mental health issues. She was referred to Pennysmart for financial advice and support, by her tenancy support officer. Pennysmart assessed her situation and found that she had a large budget shortfall of almost £400, which had clearly led to her financial problems over a sustained period of time not being able to afford to keep up with her bills and basic living costs...

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No crib for a bed: the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on bed poverty

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No crib for a bed: the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on bed poverty

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Children need a good night’s sleep in order to thrive, yet our latest research shows that families in crisis are having to prioritise essentials such as food, heating and electricity over things like replacing mouldy bedding or fixing a broken bed.

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Growing up in poverty means children are going to school hungry, feeling anxious about the stress at home, and are more at risk of harms like exploitation. Without the right support, poverty will harm them long into their future, as they face worse life chances, poorer health and fewer opportunities.

Children deserve more than empty stomachs, sleepless nights, and cold homes. Find out more about the action we are taking and sign your name to stand against child poverty.

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No crib for a bed: the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on bed poverty

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Children need a good night's sleep in order to thrive, yet our latest research shows that families in crisis are having to prioritise essentials such as food, heating and electricity over things like replacing mouldy bedding or fixing a broken bed.

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Welsh Water: You could get £200 off your annual water bill

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Welsh Water: You could get £200 off your annual water bill

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Welsh Water customers who are eligible for the Government's Cost of Living payments are likely to also be eligible for financial support from Welsh Water, to help save on their annual water bill.

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The Winter 2023 Voluntary Debt Commitment

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The Winter 2023 Voluntary Debt Commitment

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These commitments have been made by the following suppliers: British Gas, E, Ecotricity, EDF Energy, E.ON Next, Good Energy, Octopus, Ovo, Rebel Energy, Shell Energy Retail Limited, Scottish Power, So Energy, Utilita, Utility Warehouse.
Energy Suppliers are taking additional steps to ensure customers in debt are treated fairly at all times.

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Background

With household energy costs still almost double pre-crisis levels, and significant inflationary and interest rate pressures on their essential outgoings, customers' energy debt is going to continue rising quickly.

Citizens Advice estimates UK households are behind on bills by £22 billion but warns that the number could be much higher, with energy debts and council tax arrears now the most encountered debt types.[1] Citizens Advice data shows during the first four months of 2023, the number of people seeking support with energy bills increased by 112% compared to the same period in 2020.[2]

Ofgem's most recent data shows that customer debt and arrears[3] in energy is now around £2.6 billion. This is double the level at the start of 2020, and as the debt increases, a greater proportion will be unpaid.

Energy suppliers already provide a significant amount of discretionary support to customers, including payment plans and repayment holidays, but also direct financial support.[4]

However, the affordability crisis means that even with this support many customers will still struggle to pay for their energy, contributing to rising debt levels across the industry. This growing financial deficit is becoming unsustainable; even with the provision of an additional debt allowance from Ofgem the scale of the shortfall is significant.

Actions

The Winter 2023 Voluntary Debt Commitment for domestic energy suppliers is a combination of good practice and crisis measures for the concerning position customers are in for winter 2023.

Developed with Citizens Advice, Energy UK and Ofgem, these new commitments set out additional actions energy suppliers will take, above regulatory obligations, to support customers in payment difficulty. This includes a commitment to fund customer support beyond licence conditions and to target it effectively to have the maximum benefit. In order to target the funding to help those most in need, each supplier, with their different customer bases, is best placed to determine how they best meet their obligations and utilise these voluntary initiatives to support their customers.

Prepayment meters are a useful tool to help customers manage debt, and customers on smart prepayment meters can receive additional support more quickly and effectively than if they were on legacy meters. Alongside the Winter 2023 Voluntary Debt Commitment, there is a clear need to provide simple information to support customers in debt, and encourage their engagement with charities, debt advisors and energy suppliers to seek advice and support. Citizens Advice and Energy UK have developed common messaging to inform people what they should do if they are falling behind on energy bills. This industry-wide campaign will be supported by energy suppliers, Ofgem, and the Government to ensure consistent, clear messaging and advice for customers, and it is hoped the messages will be shared widely by charities and other consumer groups

Winter 2023 Voluntary Debt Commitment

These commitments have been made by the following suppliers: British Gas, E, Ecotricity, EDF Energy, E.ON Next, Good Energy, Octopus, Ovo, Rebel Energy, Shell Energy Retail Limited, Scottish Power, So Energy, Utilita, Utility Warehouse.

1. Energy Suppliers are taking additional steps to ensure customers in debt are treated fairly at all times.

Suppliers are reviewing and where necessary updating their staff training and debt communications in pursuit of best practice for their customers, including delivering frontline training on working with customer referrals from external organisations.

Suppliers will fully consider information (including budgets, affordable payment offers and prepared Standard Financial Statements) and third-party authority forms from a customer's chosen credible debt or consumer body organisations, including FCA-authorised debt advisors.

Suppliers proactively identify and support customers struggling to pay their bills and ensure repayment plans reflect ability to pay (include the use of payment holidays where appropriate).

Policies for the use of High Court enforcement and County Court Judgements (CCJs) for debt will be signed off at board level or equivalent.

Energy suppliers signed up to the Energy UK Vulnerability Commitment (covering 95% of the market) only use High Court Enforcement Officers to recover debts where appropriate for a vulnerable customer, taking consideration of any wider vulnerabilities that may be exacerbated by Court enforcement action.

Energy suppliers have set up partnerships with charities and debt advice organisations to help provide signposting and additional advice for vulnerable customers who are in arrears.

2. Energy suppliers are offering financial assistance to those most in need.

They are set out in detail on the Energy UK website for each supplier and cover a range of support areas which may include:
Enhanced debt write-off schemes and hardship funds;

Enhanced funding to charity partners and frontline organisations;

Reducing or waiving the standing charges over winter for certain customers.

As part of the Energy UK Vulnerability Commitment 95% of suppliers have appointed a Vulnerability Champion, at board level or equivalent, supporting the sign-off of additional support funds, as well as additional funding dedicated to increasing resources on dedicated support teams to support customers in arrears.
3. Energy suppliers are helping customers achieve lower bills

Alongside delivering Government energy efficiency schemes, some suppliers offer support to households to monitor and improve energy efficiency and provision of replacement home devices through schemes that are beyond their obligations as a supplier.

Energy suppliers are taking innovative steps to improve their ability to target and offer support measures effectively through working with a range of local authorities, charities and other partners.

Domestic energy suppliers representing 75% of the energy market signed up to the demand flexibility service that enables customers to be paid for using less energy at peak times and commit to bringing the benefits of flexibility to more customers than ever this winter.

4. Energy suppliers are taking additional steps to ensure bills are accurate

Suppliers are continually improving the ease for customers to give meter readings manually where necessary, in person where necessary or via communication channels (phone, apps or online). Adapting to the changing needs of their customers.

Suppliers are training service staff to ensure accurate billing.

Some energy suppliers are capturing consumer interest in smart meters by trialling and innovating their tariffs and flexibility products, while also tailoring their contact and engagement to their customers. This is supporting an increased rate of smart meter installations, despite the significant challenges of reaching every household. Millions more customers will be able to use smart meters this winter. Removing legacy meters improves the accuracy of billing and suppliers' ability to support customers quicker and more effectively.

Some suppliers are integrating smart meter data into their systems, to help identify vulnerability, to support customers and to help them better manage their bills.

5. Energy Suppliers are committed to supporting, through appropriate communication channels with customers, a national communications campaign, which will:

Encourage consumers to contact their energy supplier to disclose any vulnerability;

Highlight the role of the advice sector in supporting people to secure an affordable debt repayment plan; and

Ensure households are made aware of further support available, including energy efficiency.

The Winter 2023 Voluntary Debt Commitment will be in place from October 2023 until March 2024.

Speak. Seek. Save. campaign messaging
If you're behind on your energy bills you should:
Speak to your energy supplier

Your supplier has to help you and negotiate a payment plan that works for both of you

When making a payment plan your supplier has to take into account how much you can afford to pay and how much energy you'll use in future. You'll pay in fixed amounts towards the debt you owe over a set period of time

Get help from the Citizens Advice consumer service if you can't come to an agreement with your supplier about repaying your debt

Seek advice on managing debt

Get advice from a charity or organisation to help you manage your debt

Energy bill debt is classed as a priority debt so you should get advice as soon as you can

A debt charity will help you with long-term strategies to reduce debt

Not all debt advice is trustworthy. Use the StepChange checklist to make sure you're getting advice you can trust

Save energy by making sure your home is energy efficient

There are simple changes you can make around your home to be more energy efficient, such as checking your central heating controls or using your appliances differently

You might also be able to get help towards the cost of making bigger energy efficiency changes around your home such as getting a new heating system

You should make sure you keep your home warm enough so there's less risk of your home becoming damp and you getting ill and make sure you keep essential appliances such as your fridge switched on

Useful links for customers
Additional Information: Energy Supplier Obligations and relevant bill support and debt schemes

Set out below are the obligations relevant to a customer's financial support and debt journey. For a more detailed overview of consumer advice please see this guide produced by Ofgem, Energy UK and Citizens Advice.
Financial Support
You should always contact your energy supplier to discuss your circumstances. Your supplier must consider your circumstances and situation and offer help.

For any debt you owe, your supplier must work with you to agree on a payment plan you can afford based on what is called your 'ability to pay'. They must clearly communicate how much you will regularly repay, how the repayment will be deducted, when the debt will be repaid and what to do if you experience difficulties during the debt repayment arrangement.

You can ask for:

A review of your payments and debt repayments.

Payment breaks (if available) or reductions.

More time to pay.

Emergency Support
If you're running out of gas and electricity, your supplier provides an emergency credit facility which you can access automatically via your meter. If this is still insufficient, then you can call your supplier and explain the situation as they are required to fully consider the provision of additional support credit to keep you on supply or return you to supply where appropriate.

This can be if you are struggling to pay (Emergency credit), because your top-up points are closed (Friendly-hours credit on smart meters) or because you are in a vulnerable situation (Additional Support Credit).

In most cases any temporary credit will have to be paid back when you next top up, though you can ask your supplier to spread out the cost in a payment plan, based on what you can afford to pay.
Energy supplier schemes and grants
You might be able to get help for energy-saving improvements through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) if your home has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D or below and if you claim certain benefits and live in private housing (for example you own your home or rent from a private landlord) or you live in social housing. Contact your supplier or your local authority to find out more.

Alongside ECO, is the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) focused on insulation measures. As well as supporting low-income and vulnerable households, it will also be available to those living in homes with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of D-G, and within Council Tax bands A-D in England and A-E in Scotland and Wales. The suppliers that will provide this service are listed here.
Warm Home Discount
You may be able to get £150 off your energy bill (or added to your meter). You can check your eligibility online here. You must be named on the electricity account or bill of a participating energy supplier and meet the eligibility requirements.

Nearly all suppliers are required by Government to offer the Warm Home Discount. You no longer need to apply to your energy supplier for the Warm Home Discount in England and Wales, while in Scotland you will still need to apply. Suppliers usually pay out over the winter months.
Breathing Space (sometimes called the 'Debt Respite Scheme')
A free government scheme in England and Wales that could give you up to 60 days' space from creditors to focus on getting debt advice and setting up a debt solution. You can only apply Breathing Space through a debt adviser. If you apply and are eligible, all creditors are informed and must stop any collection or enforcement activity. You'll still need to keep making your regular payments if you can afford to. Breathing space can only be started by:

A debt advice provider who is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to offer debt counselling.

A local authority where they provide debt advice to residents.

[1] Citizens Advice (2023) One in four people behind on at least one bill, as UK households fall £22 billion in the red

[2] Citizens Advice (2023) "Our bleakest-ever start to the year" - number of people helped by Citizens Advice at record high

[3] Ofgem defines "Debt" = repayment plan in place, "Arrears" = no repayment plan in place

[4] Additional support for customers - Energy UK (energy-uk.org.uk)

Downloads

Energy UK - The Winter 2023 Voluntary Debt Commitment

Type: PDF (187 KB)

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The Winter 2023 Voluntary Debt Commitment - Energy UK

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Background With household energy costs still almost double pre-crisis levels, and significant inflationary and interest rate pressures on their essential outgoings, customers' energy debt is going to continue rising quickly. Citizens Advice estimates UK households are behind on bills by £22 billion but warns that the number could be much higher, with energy debts and...

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“We're all trying to do one thing: Live”

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“We're all trying to do one thing: Live”

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The impact of our social security system and how it needs to change, as told by the women who use it.

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The impact of our social security system and how it needs to change, as told by the women who use it

A decade of social security cuts, stagnating wages, and the erosion of public services has left millions of households living in preventable poverty, with little choice but to sink further into debt as their incomes fail to keep pace with the cost of living. As a direct result of this degradation of the welfare state, low-income households have been left inexcusably exposed to the economic crises of the early 2020s. This is particularly true of women, who continue to endure the brunt of the austerity measures placed on social security.

Engrained societal norms, from caring responsibilities to gender pay gaps, mean women are more reliant on social security; as a result of the inadequacy of rates, they are also more likely to live in persistent poverty. In the 2010s, women made up 60% of the increase in relative poverty. In the 2020s, with food bank use at an all-time high, the pandemic and cost of living crises have only intensified the experience of living in poverty.

To better understand these dynamics between everyday life and social security, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews to share the stories of 16 women living in poverty in Liverpool and Manchester. They either have first-hand experience navigating social security or are prevented from accessing government support as a result of their no recourse to public funds (NRPF) status.
The income safety net is threadbare, failing its most basic objectives
Interviewees unanimously describe the support from social security as failing to meet their families' daily needs. Unable to afford essentials like food, rent, and utilities, the women and their children experience severe financial strain, pushing them to fall back on emergency food aid while many of the interviewees rely on informal borrowing from friends and family or formal loans, including universal credit (UC) advances. Repaying these debts reduces their already insufficient income, perpetuating a cycle of financial struggle.

I've been lending [sic] money off my dad, and he's getting made redundant soon. So, he said to me, ​"I can't keep lending you money, it's going off credit cards," and stuff like that. - Woman, early 20s, two children, UC recipient
Punitive policies limit women's autonomy
I'm a mum, and regardless if I work or not work, I should be able to be okay to support a new baby, and you can't, you can't at all. So it's a horrible world we live in. And that's where it's put me, that I'd say the benefits system that I was on, has made me [end the pregnancy]. - Woman, late 20s, two children, UC and disability living allowance (DLA) recipient

Lifestyle rules, such as the two-child limit and bedroom tax, limit the women's self-determination and autonomy over their lives and the lives of their families. They describe how these policies often result in difficult choices regarding family planning, mental health, and relationships. The household-level assessment also perpetuates economic dependence on partners, which, in some cases, traps women in abusive relationships.
Conditionality and an inability to find childcare that fits with good work lock families in poverty
Women feel pressured to accept any available job, regardless of its wage, suitability, or long-term stability, shaping their low expectations of interactions with the system. This pressure is driven by the threat of sanctions and a conditionality regime that appears more focused on monitoring compliance than guiding or supporting career development.

