Citizen Advice

Many families are facing a cost-of-living crisis, particularly over energy costs. If you are on low or moderate earnings you are likely to be among those worst affected. It may be worth your while to investigate claiming Universal Credit, even if you are already receiving tax credits. But there are some risks and pitfalls. I’ll suggest later how you can check and make an informed decision.

Universal Credit is a benefit available in principle to both working and non-working people over 16 and under pension age. The amount you get depends on a range of factors including your age, whether you are single or a couple, whether you have children, whether you have other caring responsibilities, whether you pay rent, and whether your ability to work is impaired by illness or disability. Your income from most other sources affects how much you get, as do most forms of savings and capital, apart from your home.

Universal Credit is not tied to the cost of living or inflation-proofed. The Government decides how much is to be paid and how the different factors are to interact with each other. So the fact that your financial situation has got worse recently doesn’t automatically mean that you are now eligible for Universal Credit. But some recent changes to the way earnings affect how much is paid may well have made it more worthwhile for a lot of people.

The easiest way to check whether an application would be worthwhile is to use a free online calculator: https://benefitscalculator.turn2us.org.uk/ or https://www.entitledto.co.uk/ . We would not advise applying for Universal Credit just on the advice of the Job Centre or a Department for Work and Pensions helpline. That is because Universal Credit is complicated, and there have been many examples of inaccurate advice being given. If you are receiving tax credits or a means-tested benefit such as Housing Benefit, and you apply for Universal Credit, your tax credits and means-tested benefits will automatically stop. If it turns out you are not eligible for Universal Credit you cannot go back. We have recently represented a client who found herself in exactly that situation. Fortunately, we were able to persuade a tribunal that she was entitled to Universal Credit, but only after well over a year’s delay.

The other thing to remember about Universal Credit, which the online calculators don’t cover, is that it is a debt-collection system as well as a benefit-paying system. If you owe money to DWP because of overpaid benefit, or you owe money to HMRC because of overpaid tax credits or underpaid tax, your Universal Credit will be reduced to pay off those debts. Unlike most debts, which can’t usually be enforced after six years, there is no time limit for DWP or HMRC to recover those debts through Universal Credit. It can also be used to collect other debts, including arrears of rent, service charges, and council tax, and some loans and fines.

Claims for Universal Credit usually have to be made online. If you need help with the process of applying you can phone our national Help to Claim service on 0800 144 8444, between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday. For more general advice you can phone us at Epping Forest Citizens Advice on 0808 278 7855 between 9.30 and 2.30, Tuesday to Thursday. Calls to both these numbers are free.

We are also in person at the Hub at the Civic Offices in Epping every Thursday between 9.30 and 2.30 if you want to talk to someone face-to-face.

Source: Paul Stockton

Survey on Palliative Care

If you – or someone you know – has been personally affected by palliative care, Healthwatch wants to hear from you. Palliative care is treatment, care and support for someone with a complex or incurable condition, and those at the end of their life. It focuses on the quality of someone’s life, managing physical symptoms, offering emotional and practical support to the patient, their family and friends. Palliative care can take place in the home, hospital, care home or a hospice. Healthwatch are working with Havens Hospices, St. Luke’s Hospice Basildon and District, Saint Francis Hospice and Farleigh Hospice, so your experiences will help shape the future of palliative care services for local people of all ages in mid and south Essex.

Whether cared for by a hospital, hospice or community service, we would like to know what you most wanted and needed during this time, and if there were any barriers to accessing these.

The survey can be found at healthwatchessex.org.uk. The will take five minutes and will be completely anonymous, unless you have more to say and would like to leave your details. You can also contact us on 0300 500 1895 if you need to access the survey in a different way..

Awareness of the exploitation of vulnerable children on public transport

On Tuesday 26th April campaign, known as Operation Henderson, is running to raise awareness of child exploitation at stations and transport networks in Essex. The initiative is being run in partnership by Essex Safeguarding Children Board, Southend and Thurrock Safeguarding Children Partnerships alongside organisations including British Transport Police, Essex Police. The Violence and Vulnerability Unit and TFL. Local outreach workers and community police will be engaging with passengers, businesses and young people at train and bus stations along identified key routes in Essex, to raise awareness about signs of exploitation and where to report concerns. As well as members of the public, all staff working within and around a station, from ticket collectors to engineers, coffee shop workers to cleaners, play an important role in safeguarding vulnerable young people. Research and local data have shown transport networks are used by vulnerable young people who may be at risk of sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, and trafficking. Report concerns To report concerns about child exploitation contact: • Police on 101 (or 999 in an emergency) • Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 If there are concerns about suspicious activity at a train station, contact British Transport Police: • Call 0800 40 50 40