exeter...exeter citizens advice bureau newsletter november 2015 we were delighted to host a recent...

exeter Newsletter November 2015

Contents

Editorial

Join us for a Christmas

thank you!

Christmas Closing

Hello/Goodbye

The Family Law

Company joins Exeter

CAB Legal Clinic

Scheme

Minister for Civil Society

visits Exeter CAB

Housing Repossessions

A Trustee’s Perspective

Long service award

Asking our clients how

our service has helped

Apprenticeship scheme

extended

Advice trend statistics

Start the New Year with

a debt detox

New service launched

for working age carers

Healthwatch Devon

Autumn newsletter

Research and

Campaigning Update

Economic well-being

survey service

Advice column

Following the announcement

from the Department for

Work and Pensions (DWP) of

changes to benefit sanctions

policy we are calling for a

genuine yellow card system

to be introduced for benefit

claimants facing a sanction.

This must be the beginning

of the end of ‘sanction first,

ask questions later’. A fair and

effective sanctions regime does have

a role to play in the welfare system,

but it must not make it harder for

people to find a job. New guidance

for Jobcentre staff is a positive step

towards an ‘intelligent’ system of

conditionality which is less

punitive and more likely to

support people into work.

A 14 day period to give

evidence that a sanction

should not be imposed

should lead to fewer people

being unfairly sanctioned,

as they have time to ensure

that the Jobcentre has the

full picture about their circumstances.

However there is still room for a

genuine yellow card system, where

people are given a warning but are

not sanctioned the first time they

don’t meet the conditions of their

claim.

Editorial

We would like to invite all our stakeholders and partner agencies to join us for a mince pie and a glass of wine or fruit juice. The event will take place from

6.00pm to 7.00pm on Thursday 17th December 2015.

We will also be marking the contribution that Hazel Ball made to our charity

during her 35 years with us. Hazel’s husband, Jeff, will be unveiling a plaque as part of this event.

Please contact

[email protected] if you would like to attend so that we can make sure that we have plenty of mince pies!

Continued overleaf

Join us for a Christmas thank you!

Christmas Closing

We will close to the public over the Christmas and New

Year period from 3.30pm on Wednesday 23rd December 2015

and reopen at 10.00am on Tuesday 5th January 2016.

You can now follow us on Twitter or

like our Facebook page.

Exeter Citizens Advice Bureau NEWSLETTER November 2015

While it is good news that hardship payments will

become easier to access, it is still worrying that

vulnerable people being sanctioned still have to

jump through administrative hoops to get

financial support. We would like to see a fairer

system where there is a limit to how much of a

vulnerable person’s benefits can be sanctioned.

This would ensure that no vulnerable person

sanctioned while on Job Seekers Allowance or

Employment and Support Allowance is left

entirely without income.

A report from the Financial Conduct Authority

(FCA) in November outlined the extent of credit

card debt in Britain. More than 1.6million people

can only afford to make the minimum payments

on their credit cards, leaving them racking up

interest payments and struggling to get out of

debt.

Credit card debts can quickly spiral out of control.

Borrowers who only pay off the minimum amount

or fall behind can soon find themselves trapped in

a cycle of debts.

Mainstream debt problems, from credit cards to

formal loans, only tell part of the story. We are

seeing increasing numbers of people come to us

struggling with priority debts, like council tax and

rent arrears. It’s absolutely essential the

Government ensures people can access

independent advice and support on how to

manage their finances and prevent problems

arising in the first place.

We have welcomed a decision that Dollar

Financial UK will refund £15.4million to 147,000

customers. The company, which owns payday

loan brands like The Money Shop, gave loans to

borrowers who in some cases could not afford to

repay. The company agreed compensation after a

review by the FCA.

A lack of checks by payday lenders trapped many

borrowers in dangerous debts. Dollar Financial UK

is the latest company to agree to repay customers

which shows problems with payday loans were

widespread. The products themselves and the

protections around them were wholly inadequate.

It is good the FCA has again targeted this type of

behaviour and that customers will be refunded.

The regulator must also make sure other risky

products, like logbook and guarantor loans, are

properly policed so that they don’t become the

next payday loans.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to

wish all our readers a Happy Christmas and

prosperous New Year.