That's how it feels, like, they're [Jobcentre staff] looking at you like, ​"You just need to get off your arse and get any job. I don't care if it's, like, you have to travel out or it's hard for you, or it triggers your mental health. Just get out." - Woman, early 30s, two children, self-employed UC recipient

These roles are often poorly paid with zero-hours contracts, contributing to the sense of entrapment in economic insecurity. For those who do move into work, childcare options are limited, failing to match their working patterns.
Internal interactions are inhospitable and external attitudes entrenched
Navigating social security is difficult for many and poor communication from the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) further reinforces the perception that the system is unsupportive. These interactions require significant time, energy, and digital literacy, a burden which results in partial take-up of entitlements and detracts from other important aspects of their lives, such as trying to find employment, pursuing education, or caring for their families. However, not all the women interviewed are entitled to support. The experience of three of the women sheds light on living with NRPF, forced to juggle multiple jobs while failing to make ends meet.

And they make you feel like you're basically a tramp... you're a scrounge - you're scrounging for things. And we're all trying to do one thing, just live. - Woman, early 30s, one child, UC recipient

Most of the women also report that the stigma of social security receipt is pervasive and entrenched. Often present in the media and political narratives, the women feel this stigma is based on stereotypes portraying recipients as lazy, opportunistic, or taking an easy way out, which affects their self-perceptions and interactions with others. The stigma is often gendered and compounded by racial and anti-migrant prejudices.

You know when people look at you and they're like, ​"Oh, it's these people," especially when they know you're not from here, you don't speak [with] the accent. They're like, ​"Maybe these ones have come to take the money." - Woman, early 50s, two children (one living at home), UC recipient
A weak financial foundation worsens physical and mental health
Physical and mental health are directly impacted by the constant juggling of bills and the burden of debt, while the inadequacy of UC prevents social participation, contributing to isolation and exacerbating feelings of shame. Conditionality and the threat of sanctions also have a significant impact on their overall wellbeing while the incompatibility of some low-paid work results in mental or physical health breakdowns and the eventual re-enrolment in social security.

My mental health is just shocking constantly. It's just one thing after another. I'm constantly getting phone calls, letters saying I owe this, I owe that and I'm sitting there like, ​"I don't know what I'm expected to do if I'm borrowing at the end of the month to buy food." - Woman, late 20s, two children, UC recipient

Several of the women say these negative impacts on health and wellbeing also extend to their children, despite their best efforts to shield them from the harshest realities of poverty.
Designing a social security system that works for women is necessary
These experiences highlight the major challenges faced by women in the current social security system. To end these negative encounters with the state, social security needs to be improved - NEF has proposed replacing UC with the national living income (NLI). This system is rooted in three core principles:

Providing adequate support benchmarked to need.

Rebalancing the benefits system with a stronger universal pillar.

Improving financial work incentives.

However, these principles do not cover the look and feel of a reformed social security system. To cap the interviews, we explored which principles the women felt were key to reform. They agree that reform must ensure social security provides adequate support, targeted to those most in need. Such support would include tailored measures to help individuals moving into work, such as appropriate training, job placement assistance, and easier access to good childcare.

On the interaction with the DWP, the women call for the immediate overhaul of conditionality and sanctions, promoting a fairer approach that listens and learns from the experience of those navigating the system every day. A fairer system would help lift them from the clutches of poverty and restore the autonomy many of the women feel is missing from their lives. Key to achieving this aim is effective communication between the DWP and people in need of support, simplifying the claimant experience and widening eligibility to create a strong safety net for everyone.

The biggest worry in life is financial, isn't it? So, to know you've got that financial security would be massive, it'd be absolutely massive. It would make things a lot better for everyone, not just for me, for everyone. - Woman, mid-30s, one child, UC and DLA recipient

Image: iStock

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"We're all trying to do one thing: live"

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The impact of our social security system and how it needs to change, as told by the women who use it

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Welfare attitudes in a crisis: How COVID exceptionalism undermined greater solidarity

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Welfare attitudes in a crisis: How COVID exceptionalism undermined greater solidarity

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COVID-19 had the potential to dramatically increase public support for welfare. It was a time of apparent increased solidarity, of apparently deserving claimants, and of increasingly widespread exposure to the benefits system. However, there are also reasons to expect the opposite effect: an increase in financial strain fostering austerity and self-interest, and thermostatic responses to increasing welfare generosity. In this paper, we investigate the effects of the pandemic on attitudes towards working-age unemployment benefits in the UK using a unique combination of data sources

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Welfare attitudes in a crisis: How COVID exceptionalism undermined greater solidarity | Journal of Social Policy | Cambridge Core

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Welfare attitudes in a crisis: How COVID exceptionalism undermined greater solidarity

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The impact of a below-inflation uprating on working-age benefits

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The impact of a below-inflation uprating on working-age benefits

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The CPI inflation figure for September (6.7 per cent) is the basis on which key working-age benefits are normally uprated in the following April. But with the public finances under real pressure, and prices expected to fall in the coming months, there are signs the Government is considering a departure from standard practice by under-indexing key working-age benefits in 2024-25.
This would be a very bad idea indeed.

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The impact of a below-inflation uprating on working-age benefits

NB - this briefing has been updated following the publication of the ONS prices data for September 2023.
The CPI inflation figure for September (6.7 per cent) is the basis on which key working-age benefits are normally uprated in the following April. But with the public finances under real pressure, and prices expected to fall in the coming months, there are signs the Government is considering a departure from standard practice by under-indexing key working-age benefits in 2024-25. This would be a very bad idea indeed. A decision not to uprate working-age benefits in line with inflation would affect more than four-in-ten (9 million) working-age households in the UK. And the losses for many would be material: if key benefits were frozen, a single adult working at least 20 hours a week at minimum wage with an illness or disability claiming UC would see their annual income fall by £610, for example; a working couple with two children on UC earning the same would experience a £1,202 shortfall over the course of the year; and a similar working couple with three children in receipt of UC would suffer a dramatic £1,622 fall to their income next fiscal year. Freezing benefits in 2024-25 would drive up inequality and impoverish many: 400,000 more children would grow up in poverty next year as a result. Some may argue that this approach is needed to 'correct' for the 'generous' uprating decision of last autumn, but this is wrong: if working-age benefits were uprated next April in line with September's inflation figure, they would still only return to the real value they had on the eve of the pandemic.
Rishi Sunak has shown a marked appetite in recent weeks for taking 'difficult' decisions - and all the more so if they save significant amounts of money in these straitened times. So, could another such decision be in the Government's sights? September's annual inflation figure is a critical number not just because it has implications for future interest rates, but also because it is the basis on which most working-age benefits should be uprated in April 2024. Inflation is far lower than last year: 6.3 per cent, compared to 10.1 per cent in September 2022. Nonetheless, there are signs that the Government is considering under-indexing working-age benefits next year, in contrast to the principled approach it took last autumn.[1]

Why might it choose to adopt such a strategy? The answer to that question is simple: uprating decisions can save the Government a huge amount of money, especially when inflation is riding high. If Universal Credit (UC) rates were frozen (the most extreme scenario) rather than uprated by 6.7 per cent in April 2024, for example, this would save the Treasury £2.8 billion in 2024-25 alone (savings, of course, would also accrue in future years unless the benefit was over-indexed at some later point).[2] Likewise, freezing the value of all other 'non-protected' working-age benefits such as Child Benefit (CB) , tax credits, Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), Statutory Maternity and Paternity Pay (SMP/SPP) and Maternity Allowance (MA) would bring in a further £1.3 billion in 2024-25.[3] With the costs of servicing public debt at a near all-time high, this £4.1 billion of savings would be very welcome indeed.[4]

But savings to Government are losses to families who are in receipt of benefits, and Figure 1 shows how widespread shortfalls would be. More than four-in-ten (45 per cent) working-age households would see a drop in their real income as a result of a benefit freeze in April 2024, equivalent to over 9 million households. That figure rises to more than six-in-ten (62 per cent) households where at least one member has a disability (4.4 million households); seven-in-ten (73 per cent) couples with children (4.2 million households) and more than nine-in-ten (93 per cent) single parents (1.7 million households).[5] Strikingly, one-third (32 per cent) of households where all adults are in work would also face a fall in real income in the event of a benefit freeze next year.
Figure 1: Freezing benefits in the next fiscal year would put pressure on more than four-in-ten working-age households in the UK
Moreover, as Figure 1 also shows, for many households the losses would be material. We estimate that half (52 per cent) of the households who would lose were working-age benefits frozen in April 2024 would see their annual income fall by £500 or more (4.7 million households in all). And for some family types, the share affected experiencing a large-scale income loss is higher still: 1.4 million single parent households would see their annual income fall in real terms but £500 or more, for example (84 per cent of all those affected); 3.2 million households containing at least one member with a disability would be equally hard-hit (72 per cent of all those affected); and likewise 1.4 million households where at least one member is in work (33 per cent of all those affected).

Figure 2 drives home the gravity of the income hit for some family types in the event of a benefit freeze. A household with two children in receipt of Child Benefit only would experience a real-term loss of £138 over the course of 2024-25 if benefits were to be frozen, for example. But a single adult with an illness or disability claiming UC would see their annual income fall by £610 more than four-times that amount; a working couple with two children on UC would experience a £1,202 shortfall over the course of the year, eight-times more than the family claiming Child Benefit only; and a working couple in receipt of UC with three children (all born before April 2017 and therefore not affected by the 2-child limit) would suffer a dramatic £1,622 fall in their annual income, a hit almost twelve-times as large as a two-child family in receipt of Child Benefit alone.[6]
Figure 2: UC claimants with children would be especially hard-hit by a benefit freeze
Given that benefits make up a larger share of household income for poorer families than they do for richer households, it is no surprise that those on lower incomes would be hardest hit were the Government to under-index key working-age benefits next year. As Figure 3 shows, this looks set to make an already bad prognosis for 2024-25 (driven largely by the end of Cost of Living Payments) worse. We have previously shown that, even if benefits are indexed fully in line with September's CPI figures, lower-income households (those in vigintiles 2 to 8) face the prospect of a real-terms fall in after housing costs incomes in 2024-25, in contrast to those in the top half of the income distribution.[7] A benefit freeze would exaggerate this picture. Those in vigintile 2, for example, would see their incomes fall by 8 percentage points in such an event, as opposed to just over 3 per cent if working-age benefits keep pace with inflation in 2024-25. Income inequality would increase as a result.
Figure 3: A benefit freeze would drive up income inequality in 2024-25
As well as worsening income inequality, the failure to uprate working-age benefits in line with inflation in April 2024 would impoverish many more individuals as we show in Figure 4. Absent of a benefit freeze, we estimate poverty for working-age adults will hover around 17 per cent from 2021-22 to 2024-25; that figure would rise to 18 per cent in the event of a zero per cent uprating, And the effect on children is even more stark: child poverty rates look set to rise from 23 per cent to 26 per cent between 2021-22 and 2024-25 even if benefits are uprated in line with inflation, a figure that would increase to 29 per cent in the event of a benefit freeze. Indeed, in this scenario, the number of children growing up in poverty would rise by 500,000 between 2023-24 and 2024-25 (400,000 more than if benefits are uprated in line with inflation). Overall, we estimate poverty would rise by 1.2 million between 2023-24 and 2024-25 if benefits are frozen - three-times as high as if benefits were increased in line with inflation (400,000).
Figure 4: Freezing working-age benefits in April 2024 would increase child poverty from 26 per cent to 29 per cent
Increased hardship for millions of vulnerable households; higher income inequality; and 400,000 more children growing up in poverty are all compelling reasons why the Government should not consider under-indexing working-age benefits regardless of where September inflation's figure lands next week. Moreover, it is important not be beguiled by the argument (also made but dismissed last year) that in a period of falling inflation, uprating benefits in April based on the rate of inflation recorded six months earlier results in too 'generous' a settlement for claimants. Year-by-year, it will of course be true that at some points working-age benefits will be uprated in April by an amount that proves to be higher than outturn inflation for that fiscal year. But as Figure 5 shows, the opposite also holds true on numerous occasions too. Indeed, over the last 15 years, key working-age benefits have been uprated by an amount that was lower than outturn CPI in 10 of those fiscal years (including, of course, when there was an active policy decision to under-index, as in 2016-17 to 2019-20). Indeed, if key working-age benefits were uprated in April 2024 in line with this September's inflation figure, they will only just recover the real value they had on the eve of the pandemic, in 2019-20.
Figure 5: Working-age benefits have not risen at the same rate as outturn inflation for 10 of the last 15 years
Finally, there is one further consideration the Government might bear in mind as it decides on the fate of working-age benefits for the next fiscal year. A benefit freeze is a stealthy way of cutting the value of social security (or making savings for the Exchequer, depending on your point of view), and one that rarely attracts the same level of opprobrium as targeted cuts to, say, disability or children's benefits. Nonetheless, there has been a marked turn in public attitudes to benefits in recent years: the latest British Social Attitudes survey shows, for example, that 52 per cent of the population believe taxes should be raised to increase spending on health, education and social security, up from 31 per cent in 2010. Likewise, 43 per cent now disagree with the statement 'Many people who get social security don't really deserve any help', far higher than the 28 per cent who disagreed in 2010. Under-indexing key working-age benefits may have been a relatively easy political sell in the 2010s; there is a risk such a policy may not be as popular today, especially when the contrast is drawn with the 8.5 per cent increase we expect to the State Pension in April 2024.[8]

[1] This would also be in marked contrast with the treatment of the State Pension, which the triple lock requires be uprated by average earnings, CPI or 2.5 per cent, whichever is higher. It is expected that in 2024-25, the State pension will rise in line with average earnings which in May-July 2023 stood at 8.5 per cent.

[2] Figure excludes housing support provided through Universal Credit, but includes the capability to work element of the benefit.