Editorial continued

Steve Barriball

Chief Executive

Hello, Goodbye …...

Information guides Sophie, Hannah, Andrea

and Daron came on rota in June.

Advisers Prue and Phil have converted from

Gateway Assessors to Advisers

Administration Audrey and Daron have

volunteered to provide admin support.

Recruitment day Sept 15

Following our recruitment day 5

new advisers and 5 new

Gateway Assessors have started

their training

Apprentice Jemima joined us in October and is

working with the Advice Services Team.

Gateway Assessors Carol left in September and

will be missed.


We were delighted to host a recent visit from the

Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson. The

Minister came to see our More Brighter Futures

project which is funded by the Big Lottery Fund.

Dennis Mardon, Chair of Exeter CAB said:

“The Minister was clearly interested in the work

that we do, and the way that volunteers are

integral to all we do here at Exeter CAB. He was

also interested to hear about our plans to engage

more widely with local businesses so that we can

improve our services and make more short term

volunteering opportunities available to their

staff.”

Rob Wilson, Minister for Civil Society said: “I

am grateful to Dennis and the team for organising

the visit. I was very impressed with the number,

long service and dedication of the volunteers I

met during my visit.”

Catherine Stevens, Policy and Learning

Manager from the Big Lottery Fund said: “We

were delighted that the Minister was able to visit

one of the many local lottery funded projects in

Exeter and to hear about the impact that our

funding is having on local people, including those

benefitting from new volunteering opportunities.”

The Family Law Company joins Exeter CAB

legal clinic scheme

We are delighted to announce that The Family Law

Company will be joining our successful legal clinic

scheme. The scheme enables CAB clients to access

free legal advice from local law firms. The Family

Law Company will be providing CAB clients with

specialist advice on family and relationship issues.

Exeter CAB Chief Executive Steve Barriball

said: “We are delighted that the Family Law

Company will be joining our legal clinic scheme.

This has proved very popular with clients who are

otherwise unable to afford legal fees. We are

particularly delighted to secure the services of The

Family Law Company as we have seen an 18%

increase in enquiries this year about family and

relationship issues.”

Donna Hart from the Family Law Company

said: “The CAB offers much help and support to

the local residents of

Exeter. We are pleased

to be able to offer our

specialist family law

services and assist the

CAB with the great

work that they

continually offer to our

community.”

The Family Law

Company will be joining

Michelmores LLP and

Veitch Penny LLP who

already support the

legal clinic scheme.

CAB clients can access the legal clinic scheme

through the usual CAB service.

Minister for Civil Society visits Exeter CAB

From l to r Dennis Mardon, Rob Wilson, Steve Barriball

Donna Hart and Steve Barriball


Welcome 31% drop in housing repossessions

We have welcomed an overall 31% decrease in

repossession cases listed at Exeter County Court

in the 6-month period ending 30th September

2015. This is in comparison with the same period

last year.

Across all housing sectors, where a CAB adviser

has assisted clients facing repossession, clients

have avoided repossession in almost 90% of

cases. Exeter City Council has provided financial

support for this essential service.

Steve Barriball, Exeter Citizens Advice

Bureau Chief Executive, said:

“We have at least one adviser present at the

Court each Tuesday morning to advise and

advocate for clients. In the last six months there

were 268 cases listed for repossession, a 31.2%

decrease on the same period last year. There

have been very significant reductions across both

mortgage (56.9%) and local authority (38.1%)

sectors, and further decreases of 15.5% in the

private sector and a small reduction of 2.2% in

housing association repossessions. The number of

repossession actions by Exeter City Council was

down by a massive 63.5%. There was an average

of around 10 cases listed across all housing

sectors each week.”

Steve explained:

“These reductions in repossessions are clearly

good news. However, in recent months we have

started to see the number of cases brought by

housing associations and private landlords

increase when compared to the first quarter of the

financial year. In addition, with many

commentators predicting an increase in interest

rates in late 2016/early 2017, homeowners need

time to adjust to any interest rate increase. With

historically low interest rates, a rise in rates will

make things harder for those already struggling,

and push those who are just about managing over

the edge. “

Steve continued:

“To limit the pressure on families’ budgets, any

rises in interest rates should be slow, steady, and

come with plenty of warning. We have seen

evidence showing that one in five homeowners

will fall into arrears when interest rates rise.