[3] This would be slightly more stringent than the benefit freeze of 2016-17 to 2019-20 when some benefits such as parental pay and disability premiums were not frozen. See R McInnes, Benefit uprating 2019, House of Commons Library, March 2019 for more info. For a comprehensive description of which benefits must be uprated at least in line with inflation and which are 'unprotected', see A Corlett & L Try, The long squeeze: Benefit uprating policy for April 2023, Resolution Foundation, October 2022; E Kirk-Wade & R Harper, Benefit uprating 2023/24, House of Commons Library, December 2022.

[4] At the time of the Budget in March 2023, the Government had £6.5 billion of headroom against its primary fiscal target of reducing debt as a share of GDP. Source: OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, OBR, March 2023. Since then, the cost of debt servicing has risen sharply, putting more pressure on the public finances.

[5] These are not exclusive categories, which is why the numbers sum to more than 9 million.

[6] The exposure of families with three or more children to benefit cuts is increasingly well-researched. See, for example, The Larger Families Project.

[7] Even absent of a benefit freeze, average incomes of working-age households in the bottom half of the income distribution are projected to fall by 1 per cent in 2024-25, and an extra 300,000 people are projected to fall into absolute poverty. See: A Corlett, The Living Standards Outlook - Summer 2023 Update, Resolution Foundation, September 2023 for further details.

[8] The State Pension is, of course, subject to the triple lock which ensures it is uprated each year in line with average earnings growth typically over the three months of May-July or September's inflation rate in the preceding year, or 2.5 per cent, whichever is higher. See: J Cribb, C Emmerson & H Karjalainen, The triple lock: uncertainty for pension incomes and the public finances, IFS, September 2023 for further details.

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NB - this briefing has been updated following the publication of the ONS prices data for September 2023. The CPI inflation figure for September (6.7 per cent) is the basis on which key working-age benefits are normally uprated in the following April. But with the public finances under real pressure, and prices expected to ...

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Family members caring for loved ones forced deeper into poverty by high cost of living and restrictive Carer’s Allowance

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Family members caring for loved ones forced deeper into poverty by high cost of living and restrictive Carer’s Allowance

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New research from Carers UK has revealed that family members caring for loved ones who are already struggling with the high cost of living, are being further impoverished by having their ability to earn restricted by Carer’s Allowance.

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Family members caring for loved ones forced deeper into poverty by high cost of living and restrictive Carer’s Allowance | Carers UK

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New research from Carers UK has revealed that family members caring for loved ones who are already struggling with the high cost of living, are being further impoverished by having their ability to earn restricted by Carer’s Allowance.

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Information regarding Water Grant applications

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Information regarding Water Grant applications

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Due to an ever increasing number of successful applications to the Trust Fund, the Trustees have had to make the difficult decision to introduce a maximum award of £1000 for water grants.

Please note this is with immediate effect, however, the grant level will be reviewed on a regular basis.

You may find the following link useful: www.turn2us.org.uk

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United Utilities Trust Fund is an independent grant making trust, committed to helping people out of poverty and debt - thanks to generous donations by United Utilities Water Limited.

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We are so pleased with the outcomes we have achieved in the Cheshire West and Chester area, with thanks to Westminster Foundation and Cheshire Community Foundation.

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"I fear the postman. I am seriously not coping."

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"I fear the postman. I am seriously not coping."

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Thank you for taking the time to contact Ask Penny, it sounds like you could really do with some support...
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Would you like to use Ask Penny in your community newsletters?
Contact us for more information news@pennysmart.org.uk

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PS CIC Annual ‘Surviving Poverty’ Conference - A Resounding Success!

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PS CIC Annual ‘Surviving Poverty’ Conference - A Resounding Success!

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Breaking News - July 2023

We are thrilled to announce the grand success of the very first PS CIC annual ‘Surviving Poverty’ conference, held this month at the prestigious Chester FC venue. The event was nothing short of remarkable, bringing together a compassionate community determined to address poverty and make a positive impact in the lives of those in need. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all participants, sponsors, and esteemed guest speakers who made this event a memorable experience.

**A Big Thank You to Our Sponsors**

First and foremost, we express our sincere appreciation to our generous sponsors, ‘ForFutures.’ Their unwavering support and commitment played a pivotal role in making this conference possible. Together, we stood united in our mission to empower individuals and families facing poverty, and their contribution undoubtedly made a significant difference.

**Inspiring Insights from Esteemed Speakers**

The PS CIC ‘Surviving Poverty’ conference was graced by the presence of remarkable guest speakers, each an expert in their field, and devoted to creating positive change. We were privileged to host the following exceptional individuals:

1. *Jimmy Pugh (NEA)* - Jimmy's expertise shed light on the critical issue of energy poverty and the steps needed to address it effectively.

2. *Neil Jay (Manager, West Cheshire Credit Union)* - Neil shared valuable insights on financial literacy and how credit unions can play a crucial role in helping people manage their finances better.

3. *Megan Meeke (Welfare Training Wales)* - Megan's expertise in welfare training proved invaluable in understanding the resources available to support vulnerable individuals.

4. *Clare Roberts and Steph Ellis (West Cheshire Foodbank and ChesterVA)* - Clare and Steph enlightened the audience on the challenges faced by food banks and community organizations, as well as the ways the public can contribute to their efforts.

5. *Trish Cassidy (Stop Loan Sharks England)* - Trish's passionate talk highlighted the importance of eradicating loan sharks and the ways communities can protect themselves from predatory lending practices.

**Overwhelmingly Positive Feedback**

The response we received from the conference attendees was truly heartwarming. Participants expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to engage with like-minded individuals, gain valuable insights, and explore collaborative ways to combat poverty effectively.

**Looking Ahead - A Bright Future**

The success of the inaugural PS CIC ‘Surviving Poverty’ conference has motivated us to make this an annual event. We are committed to continuing this vital conversation and working together to uplift our community and create a more equitable society. As we move forward, we hope to expand our reach and impact, building a stronger network of support for those facing poverty.

**Get Involved**

We believe that fighting poverty requires a collective effort, and you can be a part of this transformative movement. Join us in our future endeavors by volunteering, contributing, or spreading awareness about the critical issue of poverty. Together, we can create a lasting impact on the lives of countless individuals and families.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of this conference. Your support has reaffirmed our belief in the power of community and inspired us to strive for an even brighter future.

Stay tuned for updates on future PS CIC events, and let's continue to work hand-in-hand in our journey towards a poverty-free society.

*PS CIC - Empowering Communities, Changing Lives*

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Loan shark intelligence from the debt advice sector

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Loan shark intelligence from the debt advice sector

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Their first debt advice quarterly report - July 2023. All information and intelligence has arose from the debt advice sector.

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DWP using machine algorithm to decide whether people should receive universal credit

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DWP using machine algorithm to decide whether people should receive universal credit

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Campaigners have warned that marginalised or vulnerable groups are in danger of being unfairly penalised and having their benefits stopped before they are even paid out under the algorithm, which the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been trialling over the past year.

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Big hikes in Paypal interest rate & minimum payments

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Big hikes in Paypal interest rate & minimum payments

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Readers have reported getting an email from Paypal in June or July saying their interest rate will be going up a lot.

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Paypal's interest rate increases

Readers have reported getting an email from Paypal in June or July saying their interest rate will be going up a lot.

In the email, Paypal warns:
You will pay more each month and the take longer to repay any outstanding balance on your account.
Not good!

A poll I ran on Instagram suggested more than half the Paypal accounts in the UK may be seeing an interest rate increase. Here are a couple of examples:

Also a change to the Paypal minimum payments calculation

Because the interest is going up, this automatically increases your monthly minimum payment amount.

But Paypal is also changing the way it calculates the minimum payments so you pay even more. This used to be:

2% of your balance + the monthly interest and any charges + any monthly installment payments + arrears.

That is going to change to:

2.5% of your balance + the monthly interest and any charges + any monthly installment payments + arrears.

That may not look like a lot. But someone with a £1,000 balance who is paying the minimum may face paying an extra £7.50 a month because of this small-looking change and the interest rate increase.

At a time when everyone's finances are squeezed, this is bad news. It's good to pay more than the minimum each month to clear the balance faster, but many people can only afford the minimum at the moment.

You can opt out of these increases!

This is a change to the T&Cs of your account. So the regulator's rules ( CONC 6.7.13.) say Paypal has to allow you to stay on the old terms - interest rate and minimum payment calculation - if you close the account.

You can contact them by chat or phone them on 0800 368 7155.

Paypal does say this in its email - but many people haven't noticed this or thought that they don't want to do this as it will hurt their credit score.

But choosing to close your account and carry on paying it off at the old interest rate will NOT hurt your credit score. So this is a sensible option for you to avoid paying the higher interest rate. If you have been wanting to get rid of Paypal for a while this is your opportunity!

Paypal's email says you have to set up a plan to pay off the balance "over a reasonable period". This does not have to be a very short period. let me know in the comments below if Paypal is pushing you to pay more than you can afford a month.

Already struggling to pay Paypal?

Here the last thing you need is an interest rate increase and seeing the minimum payments go up.

You can ask Paypal for a payment arrangement, where interest is frozen on your account and you pay a lower monthly amount. because interest is frozen, this means your balance will be dropping every month.

If you have a lot of financial problems, including priority debts such as rent/mortgage, council tax or energy bills, you can even make a token payment of £1 a month.

But with big financial problems, it may be a good idea to talk to a debt adviser about a debt management plan that will cover all your non priority debts, including this Paypal one.

Has your balance got daftly high?

Paypal may have offered you credit limit increases that felt useful at the time. Or you may have asked for a limit increase. But a large balance and a high interest rate can be very hard to clear.

In this case, you may be able to win an affordability complaint and get a refund of some of the interest you have paid. See How to ask for a refund from a credit card or catalogue for details, with a template you can use.

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Big hikes in Paypal interest rate & minimum payments

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If Paypal has told you it is increasing your interest rate, you can say No and stay on the old rate. And this won't hurt your credit score!

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One in four PIP review forms not returned within deadline

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One in four PIP review forms not returned within deadline

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Figures released by the DWP last month show that 25.5% of PIP AR1 review forms were returned late or not at all in the 12 months to February of this year. It is not clear how many late returns were due to the DWP not answering the phone to claimants trying to ask for an extension of the deadline.

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Figures released by the DWP last month show that 25.5% of PIP AR1 review forms were returned late or not at all in the 12 months to February of this year. It is not clear how many late returns were due to the DWP not answering the phone to claimants trying to ask for an extension of the deadline.

The figures cover the period from March 2022 to February 2023. They show that between 10,000 and 15,000 claimants fail to meet their return deadline every month.

However, according to Viscount Younger, answering a question in the House of Lords on behalf of the government, only 7% of claimants who received an AR1 form were disallowed for non-return.

Younger explained that:
"It is worth noting there are multiple reasons a form may not be returned within 40 days, or at all, without a resulting disallowance. For example, where a claimant has an additional support marker, or where an extension has been granted. On average, only 7% of claimants in the time period, who received AR1 forms, were disallowed for non-return."
But, as we know from numerous comments on our PIP Enquiry Line page, trying to get an extension for returning a PIP form can be extremely difficult due to the DWP's telephony chaos.
"Received PiP review form but my partner who it relates to is unwell in bed for last 3 days. Time scale for return quite short. Rang to get extension today. Keep getting cut off. Must have tried 10 times." "So far I've been thrown out of the system three times (after all the annoying security stuff and irrelevant information), and been on hold for 50 minutes, 20 minutes, 35 minutes. I've had to hang up each time because I had to do other things. I'm trying to arrange an extension of a form return for a young person I'm helping, which is now overdue because I can't get through... and the form arrived with only a week left to fill it in, and the deadline was a Sunday...unbelievably awful service!" "Same thing happened to me when the phone went dead I tried ringing again and was told that they had closed. I needed to get in touch with them to ask for an extension for the renewal. Now I don't know what to do as they will be closed now until Tuesday which is the day the forms have got to be sent in by."
So, although many people who do not meet their PIP review form return deadline may not lose out as a result, there is a real possibility that hundreds - or even thousands - of claimants are being unfairly disqualified every month because they are prevented from requesting an extension.

You can read the full written answer here.

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One in four PIP review forms not returned within deadline - how many are DWP's fault?

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Get the benefits you're entitled to: help with personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit (UC), employment and support allowance (ESA),disability living allowance (DLA). Claims, assessments, reviews, appeals.

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Impact of increased cost of living on adults across Great Britain: February to May 2023

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Impact of increased cost of living on adults across Great Britain: February to May 2023

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"Around 1 in 20 (5%) of adults reported that in the past two weeks they had ran out of food and had been unable to afford more."

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In this article, we have identified groups of the population experiencing financial vulnerability in Great Britain. In the period, 8 February to 1 May 2023, using the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN), we found:

renters (4.7 higher odds) and mortgage holders (2.0 higher odds) had higher odds of experiencing financial vulnerability compared with those who own their home outright

the difference between renters' and mortgage holders' likelihood of experiencing some form of financial vulnerability may reflect that, on average, renters report spending a higher proportion of their disposable income on rent (21%), than mortgage holders on their mortgage (16%), according to the latest data from the Living Cost and Food Survey (UK, financial year ending 2022)

other groups with higher odds of experiencing financial vulnerability included adults aged 25 to 34 years (3.4 higher odds compared with those aged 75 years and over) and disabled adults (1.9 higher odds compared with non-disabled adults)

Examining groups of the population who were having difficulty with their rent, mortgage or affording food shopping specifically, we found:

around a third (35%) of adults reported it was difficult (very or somewhat) to afford their rent or mortgage payments, this proportion appeared higher among groups including; those receiving support from charities (57%), living in a household with one adult and at least one child (47%), receiving some form of benefits or financial support (45%), Asian or Asian British adults (53%), Black, African, Caribbean or Black British adults (47%), renters (43%) and disabled adults (41%)

around 4 in 10 (43%) renters reported that it was difficult to afford their rent payments, and around 3 in 10 (28%) mortgage holders reported it was difficult to afford their mortgage payments

around 1 in 20 (5%) of adults reported that in the past two weeks they had ran out of food and had been unable to afford more, this proportion appeared higher among groups including; those receiving support from charities (45%), living in a household with one adult and at least one child (28%), receiving some form of benefits or financial support (21%), Mixed or Multiple ethnicity adults (14%), Black, African, Caribbean or Black British adults (13%), renters (14%) and disabled adults (9%)

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2. Experiences of increased cost of living

Our latest Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain bulletin reported that, during the period 28 June to 9 July 2023, around 9 in 10 adults (92%) see the cost of living as an important issue facing the UK. Around 6 in 10 (60%) adults reported that their cost of living had increased compared with a month ago.

Commonly reported reasons among adults who said their cost of living had increased compared with a month ago continue to be an increase in:

the price of food shopping (96%)

gas or electricity bills (57%)

the price of fuel (37%)

rent or mortgage costs (27%)

These reported experiences reflect our inflation data, which shows that food and non-alcoholic beverage prices rose by 18.4%, in the year to May 2023 (Figure 1). For further information about our inflation data, see our Consumer price inflation, UK: May 2023 bulletin.

Figure 1: Annual inflation rates by selected divisions

Annual inflation rates by selected divisions, UK, May 2013 to May 2023

Source: Consumer price inflation from the Office for National Statistics

Download this chart

Throughout the rest of this article, we have used a larger pooled dataset covering 8 February to 1 May 2023 (the "latest pooled period"), to explore how the rising cost of living is impacting different groups of the population. This article highlights some of these differences, however further data can be found in the accompanying dataset.

Survey respondents were asked: "Finally, in your own words, tell us about your experiences with the increases in cost of living." We use quotes from responses to this question to illustrate our findings throughout this article. Quotes are sometimes shortened, as indicated by [...], to enable ease of reading. The underlying meaning of the quote remains the same. Information about further analysis of these responses is available in Section 6: Lived experience of increases in the cost of living and Section 9: Data sources and quality.
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3. Financial vulnerability

With rising costs in rent and energy we have decided to move home to a smaller place [...] the creeping cost of living has taken its toll on us in a big way [...]

We identified groups of the population who were more likely to be experiencing financial vulnerability.

A person was considered to be experiencing financial vulnerability if three or more of the following applied to them:

being unable to afford an unexpected, but necessary, expense of £850

borrowing more money or using more credit than usual, in the last month, compared with a year ago

being unable to save in the next 12 months

finding it very or somewhat difficult to afford energy bills

Figure 2 shows trends over time in the proportion of adults reporting each of these.

Figure 2: Measures of financial vulnerability are relatively stable in 2023

Great Britain, 3 November 2021 to 9 July 2023

Source: Opinions and Lifestyle Survey from the Office for National Statistics

Notes:

Questions: 1. "Could your household afford to pay an unexpected, but necessary, expense of £850?"; 2. "Have you had to borrow more money or use more credit than usual in the last month, compared to a year ago?"; 3. "In view of the general economic situation, do you think you will be able to save any money in the next 12 months"; 4. "How easy or difficult is it to afford your energy bills?".

Base: Question 1, 2 and 3 equals all adults. Question 4 equals adults who pay energy bills.

Estimates for question 4 are not available for the period 3 November to 27 March, as the question was not asked in this period.

Download this chart

Around a quarter (24%) of all adults were experiencing some form of financial vulnerability in the latest pooled period, a similar proportion to the period September 2022 to January 2023 (23%).

We conducted a logistic regression analysis that assessed the likelihood of experiencing financial vulnerability, after controlling for a variety of personal characteristics.

This analysis technique helps account for an individual groups pattern of other characteristics. For example, those who own their homes tend to be older, have higher incomes, and live in smaller household sizes, according to the latest data from the English Housing Survey 2021 to 2022: headline report.

We found that the groups of the population with the highest odds of being financially vulnerable in the latest pooled period remained similar to the period September 2022 to January 2023, as shown in our Impact of increased cost of living on adults across Great Britain bulletin. These included:

renters (4.7 higher odds) and mortgage holders (2.0 higher odds), who had higher odds of experiencing financial vulnerability, compared with those who own their home outright

adults with a personal annual income of up to £10,000, who had higher odds of experiencing financial vulnerability (3.8 higher odds), compared with adults earning £50,000 or more per year

adults aged 25 to 34 years, who had higher odds of experiencing financial vulnerability (3.4 higher odds), compared with those aged 75 years and over

disabled adults, who had higher odds of experiencing financial vulnerability (1.9 higher odds), compared with non-disabled adults

Figure 3: Renters had around five times the odds of experiencing some form of financial vulnerability, compared with those who own their home outright

Great Britain, 8 February to 1 May 2023

Notes:

An odds ratio indicates the likelihood of experiencing some form of financial vulnerability given a particular characteristic.

Confidence intervals may appear to be unequal because of rounding.

Download the data

Estimates for other groups of the population considered are available in the accompanying dataset. For more information on the regression analysis, see Section 9: Data sources and quality.
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I have friends and family who are struggling with finding housing to rent that they can afford. A couple of close friends are beginning to feel very tired [...] unwell and are at pension age but cannot afford to reduce their working hours. Younger people I know are struggling badly to find housing [...]

Our latest Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: 28 June to 9 July 2023 bulletin shows that around half of adults (48%) who currently pay rent or a mortgage reported that their payments had increased in the last six months. This proportion has gradually increased since February 2023.

Figure 4: The proportion of adults reporting their rent or mortgage payments have increased in the last six months has gradually increased since February 2023

Proportion among adults who are currently paying rent or mortgage, Great Britain, 16 March 2022 to 9 July 2023

Source: Opinions and Lifestyle Survey from the Office for National Statistics

Notes:

Question: "Have your rent or mortgage payments gone up in the last 6 months?".

Base: adults who are currently paying rent or mortgage.

Changes were made to survey design to allow us to more accurately route to the questions on rent and mortgage payments. Because of this there is a break in the time series from the period 17 to 29 May 2023.

Download this chart

In the latest pooled period, we found that those renting (42%) were more likely to report an increase in their payments than mortgage holders (32%).

According to data from our Index of Private Housing Rental Prices, UK: May 2023 bulletin, private rental prices paid by tenants in the UK increased by 5.0% in the 12 months to May 2023. This represents the largest annual percentage change since this UK series began in January 2016.

While interest rates have been increasing since the start of 2022, as shown on the Interest rates and Bank rate webpage from the Bank of England, many fixed rate mortgage borrowers have so far been insulated from these increases. Analysis of Bank of England data in our How increases in housing costs impact households article, shows that most mortgages are agreed at a fixed interest rate, where the interest rates stay the same for the duration of the mortgage deal. Around 9 in 10 (88%) outstanding UK mortgages were being repaid through fixed interest rate mortgages in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2023.

Difficulty affording rent or mortgage payments

Groups of the population who were more likely to report finding it very or somewhat difficult to afford their rent or mortgage payments in the latest pooled period included:

around 4 in 10 (43%) renters, compared with 28% of mortgage holders

around 4 in 10 among adults within the lowest four quintiles of annual personal income (39% in the lowest quintile, 41% in the second, 38% in the third, 38% in the fourth), compared with 26% of those in the fifth and highest quintile (for more information on personal annual income quintiles, see Section 8: Glossary)

around 4 in 10 (41%) among disabled adults, compared with 32% of non-disabled adults

around 6 in 10 (57%) among adults who report receiving support from charities, including foodbanks, because of increases in their cost of living, compared with 34% among adults who do not receive support from charities

around half (47%) among adults living in a household with one adult and at least one dependent child, compared with 36% among adults living in a household with more than one adult and at least one dependent child and 34% among adults not living with a dependent child

over 4 in 10 (45%) among adults receiving some form of benefit or financial support (for more information on the definition of this group, see Section 8: Glossary), compared with 33% among adults who were not

around half among Asian or Asian British adults (53%) or Black, African, Caribbean or Black British adults (47%), compared with 33% among White adults

Estimates among all adults and by a selection of personal characteristics considered in this analysis are shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Difficulty affording rent or mortgage payments among different groups of the population

Proportion of adults finding it somewhat or very difficult to afford rent or mortgage payments, Great Britain, 8 February to 1 May 2023

Notes:

Question: "How easy or difficult is it to afford your rent or mortgage payments?".

Base: adults who are currently paying rent or mortgage.

Confidence intervals may appear to be unequal because of rounding.

Parental status categories are not mutually exclusive.

Download the data

Impact of cost of living increases on renters

New analysis from the Living Cost and Food (LCF) survey for the financial year ending 2022 reflects some of the reasons why renters might currently report more difficulty than mortgage holders. The analysis showed that renters (21%) spent a higher proportion of their average weekly disposable income on housing costs (rent or mortgage) compared with mortgage holders (16%). These estimates and how they varied among renters and mortgage holders by age group, sex and income are available in the accompanying dataset.

Analysis of the latest pooled period (8 February to 1 May 2023) of the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) survey suggests spending a higher proportion of disposable income on housing costs could be affectcting the ability of renters to afford other essential costs.

Adults renting were more likely than mortgage holders to report:

spending less on food shopping and essentials (58% of renters, compared with 48% of mortgage holders)

running out of food in the past two weeks (14%, compared with 3%)

being behind on gas or electricity payments (13%, compared with 4%)

having a direct debit or standing order that they have been unable to pay in the past month (19%, compared with 4%)

using support from charities (8%, compared with 1%)

Adults renting were less likely than mortgage holders to report that they:

will be able to save any money in the next 12 months (26%, compared with 48% of mortgage holders)

were using savings because of increases in the cost of living (22%, compared with 29%)

Estimates from the latest pooled period by these and all other personal characteristics considered in this analysis (including employment status, highest education level, the country and region, urban or rural nature, or level of deprivation of the area in which adults live) can be found in the accompanying dataset.
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5. Impact of increases in the price of food

[...] the rising cost of food has meant that we have had to amend our shopping habits and we rarely go [...] shopping [...] the rising cost of energy has meant that we rarely have the heating on so we wear warm clothing and lots of layers [...]

Pressures on cost of living from food prices remain, our latest Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: 28 June to 9 July 2023 bulletin shows that among all adults the most commonly reported reason for an increase in cost of living, compared with a month ago, is an increase in the price of food shopping (96%).

This latest data also shows that around half of adults reported spending more than usual to get what they usually buy (45%) or buying less food (48%) in the last two weeks. Around 1 in 20 (5%) reported they or their household had run out of food and not been able to afford more.

These proportions appear relatively stable during 2023 (Figure 6), this may be because of other changes in behaviour as adults adapt to consistently high prices. For example, there is evidence that consumers have been changing to cheaper supermarket own-brand products, with total spending on value range products increasing 41% in the past year, as shown in Kantars release on grocery price inflation.

High food prices may also impact people's ability to afford healthy choices. The Food Foundation reported that the most deprived fifth of the population need to spend 50% of their disposable income on food to meet the cost of the Government recommended healthy diet, compared with 11% among the least deprived fifth.

Figure 6: Around 1 in 20 adults continue to report running out of food and being unable to afford to buy more

Among all adults, Great Britain, 8 September 2021 to 9 July 2023

Source: Opinions and Lifestyle Survey from the Office for National Statistics

Notes:

Questions: 1. "In the past two weeks, have you experienced any of the following when food shopping?"; 2. "In the past two weeks, which, if any, have you been doing when food shopping?"; 3. "In the past two weeks, have you or your household run out of food and could not afford to buy more?".

Base: all adults.

Respondents were able to choose more than one response for question 1.

Estimates for question 1 and 3 are not available for the period 8 September to 17 October and 8 September to 20 November, respectively, as the questions were not asked in these periods.

Download this chart

Using the latest pooled period to examine this further, groups of the population who were more likely to report that in the past two weeks they or their household had run out of food and not been able to afford to buy more included:

around 1 in 7 (14%) renters, compared with 3% of mortgage holders

around 1 in 10 (9%) among adults in the lowest quintile of annual personal income (7% in the second, 6% in the third, 4% in the fourth), compared with 1% of those in the fifth and highest quintile

around 1 in 10 (9%) among disabled adults, compared with 4% of non-disabled adults

around half (45%) among adults who report receiving support from charities because of increases in their cost of living, compared with 4% among adults who do not

around a quarter (28%) among adults living in a household with one adult and at least one dependent child, compared with 7% among adults living in a household with more than one adult and at least one dependent child and 4% among adults not living with a dependent child

around 1 in 5 (21%) among adults receiving some form of benefit or financial support, compared with 3% among adults who were not (for more information on the definition of this group, see Section 8: Glossary

around 1 in 7 among Black, African, Caribbean or Black British adults (13%) or Mixed or Multiple ethnic group adults (14%), compared with 5% among White adults and 6% among Asian or Asian British adults.

Figure 7: Running out of food and being unable to afford more among different groups of the population

Proportion of adults who report running out of food, in the past two weeks, and being unable to afford to buy more, Great Britain, 8 February to 1 May 2023

Notes:

Question: "In the past two weeks, have you or your household run out of food and could not afford to buy more?".

Base: all adults.

Confidence intervals may appear to be unequal because of rounding.

Parental status categories are not mutually exclusive.

Download the data

Although around half of all adults (50%) reported buying less than usual in the past two weeks, some groups of the population were less likely to report taking this action. This included those:

in the highest quintile of personal income (41%)

aged 70 years and above (35%)

who owned their home outright (37%)

Estimates regarding people's experiences when food shopping by all personal characteristics considered in this analysis (also including employment status, highest education level, the country and region, urban or rural nature, or level of deprivation of the area in which adults live) can be found in the accompanying dataset.
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6. Lived experience of increases in the cost of living

Between 19 April and 1 May 2023, survey respondents were asked; "Finally, in your own words, tell us about your experiences with the increases in cost of living." Quotes used throughout this article highlight responses that relate to the quantitative findings shown.

Using Natural Language Processing (NLP) (see Section 8: Data sources and quality), we identified five overarching themes, which highlight the perceptions and lived experience respondents had of the rising cost of living.

"Well-being and worries about the future"

Respondents described issues relating to personal well-being and their worries about the future considering the rising cost of living, which was described in terms of a drain on energy and vitality, dominating every-day conversations in a negative way, and having a mental health impact.

"Response by government and businesses"

Respondents described concerns related to companies making profit despite the rises in the cost of living and raised questions regarding the government's response.

"Worry about others"

Respondents expressed a range of worries about both people close to them or in the general population.

"Shopping habits"

Respondents described changes to their shopping habits and behaviours in response to the increases in the cost of living, such as:

"Widening inequality"

Respondents described their perceptions of growing inequalities and their sentiments regarding this.

The themes resulting from this initial qualitative analysis will be used to guide future analysis in our Impact of increased cost of living on adults across Great Britain series. For more information about these themes, see Section 9: Data sources and quality.
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7. Impact of increased cost of living on adults across Great Britain data Back to table of contents

Disability status

To define disability in this publication, we refer to the Government Statistical Service (GSS) harmonised "core" definition of disability: this identifies "disabled" as a person who has a physical or mental health condition or illness that has lasted or is expected to last 12 months or more that reduces their ability to carry-out day-to-day activities. The GSS harmonised questions are asked of the respondent in the survey, meaning that disability status is self-reported.