Access to money and debt advice will be essential

to help prevent large numbers of people falling

into problem debt. Any increase in mortgage

interest rates may also impact on the private

letting sector as those with buy-to-let mortgages

will also see an increase in costs and face

challenges meeting these costs.”

Steve finished by saying:

“I am grateful to the workforce of the Bureau for

providing this essential service to families facing

repossession. We are also grateful to Exeter City

Council for funding this service.”

Repossession trends in the period 1 April – 30 September

Sector 2014/15 Repossessions

2015/16 Repossessions

Difference % Change

Housing Association 87 85 -2 -2.2%

Private 58 49 -9 -15.5%

Local authority 152 94 -58 -38.1%

Mortgage 93 40 -53 -56.9%

Total 390 268 -122 -31.2%


It’s great to have the opportunity to

contribute to this newsletter and talk

about the role Trustees make to our

charity and the importance of Trustees to

the charity sector in general.

I was originally approached to join Exeter

CAB and become its Chairman over 11

years ago when I was leaving my post in

the public sector where I had regularly had

contact with the Bureau. Looking back, I know

that had I been pre-warned about the approach I

would have prepared an excuse and turned down

the offer. As it was, I was caught off guard and

with no excuse ready I accepted. I wonder how

many other people who could contribute so much

have an excuse and say no. Looking back and

thinking about my life, both private and with the

Bureau, I realise that I have received as much

benefit from my involvement as I have hopefully

given.

So, what should the Trustees be doing?

Clearly managing the Governance of the charity

and ensuring that the Governance is effective is a

prime responsibility but there are other important

aspects of a Trustee’s role - supporting the staff

and volunteers by being visible and

knowledgeable, representing the Charity at

meetings and functions and developing

relationships with other organisations be they

public sector, private sector or the charity sector.

As the years have passed I have become acutely

aware of the danger of being Chair for too long

and becoming “presidential” or dictatorial. This

can be a danger when other Trustees are

disengaged and are happy to leave the

Chairperson “to get on with it” with the CEO. With

my Trustees and the CEO we faced this danger

head on and over the last 6-7 years have ensured

that all Trustees are fully engaged.

As part of this process I stepped

down from Chairing our Resources

Committee and our Working Group

with the Board appointing new

chairs to these committees and a

new Vice-Chair of the Bureau who

also chairs the Working Group.

Many organisations (including

Citizens Advice) advise limiting the period a Chair

sits to 2 or 3 years. Certainly, as a new Trustee, it

took me at least 2-3 years to get in to the job and

know the organisation and feel that having to

finish after, say 3 or 4 years, meant that my

experience, like many other Chairs, would have

been wasted. I also believe that such a rule

papers over the real problems of poor governance

in many organisations and often results in

excellent chairs being lost to the sector.

It is important that new Trustees meet the needs

of the charity and not just approached through

current Trustee or senior management contacts.

When we last needed to appoint new trustees we

treated the process like any appointment of staff

and identified the essential and desirable

attributes we required to augment the skills the

Board already possessed. The outcome was the

appointment of 2 excellent new Trustees.

After 11 years, if I was asked if I would do it

again the answer would be a resounding YES.

I only wish that other people would use their skills

and experience developed in their working life to

assist a charity especially now that so much more

is expected of charities and volunteers in

supporting people in need of help.

Dennis Mardon

Chair Exeter Citizens Advice Bureau

A Trustee’s Perspective

Repossession trends in the period 1 April – 30 September


Asking our clients how our service has helped

At our last Board meeting we were

delighted to present Mike Maguire with

his long-service award.

Mike joined the Board of Exeter CAB in

1985, and is currently Chairman of the

Operations and Policy Committee. He is

also an important champion for our

research and campaigns work. His

attention to detail is really valued, as is

his questioning mind, humour and

dedication.

Mike is able to bring a wealth of

experience to our work and as

Chairman of the Operations

and Policy Committee he has

brought about improvements

to the services we provide to

clients and improvements for

our volunteer workforce.

Over the last 30 years, we

have been very fortunate to

have been able to benefit

from his insights over this

period.