Ethnicity

The ethnicity disaggregation used has been chosen to provide the most granular breakdown possible, while producing robust estimates based on sample sizes, in line with harmonised standards for ethnicity data.

The five-category ethnicity breakdown includes:

Asian or Asian British: Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese or any other Asian background

Black, African, Caribbean or Black British: African, Caribbean or Any other Black, African or Caribbean background

Mixed and Multiple ethnic groups: White and Black Caribbean, White and Black African, White and Asian or Any other Mixed and Multiple ethnic background

Other ethnic background group: Arab or Any other ethnic group

White: White British, White Irish, Other White

Logistic regression

We carried out a logistic regression analysis to identify the individual characteristics associated with financial vulnerability. This further allows us to identify someone with a particular characteristic having higher or lower odds of experiencing some form of financial vulnerability when compared with a specified reference group, after taking other possible characteristics into account.

For example, if a particular group has an odds ratio of more than one, they are more likely than the reference group to be considered financially vulnerable when compared with the reference group.

Odds ratio

An odds ratio indicates the likelihood of experiencing some form of financial vulnerability given a particular characteristic. When a characteristic has an odds ratio of one, this means there is neither an increase nor a decrease in the likelihood of experiencing some form of financial vulnerability compared with the reference category. An odds ratio greater than one indicates an increased likelihood of experiencing some form of financial vulnerability compared with the reference category. An odds ratio less than one indicates a decreased likelihood of experiencing some form of financial vulnerability compared with the reference category.

Parental status

An adult is defined as a parent if they are the parent of a dependent child living in the household. Dependent children in this case includes children and stepchildren.

Parents were classified into two further groups; having a dependent child aged under 5 years or having a dependent child aged 5 years and over living in the household. Where parents have multiple dependent children in their household, they are included in a group based on the age of their youngest dependent child in their household.

A dependent child is someone aged under 16 years or someone who is aged 16 to 18 years, has never been married and is in full-time education.

Personal annual income

Personal annual gross income is self-reported on the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) and therefore should be treated with caution.

A respondent's income information does not represent equivalised household income, that considers that households with more people will need a higher income to achieve the same standard of living as households with fewer members.

Those reporting no source of income may include those dependent on other members of their household, such as people aged 16 to 19 years who are in full-time education.

Income quintiles are calculated by ranking respondents from lowest to highest reported personal annual gross income and dividing them into five equal groups.

Those in the lowest quintile are those with a personal annual income below £11,230. Those in the lowest quintile could include those who have retired but still have other sources of income, in addition to those who are in employment but receiving a relatively low income.

Those in the highest quintile are those respondents with a personal annual income over £38,400.

Not all respondents provided information on their personal annual gross income, with some only able to provide a banded estimate or providing no information. These respondents are excluded from any analysis by income quintile.

Receiving support from charities

Receiving support from charities refers to a respondent self-reporting on the OPN "Using support from charities, including food banks" in response to the question "Which of these, if any, are you doing because of the increases in the cost of living? I am...".

Receiving benefits or financial support

Receiving benefits or financial support refers to a respondent self-reporting receiving income support, tax credits or universal credits, or other state benefits as one of their sources of income on the OPN. Those who reported receiving a state pension or child benefits only are not included in this category.

Statistical significance

This article presents a summary of results, with further data including  confidence intervals for the estimates shown in the charts presented contained in the associated datasets. Where comparisons between groups are presented, 95% confidence intervals should be used to assess the  statistical significance  of the change.

For the regression analysis, characteristics were found to be significant based on the p-value associated (Wald Chi-Squared Test) with each characteristic. The odds ratios were then assessed alongside a confidence interval around each category of interest.
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9. Data sources and quality

Quality

More quality and methodology information on the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) and its strengths, limitations, appropriate uses, and how the data were created is available in our Opinions and Lifestyle Survey Quality and Methodology Information.

Sampling

The analysis throughout this article is based on adults aged 16 years and over in Great Britain. The analysis in this report is based on 14,821 adults from a pooled dataset comprising six waves of data collection, covering the following periods:

8 to 19 February 2023

22 February to 5 March 2023

8 to 19 March 2023

22 March to 2 April 2023

5 to 16 April 2023

19 April to 1 May 2023

Further information on the survey design and quality can be found in our Opinions and Lifestyle Survey Quality and Methodology Information.

Weighting

Survey weights were applied to make estimates representative of the population.

Weights were first adjusted for non-response and attrition. Subsequently, the weights were calibrated to satisfy population distributions considering the following factors: sex by age, region, tenure, highest qualification and employment status.

For age, sex and region, population totals based on projections of mid-year population estimates for June 2021 were used. The resulting weighted sample is therefore representative of the Great Britain adult population by a number of socio-demographic factors and geography.

Comparing over time

Changes were made to the survey methodology in the latest pooled period, 8 February to 1 May 2023; therefore, comparisons with previous pooled periods should be treated with caution.

Regression analysis

The analysis from the regression model presented in this article identifies differences between adults who were considered to be financially vulnerable (dependent variable), when compared with adults not considered to be financially vulnerable, while controlling for a range of characteristics (independent variables).

Three logistic regression models were produced to explain the relationships between the dependent and independent variables. These were:

unadjusted: these models show the relationship between the dependent variable, and an independent variable of interest (characteristic)

age and sex adjusted: these models looked at the same dependent and independent variables of interest while also controlling for age and sex

fully adjusted: these models looked at the same dependent variable and a range of independent variables (characteristics) of interest while controlling for all variables

Missing values were excluded from the regression analysis where a response was not provided for a question or variable included in the model. As a result, 12,688 adults were included in the fully-adjusted regression model analysis.

The results of the modelling and a full breakdown of sample sizes and population estimates for each of the characteristics included in the fully adjusted regression model are available in the accompanying dataset.

Qualitative analysis

Between 19 April and 1 May 2023, survey respondents were asked; "Finally, in your own words, tell us about your experiences with the increases in cost of living." Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modelling (a Natural Language Processing method) was used on over 1900 responses.

A review of this by multiple experienced qualitative researchers, led to the agreement of a five-theme model:

The qualitative researchers reviewed a total of 10 responses per theme. This was to label these themes and summarise the overall meaning of that theme using a range of supporting quotes from the respondents in the survey.

All survey responses were anonymous and any potentially identifying information has been removed from the quotes.

Acknowledgements

The qualitative analysis shown in this article was conducted by:

New analysis from the Living Costs and Food Survey for the financial year ending 2022 was conducted by:
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Impact of increased cost of living on adults across Great Britain - Office for National Statistics

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Analysis of the proportion of the population that are affected by an increase in their cost of living and of the characteristics associated with financial vulnerability.

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Debt Justice are creating a Together Against Debt Manifesto

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Debt Justice are creating a Together Against Debt Manifesto

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The manifesto is to make sure that politicians cannot ignore the household debt crisis hitting our communities. Everyone who has experienced the stress of debt is invited to have their say and you don't need any specific knowledge to join in. Together, participants will be creating and taking their shared demands to politicians to influence what they are promising at the upcoming general election. Be part of this exciting and empowering project by signing up:

https://act.debtjustice.org.uk/together-against-debt-peoples-manifesto

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A new online Midlife MOT has been launched to help older workers with financial planning, health guidance, and to assess what their skills mean for their careers and futures.

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The free Midlife MOT website encourages people to review their skills and help to break down barriers to the labour market, in turn delivering on the Government's priority to grow the economy. It brings together trusted services, help such as a jobseeker toolkit and charity resources. It will allow people to identify job opportunities across the UK as well as better preparing them for later life and their retirement.

The website signposts to key organisations and charities, including the NHS, Mind, MoneyHelper, Citizens Advice and the Department for Work and Pension's ( DWP) find a job portal.

As part of this, MoneyHelper has created a financial tool which will provide a personalised report to help people understand what to prioritise to improve their financial position, from now through to retirement.

The Midlife MOT was originally launched in Jobcentres across England with work coaches working with claimants to encourage planning for later life and boosting their confidence. Following the initial success, the Government has looked at ways of reaching more people with the service and making it accessible for everyone - right across the UK.

Helen from Bolton is someone who has recently benefitted from the Government's Midlife MOT offer. She wanted a new challenge and recently found a job as a cleaner in a primary school after having received tailored support from her local Jobcentre.

This included taking part in a Midlife MOT session where Helen, who is in her sixties, improved her confidence levels by conducting a stocktake of her skills and understanding how valuable she would be to an employer. Her story shows that people are never too old to retrain and develop new skills.

Minister for Employment, Guy Opperman MP said:

We are all living longer and planning for later life is essential but knowing where to start can be daunting. Our digital Midlife MOT is open to everyone and easy to access, and will give people the tools to make informed decisions - on their personal finances, their health and on their careers. I would encourage older people in particular to invest the time to see exactly what it can do for them.

Andy Briggs, CEO of the Phoenix Group and Older Workers Champion for the Government added:

The introduction of an enhanced digital MOT, that's open to all, is welcome news and, with a focus on work, wealth and wellbeing, it will be an essential tool in helping people make the most of their longer lives. So much so, that Phoenix Group has piloted its own version of the midlife MOT which will be rolled out to colleagues in the coming months.

The desire to stay in meaningful work for longer is already important to many people. More experienced, older workers offer a wealth of knowledge but are often written-off or overlooked for no good reason. Age is no barrier to learning and I encourage businesses to invest for all, to enjoy the benefits of greater retention and more skilled employees.

The digital Midlife MOT forms part of the Government's wider package to help older workers find and move into work as well as helping those already in work understand what support is available. In the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced that the DWP will be increasing the number of people who can access in person Midlife MOT support via their local Jobcentre, from 8,000 to 40,000 a year.

The Government's digital offer will be continually reviewed to ensure it is as interactive and tailored as possible and people will soon be able to access content specific to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Further Information

The enhanced digital Midlife MOT is part of the enhanced package of support for older workers which was announced in the 2022 Spending Review.

The Department for Work and Pensions is also spending around £4 million to help those in work in their 40s and 50s benefit from the Midlife MOT offer. This consists of three private sector pilots currently running in Devon and Cornwall, the North East and in East Anglia with private suppliers.

Media enquiries for this press release - 0115 965 8781

Follow DWP on:

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A new online Midlife MOT has been launched to help older workers with financial planning, health guidance, and to assess what their skills mean for their careers and futures.

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There were 6,292 people estimated to be sleeping rough over the month of March 2023

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There were 6,292 people estimated to be sleeping rough over the month of March 2023

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Support for people sleeping rough in England, March 2023. This information gives a fuller picture of the dynamic and seasonal nature of rough sleeping, and illustrates the work done by local authorities to provide a pathway off the streets and into long-term accommodation.

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32 homelessness charities sign letter to Rishi Sunak

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32 homelessness charities sign letter to Rishi Sunak

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32 leading homelessness charities have signed a letter to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak , raising concerns that the Government is not on track to meet its target of ending rough sleeping in England by 2024.

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32 leading homelessness charities have signed a letter to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak , raising concerns that the Government is not on track to meet its target of ending rough sleeping in England by 2024.

The letter has been reported in a range of newspapers including; The Guardian, The Independent, The Metro and The Evening Standard.
Homeless Link CEO Rick Henderson said:
"Rishi Sunak committed to 'ending rough sleeping once for and all' during his leadership campaign just last year. But all indicators show rough sleeping is rising fast, while homelessness services are struggling with extreme financial pressures caused by historic funding issues and prolonged inflation. Clearly urgent action is needed to protect services. Without it, people will continue to experience the trauma of sleeping rough on our streets."
Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, says:
"The government made a commitment to end rough sleeping by 2024, and yet, just a year away from that deadline, we are seeing a 74% increase in people sleeping rough on our streets, compared to 2010. At the same time, providers of homelessness services are facing increased pressure from all sides. While the stark rise in living costs is affecting those using services, the steep rise in inflation is impacting cost of running services. These cost pressures mean additional, targeted support is needed now more than ever.

"Housing associations have always been a key part of the solution to homelessness, providing vital homeless services such as hostels, supported housing and prevention services to help people stay in their homes. However to protect these services we need the government to invest an additional £1.6bn per year in ring-fenced support funding for supported housing and homelessness services.

"Support to ensure people are not spending the night on the streets, is only one part of the answer. To make good on their promise and end homelessness and rough sleeping for good, the government must put in place a long term, national plan to increase social and supported housing to ensure low income people can access homes they can afford, and strengthen the welfare system so that those who rely on it have enough money to live on."
Stephen Bell, CEO at the charity Changing Lives, said:
"Inflation continues to have a severe impact on our services and in turn on the people that we support. Rising costs for wages, rent and the continued pressure of high energy costs, alongside very few local authorities giving inflationary increases to support contracts mean that we are having to look at what we can provide and potentially reduce our services. This means that people already struggling to make ends meet and find a home will have less access to the support they need to move on."
David Smith, CEO at Oasis Community Housing said:
"Some of the homelessness contracts that we operate through local authorities haven't had inflationary increases in years. That means that we have to absorb these costs, which is simply not sustainable.
"Cost of living pressures are adding tens of thousands of pounds per year to our costs. It places some of our services at serious risk, and these are services which people facing homelessness depend upon."

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32 homelessness charities sign letter to Rishi Sunak

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The open letter, signed by 32 organisations from across England, raised concerns that the Government won't meet its target of ending rough sleeping in England by 2024.

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5.5 million people behind on energy bills, as charities call for Help To Repay scheme

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5.5 million people behind on energy bills, as charities call for Help To Repay scheme

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Money Advice Trust releases new findings on the impact of the high cost of living.
An estimated 5.5 million UK adults are behind on their energy bills, according to new research from the Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline and Business Debtline.

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5.5 million people behind on energy bills, as charities call for Help To Repay scheme - Politics.co.uk

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Money Advice Trust releases new findings on the impact of the high cost of living An estimated 5.5 million UK adults are behind on their energy bills, according to new research from the Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline and Business Debtline.

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Better Off Fund: Confidence, Resilience and Employment Help

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Better Off Fund: Confidence, Resilience and Employment Help

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We would like to announce our involvement with The Women's Organisation and CitA Liverpool and call for partnerships in Greater Merseyside and Wirral areas. Better Off Fund: Confidence, Resilience and Employment Help - The Women's Organisation (thewomensorganisation.org.uk)

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The Better Off Fund is a fully-funded employment help support package available to individuals in the Liverpool City Region who are currently:

Whether you're out of work because of redundancy, health, or other personal circumstances, the Better Off Fund aims to provide the employment help you need to get back on your feet.

The programme helps break down financial barriers by offering full and complete access to our services, without it putting any additional pressure on your pocket. It offers a range of free courses for the unemployed, including managing your personal finances, building your confidence, and preparing for interviews. In addition, participants will be given travel and lunch expenses, small grants for digital resources - such as mobile phone top-ups, data dongles, WiFI, etc - as well as access to free childcare to support single parents.

As the UK cost-of-living crisis looks set to continue, the Better Off Fund has been specifically designed to alleviate growing financial pressures and support the needs of individuals on the road back into employment.

The full range of courses includes:

Workshops offering employment help are delivered by our trusted and experienced course facilitators, who will assist you on every step of the journey.

The Better Off Fund is open to those who are unemployed or economically inactive in the Liverpool City Region (Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, Wirral, St Helens, or Halton).

Click here for Better Off Fund sign-up form and our team will get in touch. We can't wait to hear from you!

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Better Off Fund: Confidence, Resilience and Employment Help

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The programme helps break down financial barriers by offering full and complete access to our services, without it putting any additional pressure on your pocket. It offers a range of free courses and employment help for the unemployed, including managing your personal finances, building your confidence, and preparing for interviews.

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Congratulations to PS Advice Supervisor Caprice Hughes for winning the prestigious Institute of Money Advisers' 'Debt Adviser of the Year 2023' award!

This is a remarkable achievement and a testament to Caprice's exceptional skills and expertise in leading the Pennysmart CIC advice team. It's wonderful to see her hard work and dedication being recognized at a national level.

https://www.i-m-a.org.uk/money-advice-awards/

Additionally, a big congratulations to recently graduated caseworker Sally Snowball for earning her IMA Cert. MAP certificate. Obtaining this certification showcases Sally's commitment to professional development and her dedication to providing quality service to our clients.

Both Caprice Hughes and Sally Snowball have made remarkable contributions to money advice, and their achievements reflect their exemplary performance and commitment to excellence. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments, as they have undoubtedly added value to our organization and positively impacted the lives of the many people we serve.

Once again, congratulations to Caprice and Sally for their well-deserved recognition and outstanding contributions. May their success continue to inspire and motivate others within our team.

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Watchdog receives hundreds of complaints over Telegraph’s ‘toxic’ benefits article

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Watchdog receives hundreds of complaints over Telegraph’s ‘toxic’ benefits article

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Watchdog receives hundreds of complaints over Telegraph’s ‘toxic’ benefits article

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A press watchdog has received hundreds of complaints about a “toxic” article by the Daily Telegraph which asked its readers to calculate how much disabled people on out-of-work benefits were contri…

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Why are so few claimants choosing broadband social tariff?

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Why are so few claimants choosing broadband social tariff?

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The BBC has reported that only one in twenty claimants who are eligible for social tariff broadband have actually signed up, with 4.3 million potentially eligible people apparently missing out.

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The BBC has reported that only one in twenty claimants who are eligible for social tariff broadband have actually signed up, with 4.3 million potentially eligible people apparently missing out. We'd like to hear about your experience if you've signed up for social tariff broadband or what made you decide against it.

Claimants on a range of benefits are eligible for social tariff broadband deals.

All the major suppliers offer a cheaper deal if you are on Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker's Allowance or Income Support.

Some also extend their offer to PIP claimants.

Prices range from £10 to £20 a month with speeds from 15 to 100 Mbits, depending on the supplier.

The Ofcom website has a full list of suppliers and prices, with links to their individual terms and conditions.

Citizens Advice estimates that one million people have cancelled their broadband in the last year because of the cost of living, with UC claimants 12 times more likely to have done so than non-claimants.

Yet social tariff deals are not proving popular and Citizens Advice wants Ofcom to " hold firms' feet to the fire" to improve their take-up.

But is it just lack of awareness of these schemes that is holding people back? Or is it that mobile phones are a necessity while home broadband is an unaffordable luxury for many claimants, no matter how cheap the deal?

Please let us know your opinion of the scheme in the comments section.

You can read the full story on the BBC website.

Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Don't lose out because the rules keep changing.

Join over 110,000 subscribers to our free fortnightly newsletter.
Subscribe now

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Why are so few claimants choosing broadband social tariff?

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Get the benefits you're entitled to: help with personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit (UC), employment and support allowance (ESA),disability living allowance (DLA). Claims, assessments, reviews, appeals.

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Financial watchdog bans referral fees for debt packagers to help struggling consumers

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Financial watchdog bans referral fees for debt packagers to help struggling consumers

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The FCA is banning certain providers of debt advice from receiving referral fees from debt solution providers.

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The ban should save consumers struggling with debt thousands of pounds in unnecessary fees and ensure they receive better quality advice. It will put a stop to the business model which incentivises debt packagers to recommend certain options that make them more money rather than what is in the customer's best interest.

The debt packager firms earn money from fees paid when consumers are referred to solution providers such as an Insolvency Practitioner for an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland or, in Scotland, a Protected Trust Deed (PTD).

By contrast, some other solutions may be more suitable for some consumers such as Debt Relief Orders (DRO) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or Minimal Asset Process (MAP) in Scotland which do not earn debt packagers any fees.

Based on the FCA evidence, the median referral fee to debt packagers for IVAs in 2019-2020 was £940, and £1,340 for Scottish PTDs. IVA or PTD fees can cost consumers £3,650 or more over their lifetime whereas DROs cost £90 upfront in fees and MAPs cost £50, subject to eligibility.

The FCA has seen evidence of debt packagers appearing to manipulate customers' details so that they meet the criteria for IVAs/PTDs and using persuasive language to promote products without explaining the risks involved.

In some of the worst cases identified, the FCA found evidence of customers in financial hardship who were recommended solutions which caused greater harm, for example:

One consumer, who was homeless, was recommended an IVA costing them £6,000 when they could have been debt free in 1 year via a DRO for £90.

Another consumer was recommended an IVA by a debt packager when a different solution would have been more suitable. This cost them an extra £4,710 compared to a DRO and meant it would take 5 years longer to become debt free.

Existing debt packager firms will need to develop a new way of doing business by 2 October this year or face regulatory action. The ban comes into effect today for new entrants to the debt packager market.

Sheldon Mills, Executive Director of Consumers and Competition at the FCA, said:

'Good quality debt advice is vital in helping people out of financial difficulty and poor advice can have a devastating impact on those who are already struggling.

'This ban will put a stop to the business model that incentivises bad advice and reduce harm for consumers.

'We are giving firms four months to help them adapt.

'Anyone struggling with debt can get free and impartial advice from MoneyHelper or other services.'

The FCA will continue to make sure that credit markets work well for borrowers and firms. It wants debt advice firms to provide a high-quality debt advice service to consumers, helping them to manage their debts and to access a suitable debt solution where appropriate.

Firms representing two thirds of the market in customer numbers have either left or suspended their activities, since the FCA first raised concerns in July 2021.

Consumers who need help with their debts can get free and impartial advice from the MoneyHelper website provided by the Money and Pensions Service.

The FCA is also issuing guidance about how unauthorised businesses, who source potential customers and recommend them to debt solution providers who only offer one debt solution, may need to be authorised by the FCA.

Notes to editors

Read PS23/5: Debt Packagers: Feedback to CP23/5 and final rules (PDF)

The FCA initially consulted on a ban in November 2021 after finding a lack of adequate management of the conflict of interest.

In February, this year, the FCA launched a further short consultation to find out whether the market had changed and to give stakeholders the opportunity to comment on the proposed ban of referral fees and give any further information about any new developments in the market.

To help consumers struggling with the cost of living, the FCA has previously set out how lenders should be supporting borrowers in financial difficulty and acted where they aren't, leading to £47m in compensation being paid to customers.

The government's Debt Relief Scheme.

Find out more information about the FCA.

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Financial watchdog bans referral fees for debt packagers to help struggling consumers

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The rules will ban debt packagers from receiving referral fees which make up the majority of their revenues.

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DATES FOR NEXT £150 DISABILITY COST OF LIVING PAYMENT ANNOUNCED

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DATES FOR NEXT £150 DISABILITY COST OF LIVING PAYMENT ANNOUNCED

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The DWP has announced that the next £150 disability cost of living payment will be made automatically over a two week period between 20 June and 4 July 2023.

To be entitled to a payment, you need to have been eligible for one of the following benefits on 1 April 2023:

Disability Living Allowance

Personal Independence Payment

Attendance Allowance

Scottish Disability Benefits (Adult Disability Payment and Child Disability Payment)

Armed Forces Independence Payment

Constant Attendance Allowance

War Pension Mobility Supplement

A small proportion of payments will be made after the above dates, where claimants were still awaiting confirmation of their eligibility or entitlement to disability benefits on 1 April.

You can read more details on the gov.uk website

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More than half of gig economy workers in the UK earn less than the minimum wage, new research has found.

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More than half of gig economy workers in the UK earn less than the minimum wage, new research has found.

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So-called ‘gig economy’ workers are defined as those on short-term contracts or doing freelance work as opposed to those in permanent positions.

They are typically doing jobs such as private-hire driving, data entry and food delivery.

On average respondents were earning £8.97 per hour – around 15% below the current UK minimum wage, which rose to £10.42 this month.

Exactly 52% of gig economy workers are earning below minium wage.

A huge 75% of the gig economy workers questioned also reported work-related insecurity and anxiety from trying to subsist on meagre wages amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Here at PS CIC we are also seeing increasing numbers being forced into unstable work, often to fit around caring responsibilities and their own health limitations. Often working just part-time and reliant upon means-tested benefits to supplement, we are concerned about the accuracy of reported earnings for claiming benefits and/or income tax purposes.

To help we have developed our self employed earnings budget tool & tips (link below) to try to minimise the risk of SE claimants under-claiming benefits by not recording allowable expenses.

https://www.pennysmart.org.uk/client-docs/pennysmart-se-budget-and-tips.pdf

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People on Child Benefit may be able to claim other support faster as HMRC launches new service

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People on Child Benefit may be able to claim other support faster as HMRC launches new service

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A new online service has been launched by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to make it quicker and easier for parents and carers to prove they claim Child Benefit. They often need to obtain this proof for Housing Benefit, Council Tax and other services and previously it involved the need to call or write to HMRC.

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New service allows people on Child Benefit to claim other support faster

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The service is available online and can speed up processing times for Council Tax or Housing Benefit.

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Missing out: £19 billion of support goes unclaimed each year

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Missing out: £19 billion of support goes unclaimed each year

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New analysis by Policy in Practice finds that the total amount of unclaimed income-related benefits and social tariffs is now £18.7 billion a year. We estimate that £7.5 billion of Universal Credit is unclaimed by 1.2 million eligible households and £2.9 billion of Council Tax Support is unclaimed by over 2.7 million eligible households each year.

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£19 billion of income related benefits goes unclaimed each year

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New analysis from Policy in Practice finds that 21 million families are missing out on £19 billion of unclaimed benefits

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New code of practice for involuntary prepayment installations

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New code of practice for involuntary prepayment installations

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Ofgem published a new Code of Practice regarding involuntary prepayment installations. All British domestic energy suppliers have signed up.

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Energy suppliers sign up to new Code of Practice on involuntary prepayment installations

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British domestic energy suppliers have signed up to an updated Code of Practice on involuntary prepayment meter installations.

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Free mental capacity, financial safeguarding and cost of protection training - Qualia Law CIC

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Free mental capacity, financial safeguarding and cost of protection training - Qualia Law CIC

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Qualia Law are a non-profit social enterprise who provide free legal advice and support for neurodiverse people, such as those living with dementia, brain injury or learning disability and, their families, carers and wider support networks. For more information please see the attached flyer.
https://www.qualia-law.org/

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Not sure a TV Licensing email is genuine?

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Not sure a TV Licensing email is genuine?

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1. Check the sender’s email address

2. If it’s genuine it will include a partial postcode

3. Does it have your name

4. Check the spelling and grammar

5. Check the links

Still not sure? Read our guide:
https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ288?wt.mc_id=bbc_over75_scams#furtherinfo

TV Licensing has prepared some social media posts to highlight how people can avoid being the victim of a scam. It would be great if you could post these to your social media channels to help us get the message out and keep people safe. You can access social media images here

You can also find more information about how to avoid scams and how to report one here.

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We include the name and/or part of your postcode in our emails. Many scams simply use your email address or say 'Dear Customer'.

We send our emails from donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk (or donotreply@spp.tvlicensing.co.uk).

If you are a TV Licensing payment card customer and you make mobile payments via the TVL Pay app, you may receive emails from noreply@paypoint.com. The sender's name will show as ' TVL Pay '.

Scammers often hide the true email address they're using, check the email address. On your device, select the sender's name (or email address) to show the actual email address.

Scam emails often tell you that you need to make an urgent payment. We only email customers about payments if they have missed one. You can sign in to your account to check.

They often say you can get a refund or a cheaper licence. We will never do this unless you have contacted us about a refund and we are replying to you.

Scam emails may show a fake licence number. Your licence number is on letters we send you, or search your email inbox for emails from 'donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk' (or 'donotreply@spp.tvlicensing.co.uk').

Check the web address. Make sure you're at tvlicensing.co.uk or spp.tvlicensing.co.uk

We won't ask for:

your mother's maiden name

your date of birth (unless you're over 74 and applying for a free TV Licence)

your card details to make a missed payment UNTIL you've signed in using your licence number, surname and postcode.

Here's an example of a real TV Licensing email. We've marked it up to help you spot if an email you've received is a scam.

1. Check the sender

Genuine TV Licensing emails are sent from donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk or donotreply@spp.tvlicensing.co.uk.

2. Partial Postcode

If you have provided us with your postcode details, our emails will include part of your postcode and/or the name on the licence.

3. Look for your name

If you've given us your name, then we'll always address you using your last name and title. The scammers won't normally have that information about you. So, watch out for emails that only address you as "Dear client" or "Dear customer" - or just use your email address (or part of it).

4. Check the spelling and grammar

Because scammers can't use our genuine TV Licensing web addresses or email addresses, they'll try to use slightly different spellings - look out for things like hyphens and full stops in odd places.

Be suspicious too if there are mistakes in the email with capital letters or other grammatical errors, like missing full stops - this could be a scam.

5. Check the links

Be wary of emails promising money/refunds. For example, phrases such as, "click below to access your refund", followed by a request to provide your credit card or bank details (we would never process a refund in this way).

Always check links in an email before clicking or tapping them.

If you're on a computer
Hover over the link (but don't click it). This will reveal the name of the web address that you are being sent to.

If you're on a smartphone or tablet
Press and hold on the link (don't release while you are on the link). This will reveal the name of the web address that you are being sent to.

Phone and text scams

Send you a text message to tell you you're entitled to a refund

Ask you to set up a payment plan or provide your bank details by text message

Ask you to enter any personal details into our website until you've successfully signed into your licence.

Before you enter any information, you should check the website address is our genuine website tvlicensing.co.uk (or spp.tvlicensing.co.uk).

If you're a TV Licensing payment card customer, we may send you a text to ask you to make a payment. If you're a Simple Payment Plan customer, the link takes you to our secure payment provider (tvlspp.paythru.com)

If you're a TV Licensing payment card customer and you make mobile payments via the TVL Pay app, you may receive text messages from 'TVL Pay' to confirm your payment.

If you've just signed up for Direct Debit, you may receive a text message letting you know when your first payment will be taken

If you've contacted us by phone or on our automated service - we may send you a confirmation message or a satisfaction survey

If you receive your licence through the post, you may receive a message asking you to go paperless

If the message asks you to call a number, please check it's one of these numbers:

0300 555 0293 if you pay by payment card

0300 790 6082 if you pay by Direct Debit

0300 555 0355 if you are a Simple Payment Plan customer

If you've received a text which asks you to call any other number, do not call it.

Occasionally we may call you if there's a problem with your TV Licence. This will usually be about a missed payment, a cancelled Direct Debit, or a reminder to renew.

We'll call you from either 0300 790 6075, 0300 555 0285 or 0300 555 0355

If you're not sure the call is genuine, don't provide any personal information. You can also sign in to view your licence or payment plan.

If you've contacted us with a query, one of our team may call you back to discuss it. This may be from a withheld number, but the call will only be regarding the query you've raised.

Letter scams

Scammers may send you a letter, addressed to you by name, asking you to call or go online to confirm your payment details.

Letters from TV Licensing are genuine if:

you are currently licensed and you have given us your title and last name, we will always use these when we write to you. We'll also include your TV Licence number.

If you are registered as 'No Licence Needed', we'll include that reference number instead of your TV Licence number.

A scam letter will often tell you there is a problem with your licence or that you are due a refund. This is to try to get you to go to a fake website or call a fake number to sort it out. If you are ever suspicious or doubtful about what a letter is asking you to do, sign in to your licence to check if anything looks wrong.

Official TV Licensing websites are:

tvlicensing.co.uk

spp.tvlicensing.co.uk

75plan.tvlicensing.co.uk

QR Codes

QR (quick response) codes, like the one shown here, are becoming increasingly common. They can help you reach a website more quickly, using your
mobile phone.

To check if a QR code is genuinely from us, open the camera on your mobile and hover it over the code. It it's from us, you'll see one of the web links below, so you'll know it's safe to tap through:

tvlicensing.co.uk

spp.tvlicensing.co.uk

75plan.tvlicensing.co.uk

And if you can't use the QR code, or you don't want to, we'll always show the full web address in the communication as well, so you can use that to access
the webpage.

How to report an email or text scam

Report an email scam - We support the work of the Government's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to help stop scammers.
Send any scam or suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and they will investigate.

Report a text scam - Take a screenshot of the message and send it to textscams@tvlicensing.co.uk

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We include the name and/or part of your postcode in our emails. Many scams simply use your email address or say 'Dear Customer'. We send our emails from donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk (or donotreply@spp.tvlicensing.co.uk). If you are a TV Licensing payment card customer and you make mobile payments via the TVL Pay app, you may receive emails from noreply@paypoint.com.

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Latest Benefit Rates for this year.

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Social Welfare Training Benefit Rates Poster 2023 2024 web version

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During this time of high energy prices, it can feel frustrating as a renter. One of the challenges of renting is not knowing what energy-saving changes you can make to your rented home.

The resource of the month is our new factsheet to help guide renters on smart meters. This resource shows how having a smart meter is one action that renters can take to get more control over their energy use. It provides information on who is responsible for installing a smart meter, and when renters might need to inform their landlord. The resource provides benefits of smart meters for people who rent their homes, what the installation process entails, and what to do when you move out of a property. The factsheet is available in English.

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Renters guide to smart meters - Factsheet in English

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Alison is 59, she was unable to work due to a history of poor mental health which had prevented her from working for a number of years. She was referred into PS service by Karen a money adviser from her social landlord...

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New guides: How to help customers disclose a mental health problem

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New guides: How to help customers disclose a mental health problem

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Many thanks to those who attended the launch of our new guides for essential services providers, on how to make it easier for consumers to disclose a mental health problem.

The three guides (developed in collaboration with the Money Advice Trust) are now available and free to download.

Read the guides

f you were unable to join us yesterday, the event and the presentations are now available to watch back on our website.

Watch here

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Following a recent lobbying campaign conducted via social media, CPAG have obtained funding from the Indigo Trust to publish the Fuel Rights Handbook online, free of charge.

The handbook can be found online here.

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Advice if you're worried about higher energy bills

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Advice if you're worried about higher energy bills

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The number of households in fuel poverty is increasing as a result of the ongoing energy and cost of living crisis in Great Britain - and according to a recent study by Ofgem, consumers are feeling an increased sense of powerlessness.

In response to the ongoing financial pressures consumers are facing, we have created a 20-page guide titled ‘Advice if you’re worried about higher energy bills’ in collaboration with National Energy Action (NEA) and Energy Action Scotland (EAS).

The guide provides trustworthy advice and guidance for households facing fuel debt by sharing 5 key steps consumers can take if they are struggling with their energy bills - signposting to reputable organisations and sources of support throughout:

Check if you are eligible for grants or schemes to help you pay for your energy bills

Contact your energy supplier to see how they can help

Take regular meter readings, or get a smart meter

Make your home more energy efficient

Talk to someone for advice

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Materials | Resource Centre | Smart Energy GB

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Our range of smart meter materials are available as free printed copies, or can be downloaded for free. Browse our range of materials to suit your needs.

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Action Fraud is warning the public about a sharp rise in reports relating to fake emails purporting to be from Ofgem, the independent energy regulator for Great Britain. The emails claim that the recipient is due a rebate payment as part of a government scheme and provides links for the recipient to follow in order to apply for the rebate. The links in the emails lead to malicious websites designed to steal personal and financial information.

Between Monday 22nd August 2022 and Monday 5th September 2022, a total of 1,567 phishing emails related to this scam have been reported via the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS). All the emails display the email subject header “Claim your bill rebate now”. Offenders are using the Ofgem brand logo and colours to make the emails look as authentic as possible. However, the emails ask recipients to “apply for an energy bill rebate before September 2020”, which is what prompted many recipients to realise the emails weren’t genuine.

You can view examples of the fake emails in our social media posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

How you can protect yourself and others

·  If you have any doubts about a message, contact the organisation directly. Don’t use the numbers or address in the message – use the details from their official website. Remember, your bank (or any other official source) will never ask you to supply personal information via email.

·  If you have received an email which you’re not quite sure about, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk. Send us emails that feel suspicious, even if you're not certain they're a scam - we can check.

For advice on how to stay secure online, please visit: www.cyberaware.gov.uk

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Help for Households - Get government cost of living support

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Help for Households - Get government cost of living support

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The cost of living crisis is starting to effect most households in the UK with the impact being felt hardest by the poorest.

The UK Government have implemented some help, but it is hard to keep track of all the schemes and to relay this to the families and individuals we support on the frontline.

The Government has set up it’s ‘Help for Households’ website to bring all the schemes into one accessible place and helps us frontline workers stay up to date check it out here

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The ongoing interest in energy may mean you and your organisation are seeing a higher level of energy related queries coming in.

This month we are sharing our educational video series. This series helps answer frequently asked questions about the smart meter rollout and can help you and your beneficiaries understand the smart meter rollout in Great Britain, as well as answer more personal questions such as how to read a smart meter in-home display?

FAQ videos: When will you get a smart meter?
What is the smart meter installation process?
How to read a smart meter in-home display?
How do smart meters work?
Britains smart energy system
Smart meters for businesses
The smart meter rollout in Great Britain
How to get the most out of your smart meter
Prepay smart meters
Can I switch energy supplier with a smart meter?
Formats Available: Videos in English, Welsh, Bengali, Gujarati, Polish, Punjabi and UrduBSL (British Sign Language)

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Household appliances: How much does it cost?

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Household appliances: How much does it cost?

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How much do your household appliances cost to run? Try a quiz from Made of Money based on current energy prices.

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Take our quiz to find out how much your household appliances are costing you.

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75% of older people in the UK – 9.4 million people – are worried about the rising cost of living, according to research from Age UK.

Our latest content series 'Smart meters for a smarter Britain' aims to support older people. The series explains how smart meters work, how smart meters and the in-home display (IHD) can help consumers manage their energy usage, as well as detailing national and environmental benefits.

Target Group:

Adults aged over 65

More than 12 million people within the GB population are aged over 65

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Please find below the links to the DWP Pension Credit stakeholder toolkit, which has been updated with a range of supporting products.

Pecyn cymorth Credyd Pensiwn - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Pension Credit toolkit: - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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IE Hub is an easy way to send your financial information to all the companies you owe money to. It removes the stressful phone calls and puts you in control of the information you share.

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IE Hub is a free online tool that lets you share your financial information with companies you owe money to.

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Why should I get a smart meter as a private tenant?

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Why should I get a smart meter as a private tenant?

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There is some confusion about who is responsible for getting a smart installed in a private rented property. However, It’s actually up to the person who pays the energy bills for the property to organise a smart meter installation with their energy supplier.

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Why should I get a smart meter as a private tenant? - Factsheet in English

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Since the start of the pandemic we’ve seen the number and variety of scams increase. Research by the Government’s Joint Fraud Taskforce found that 8 out of 10 UK adults had received a scam text in the last three months and landline call scams continued to be a threat for older people, with almost two thirds of all over-75s saying they had received a potential scam call.

TV Licensing is therefore working to help customers protect themselves against fraudsters.  To help stop the scammers , we are asking people to STOP – CHECK – ASK if they receive any suspicious communications that appear to be from TV Licensing — and we need the help of organisations working to support their customers with finances and money advice to help spread the below message:

STOP – Scammers will attempt to trick you into giving away your personal or bank details. Always be wary of letters, emails, texts or phone calls that promise you money or a refund.

CHECK – Has the sender spelled your name correctly and are there any grammatical mistakes? You should also make sure they have included the correct licence number, which you can check on the TV Licensing website.

ASK – If you’re ever unsure about a communication you’ve received, it’s always best to ask someone – perhaps a friend or trusted advisor.  You can go to the TV Licensing website and sign in to your licence at tvl.co.uk/yourlicence to check if anything is actually wrong or call TV Licensing on 0300 303 9695 to speak with someone who can help.

You can find more information about how to avoid scams and how to report one here. We’ve also prepared some free, pre-drafted social media content and e-newsletter copy for you to share across your channels and networks, available to download here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gskgg3a85t2g6rj/AABXWY_2nquiC2xq8_yLHm5La?dl=0

Finally, we also deliver free virtual training sessions to help you support your clients to spot scams which only take around 15 minutes to complete, so please let me know if you’d like to book this in, or if you have any further queries.

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Severn Trent Water Trust Fund & 'Big Difference' Scheme

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Severn Trent Water Trust Fund & 'Big Difference' Scheme

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If your household income is low, you may be entitled to a BIG reduction on your Severn Trent Water bill.  If eligible for the scheme, you could receive a discount of up to 90%.

Eligibility for the scheme is based on total household income. Housing entitlements, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payments and Attendance Allowance are all disregarded from the income calculation. Disability premiums and limited capability for work elements paid within certain benefit types are also disregarded. If eligible for income-based free school meals, it’s likely that you will qualify for the Big Difference Scheme.

Visit www.bigdiff.co.uk to see if you are eligible for the discount. We aim to process applications within ten working days.

STTF

Severn Trent Trust Fund is an independent grant making Trust first set up in 1997.  The Trust is a registered charity with the aim to help people out of poverty and debt – thanks to generous donations by the Midlands based water company, Severn Trent Water.

The policy and grant making is overseen by independent Trustees who ensure that the money goes where it is most needed.  Day-to-day management and administration is delegated to our wholly owned subsidiary Auriga Services Ltd.

If you are struggling to pay your water charges and have arrears outstanding, the Trust may be able to help. Please visit www.applystw.org.uk to apply for a one-off grant. We aim to process applications within ten working days.

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Local authorities across England have been given funding (£500 million) to help vulnerable households with essentials over the coming months as the country continues its recovery from the pandemic. Essentials include energy, food and clothing. Councils may add to this list at their discretion. The new Household Support Fund will support households in England and will be distributed by councils to the most vulnerable households in their areas. The eligibility criteria set by Government is broad, and can be refined by each council, meaning that rules should be checked for a particular area before applying. Although the scheme will not directly be available in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, funding has been made available to these nations, which may result in their own schemes being created.

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Info on the Digital Divide - free IT equipment

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Info on the Digital Divide - free IT equipment

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A social enterprise in Anglesey on Friday who work with public sector bodies to bring back into use redundant IT equipment. This is then donated to Schools, Charities and/or social enterprises.

North Wales Recycle I.T. CIC (Community Interest Company) is a social enterprise organisation providing secure I.T. recycling services to local authorities, public bodies, businesses, educational establishments and communities across north Wales. Some of our clients include North Wales Police, Careers Wales, Urdd, Clwyd Alun and Huws Gray.

In January 2021, we started a refurbishment programme to help combat the digital divide and support school children to continue learning at home during these unprecedented times.

While the country was getting to grips with WhatsApp, FaceTime and Zoom, a significant section of our community did not have the means to access services that were rapidly becoming essential for remaining connected to the outside world.

The devices donated have been life-changing for the individuals and families within the communities of North Wales. Children have continued their education; individuals could communicate with friends and family online and get essential items delivered to their door.

Schools have now reopened; however, we still need your help to bridge the Digital Divide in North Wales and get devices to those pupils, families and individuals in need. With your help, we can reduce social isolation and open doors for them to communicate, educate and become connected with the outside world.

HOW TO ACCESS A DEVICE

If you're a school, social enterprise or charity that would benefit from receiving a donated device, please complete the application form.

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A best practice guide for banks and building societies
When a person is struggling to control their gambling there is often only two organisations that know: gambling companies and their bank. This means that banks and building societies are in an important and unique position to support customers experiencing gambling-related harm.

That's why today we've published a new best-practice guide to help banks and building societies tackle gambling-related harm

This guide was developed in collaboration with financial services professionals and based on the experiences of people who've struggled with problem gambling. It is full of practical recommendations and is relevant for your organisation, no matter how advanced your work is on preventing gambling harm.

We've highlighted three key areas in which banks can make a difference to customers - including creating a culture of support, identifying those at risk and empowering customers to take action.

You can download this new, free resource here and we would encourage you to share with relevant colleagues.

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Money and Mental Health Policy Institute

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20 July 2021

When a person is struggling to control their gambling there is often only two organisation that know: gambling companies and their bank. This means that banks and building societies are in an important, unique position to support customers experiencing gambling-related harm.

"I think the bank would be a better place to stop me as I just go somewhere else to gamble if stopped by the [online gambling] company and at the end of the day it's their job to take your/our money." - Expert by experience

Banks are well-placed to act now to help their customers and mitigate some of the worst harms, in line with the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) guidance on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers. This guide, developed in collaboration with financial services professionals and people with experience of problem gambling, highlights three key areas in which banks can make a difference to customers:

Creating a culture of support, and ensuring staff are equipped to help.

Identifying and reaching out to those at risk.

Supporting and empowering those at risk.

We are always keen to hear from banks about actions they are taking to help their customers, and where our expert team can offer practical support and customer insight. If you want to find out more, please contact us at contact@moneyandmentalhealth.org.

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Gambling best practice for banks: Money and Mental Health

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When a person is struggling to control their gambling there is often only two organisation that know: gambling companies and their bank. This means that banks and building societies are in an important, unique position to support customers experiencing gambling-related harm.

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Income Maximisation and Benefit Take-up Working Group

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Income Maximisation and Benefit Take-up Working Group

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Please see below the toolkit designed as part of our National Welfare Benefit Take-up Campaign.

Your help in raising awareness would be greatly appreciated.
Hello,

According to recent research, we know that there are thousands of people in Wales who are not yet claiming the benefits that they are entitled to.

The Welsh Government have launched an integrated communications campaign to encourage people to check and claim the benefits they are entitled to. The campaign will be targeting low-income families across Wales, as well as a wider audience of people who may now need support due to the financial impacts of the pandemic.

We will be directing people to a designated campaign landing page housed on the Welsh Government website gov.wales/claim-whats-yours  where we will encourage visitors to call Advicelink Cymru’s helpline direct for support on 0808 250 5700.

We need your help to raise awareness of the campaign across your channels and networks, reaching out to people who are not yet claiming for benefits they may be entitled to.

We have developed a set of assets (including a press advert, A5 leaflet and social media videos x 4) which can easily be added to websites and social channels. - https://gov.wales/claim-whats-yours-campaign-material

Tagging on social media

We’ve provided suggested social media copy in both Welsh and English to support the digital assets that have been created if you are happy to post directly from your channels. We would also advise using #claimwhatsyours / #hawliadyarian where possible.

All paid content will be promoted from the Welsh Government social media channels so we would ask you to tag @WelshGovernment in any online posts.

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COVID-19 has changed our lives in many ways, making that extra bit of help more important than ever.

Many people are unaware they may be entitled to benefits that could offer them the support they need.

What happens when I call the helpline?

When you contact Advicelink Cymru, a trained advisor will talk to you about your circumstances and help you find out what benefits you may be entitled to.

The advisor will explain what evidence you need to provide to support your claim and can arrange for you to get help filling in any claim forms.

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COVID-19 has changed our lives in many ways, making that extra bit of help more important than ever. Many people are unaware they may be entitled to benefits that could offer them the support they need. When you contact Advicelink Cymru, a trained advisor will talk to you about your circumstances and help you find out what benefits you may be entitled to.

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Videos and Fact Sheets on Electricity Storage Heaters

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Videos and Fact Sheets on Electricity Storage Heaters

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Please find attached fact sheet and video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUwXE8mlj-I

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Stop Check Ask - How to identify genuine TV Licensing communications, and how to spot the scammers.

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Stop Check Ask - How to identify genuine TV Licensing communications, and how to spot the scammers.

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Is it genuinely from TV Licensing? Check out the info in the PDF attached.
If you’re unsure whether an email is genuine, head to tvl.co.uk/scam where you can find more advice on how to spot scam emails and where to report any you receive. #ScamSmart.

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Gambling related Financial Harm Resources

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Gambling related Financial Harm Resources

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Includes:

GamCare Core Messages and Self-Help Toolkit

GamCare Framework for Continuous Learning

GamCare Referral Pathways (Debt Advice)

GamCare Referral Pathways (Financial Services)

GamCare Referral Pathways (Gambling Operators)

Timely Interactions with Customers to Prevent Gambling Harms - GamCare Toolkit

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SilverCloud: The new mental health support service that anyone in Wales can access

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SilverCloud: The new mental health support service that anyone in Wales can access

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NHS Wales and partners already provide some phone and online-based mental health support but the latest announcement will extend what is already available and provide a new online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy course, that anyone aged 16 or over can access.
The online course, called SilverCloud, offers support for conditions such as anxiety and depression.
Anyone over 16 can sign up here:

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Programmes to help you... feel better get back on track feel calmer thrive To start: Select a Programme

How It Works

We design programmes to fit into your life. Based on years of clinical research, our methods are proven to help you feel better. Read more

Learn and practice for up to 20 minutes, 2-3 times per week.

Receive feedback from a qualified Supporter every two weeks

Access your programme and tools whenever, wherever.

How It Has Helped Others

Personal Story 3

Ayaz

Ayaz 21, on using the Space for Sleep program

I would often cancel plans to see friends from college because I just couldn't find the energy to get out the house. It wasn't until I had been filling out the sleep diary for a few weeks that I realised how little I was actually sleeping. The program showed me how making small changes could have a big impact on the quality of my sleep.

Read more about this programme

Personal Story 2

Ella

Ella, 20, on using the Space from Anxiety Programme

When my counsellor first suggested an online programme, I was terrified! I thought my problems were just too big and that I wouldn't be able to cope with it all alone. I felt a little reassured when I realised that I would have a supporter to help me and guide me as I worked through the program.

Read more about this programme

Personal Story 4

Jo

Jo, 61, on using the Space from Stress Program

I went to see my physician for a check-up. He told me that my blood pressure was too high. I needed to find a better way to deal with the stress in my life. A therapist also worked in the clinic and spoke to me about SilverCloud. I really didn't see how it could help me. I didn't go back for a while but then my stress levels got worse and I decided to give it another shot.

Read more about this programme

Corinne, on using the Supporting an Anxious Child programme for her daughter Maya

When I first clicked on the My Child's Anxiety tool, I decided to skip over it. The idea of describing Maya's various anxieties and the circumstances around them felt overwhelming. I think I was worried that writing them out would make them more real. And then I would have to face up to how my difficult relationship with Maya's dad might have affected her. I eventually decided to go back and give the tool a try. I'm glad I did. I think I surprised myself. Getting it all out of my head and onto the page was actually a relief. Having everything written out made me feel more in control of it.

Read more about this programme

Is it for you?

1 in 4 Source:
people in the world will be affected by a mental health condition
World Health Organisation

68%
of SilverCloud users show significant improvement.
Source: the Berkshire Clinical Trials, NHS

2 in 3 Source:
people with a known mental health condition will never seek help.
World Health Organisation

Still Unsure?

Have a look at our programs to find out if SilverCloud is for you.

Or, to find out more about being well, check out our wellbeing tips

Welcome to NHS Wales

Are you:

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SilverCloud. Making Space For Healthy Minds

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Programmes to help you... feel better get back on track feel calmer thrive To start: Select a Programme We design programmes to fit into your life. Based on years of clinical research, our methods are proven to help you feel better. Read more Learn and practice for up to 20 minutes, 2-3 times per week.

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Contact us today to find out about the range of tariffs and support we offer. These include:

HelpU

Our HelpU scheme will cap your water and sewerage bill at £250 and is available to customers who fall within our low household income categories and are in receipt of a means tested benefit

WaterSure Wales

Our WaterSure Wales scheme is available to our customers who have a water meter fitted. It helps households on a low income with either a large family or a family member with a certain medical condition. Your annual charges will be capped at £343

Water Direct

Our Water Direct scheme takes away the hassle of paying your bills. It allows those customers who receive certain benefits and are currently in arrears to pay directly through their benefits. If you sign up we will even reduce your bill by £25!

Customer Assistance Fund

If you have arrears with us, our Customer Assistance Fund could help. This scheme not only helps you pay your ongoing current charges, but helps you pay off your arrears at the same time. If you commit to a payment plan for 6 months we will pay off half of your arrears, if you then pay for a further 6 months we will pay off the remaining balance of your arrears.

Priority Services Register

At times, some customers need a little extra help. If we can help you, join our priority services register so we can make sure you get the best service possible.

Contact us now and you could soon start benefitting from the help we can give you.

Call

0800 0520145, Opening hour 8am -8pm (Monday – Friday) and 8.30am – 1.30pm on Saturday.

Online

www.dwrcymru.com

Cysylltwch â ni heddiw i ddarganfod mwy am yr ystod o dariffau a chefnogaeth rydyn ni'n eu cynnig. Mae'r rhain yn cynnwys:

HelpU

Bydd ein cynllun HelpU yn capio'ch bil dŵr a charthffosiaeth ar £250 ac mae ar gael i gwsmeriaid sy'n dod o fewn ein categorïau incwm cartref isel ac sy'n derbyn budd-dal prawf modd.

WaterSure Cymru

Mae ein cynllun WaterSure Cymru ar gael i’n cwsmeriaid sydd a mesurydd dŵr. Mae’n helpu cartrefi ar incwm isel ac sy’n cynnwys teulu mawr, neu aelod o’r teulu sydd a chyflwr meddygol penodol. Bydd cap o £343 ar eich taliadau blynyddol.

Water Direct

Mae ein cynllun Water Direct yn cael gwared ar y drafferth o dalu eich biliau. Mae’n galluogi’r cwsmeriaid hynny sy’n derbyn budd-daliadau penodol ac sydd ar hyn o bryd mewn ôl-ddyled i dalu yn uniongyrchol drwy eu budd-daliadau. Os byddwch yn cofrestru byddwn yn hyd yn oed yn lleihau eich bil trwy ￡25!

Cronfa Cymorth i Gwsmeriaid

Os oes gennych ol-ddyledion gyda ni, gall cwsmeriaid sydd eisoes ag ôl-ddyledion gael help gan ein Cronfa Cymorth i Gwsmeriaid. Mae’r cynllun hwn nid yn unig yn eich helpu i dalu eich costau cyfredol parhaus, ond yn eich helpu i dalu cyfran sylweddol o’ch ôl-ddyledion ar yr un pryd. Os byddwch yn ymrwymo i gynllun taliadau am 6 mis, byddwn yn talu hanner

eich ôl-ddyledion, ac os byddwch yn talu am 6 mis arall, byddwn yn talu gweddill eich ôl-ddyledion.

Gwasanaethau Blaenoriaeth

Ar adegau, mae angen rhywfaint o gymorth ychwanegol ar rai cwsmeriaid. Os gallwn ni eich helpu, ymunwch â’n cofrestr gwasanaethau blaenoriaeth fel y gallwn wneud yn siŵr eich bod yn cael y gwasanaeth gorau posibl.

Cysylltwch â ni nawr fel y gallwch dechrau manteisio o’r cymorth gallwn eich cynnig.

Ffoniwch:

0800 0520145, oriau agor 8am – 8pm (Llun-Gwener) a 8.30 am – 1.30 pm ar ddydd Sadwrn.

ar-lein:

www.dwrcymru.com

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Helping those who need it most - Bilingual

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Money Navigator Tool Launched by the Money Advice Service

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Money Navigator Tool Launched by the Money Advice Service

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The Money Advice Service is provided by opens in a new window

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My Support Space is an online resource designed to help you manage the impact that crime has had on you.
It is a free, safe, secure and confidential space where you can choose how you want to be supported after crime.

Our live chat service is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week via the victim support website: www.victimsupport.org.uk

To view a short video on ‘My Support Space’ please click the below link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSonmMDcFDU

These two fantastic resources can be accessed by anyone who is affected by crime regardless of when the crime happened and whether it was reported to the police or not.
Please share and promote these services to your front line staff and service users and encourage them also to contact our 24 hour support line for support outside of office hours on 0808 16 89 111.

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Toolkit -

Coronavirus and isolation: supporting yourself and your colleagues.

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This short guide from Mind explores some of the worries and difficulties you might experience due to the coronavirus pandemic, and some ways to ensure your mental health is protected.

Wellness action plans are an easy way to help support your own mental health at work and that of your team members. Mind has guidance and templates to get you started, for both employees and line managers.

Free Sign up to receive by e-mail

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Coronavirus and isolation: supporting yourself and your colleagues

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This short guide from Mind explores some of the worries and difficulties you might experience due to the coronavirus pandemic, and some ways to ensure your mental health is protected. Wellness action plans are an easy way to help support your own mental health at work and that of your team members.

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Safeguarding our children and vulnerable adults
Flintshire County Council is responsible for coordinating child and adult protection services in the county.  We are continuing to work closely with schools, North Wales Police, health agencies, doctors, health visitors, advocacy and other agencies to ensure children, families and individuals get the support they need.

If you have concerns or suspicions about a child in Flintshire being harmed, a family needing support or an adult who is at risk, please phone:

01352 701 000 to report concerns about children
03000 858 858 to report concerns about adults; or outside of regular office hours, please phone the Duty Social Worker on 0345 0533 116.

Child Protection referrals or queries can be emailed to ChildProtectionReferral@flintshire.gov.uk
Adult Protection referrals or queries can be emailed to SSDuty@flintshire.gov.uk
*Please be aware, that the inboxes are monitored weekdays, during office hours only.

You can also find more resources, information and advice on the Regional Safeguarding Board website: www.northwalessafeguardingboard.wales

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North Wales Safeguarding Board * Safeguarding children and adults across North Wales

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Safeguarding children and adults across North Wales

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On this page you will find easy access to a range of information, resources and support for helping you understand how to deal with your anxiety during these difficult times while Coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting on our lives.

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The 2.6 Challenge

On this page you will find easy access to a range of information, resources and support for helping you understand how to deal with your anxiety during these difficult times while Coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting on our lives.

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#Coronanxiety support & resources - Anxiety UK

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On this page you will find easy access to a range of information, resources and support for helping you understand how to deal with your anxiety during these difficult times while Coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting on our lives.