Mike Maguire being presented with his award

by Dennis Mardon

Well deserved long service award for Mike Maguire

We decided that we wanted to find out what

clients thought of our assessment process. When a

client phones or comes in to see us they receive a

short assessment to see what should happen next.

It may be the person providing the assessment

can help them straight away, or refer them to

another more appropriate agency . 50% of clients

are helped in the assessment process, and the

other 50% need further advice.

The statistics tell us of the 50% of people helped

straight away 90% don’t come back . We decided

we would find out why this was by completing a

short questionnaire with clients.

We phoned 158 clients. On average clients rated

our customer service and their satisfaction as 4.6

out of 5. The majority of people who scored 4 out

of 5 and 5 out of 5 also said that their problem

was completely resolved or partly resolved.

There were certain types of problems that we were

more likely to be able to help with in an initial

assessment, such as problems with a trader. So

we may be able to target our services in the future

based on information about specific problems.

However the overwhelming feedback was that

people valued this service and this can be seen by

the feedback:

Made client confident that she could resolve

issue

Client feels best

outcome achieved in

circumstances

“The information your

lady gave me helped

me when I talked to

child maintenance”

“Used information you gave, all very useful”

Gave confidence to change supplier “changed

my life, has given me confidence”

“You guys were great”

Other points that came out were that clients

appreciated being listened to, they also valued

that they could phone or drop in and be offered

help with their problems as not many other

agencies offer this service.

Overall the feedback showed the importance of the

service to clients. This could be tweaked for even

better client outcomes and satisfaction. However,

we would be foolish to revolutionise our services

as they are already meeting the needs of our

clients.

Rachel Nicholson

Team Leader


Apprenticeship scheme extended

We are delighted to announce the extension of

our successful apprenticeship scheme. We

launched our first apprenticeship scheme in April

2014 when we recruited two Business

Administration and Customer Service apprentices

through Exeter College.

Steve Barriball, Chief Executive of Exeter

CAB, said: “Both apprentices have exceeded our

expectations. The experience for us has been a

very positive one. Jenny and Vicki have found

challenges in their first year, but they have met

these challenges head on and carried out their

work with enthusiasm and efficiency. We are

delighted to extend

these positions until

30th September

2016.”

CAB apprentice,

Jenny Guyers,

said: “I decided on

an apprenticeship as

a way to improve

my skills within the

workplace. The job advertised with the CAB was

the kind of role that I was looking to do and

offered the opportunity to get involved with all

aspects of the charity.

The job has given me confidence in carrying out a

wide variety of office work and taught me that life

is not always black and white.”

Vicki Tate, also a CAB apprentice, said:

“Wanting to move into something new in a fiercely

competitive job market was almost impossible for

me. I chose an apprenticeship as an opportunity

to start afresh and learn on the job in a

supportive

environment. For

me this seemed the

best way to go.

Working at Exeter

CAB has given me a

wealth of

experience. The

variety of roles has

allowed me to see

the many sides of

the charity and the

positive impact it has. I feel quite strongly about

remaining in the charitable sector where the work

I do can make a difference.”

Alex Yeo, from Exeter College said: “Taking

on an apprentice is a fantastic way for an

organisation to build and develop its workforce.

Vicki and Jenny were excellent students

throughout level 2, submitting high quality work

and demonstrating their skills and abilities in the

office environment. I am very pleased that they

were both so keen to move up to the level 3

Advanced Apprenticeship, which they have

recently started, and am confident that they will

continue to thrive in their roles and provide a

valuable contribution to the charity.”

Steve finished by saying: “We are very proud of

the impact that Jenny and Vicki have had on the

charity. This is why are delighted that we have

been able to take on a third apprentice in

October.”

Jenny Guyers

Vicki Tate


We have published our advice trend statistics for

September 2015.

Clients with urgent, or priority debts, owed an

average of £6,088.76 to their creditors, an

increase of 93%, or £2942.28 per client. Urgent

debts include things like mortgage, rent and council

tax. The increase in the amounts owed to urgent,

or priority, creditors is a real worry. Coupled with

increases in enquires about things such as housing

benefit, council tax arrears, and tax credits this is a

clear indication that for those in debt many are

struggling to keep up with essential costs such as

mortgage, rent and council tax payments.

We helped 30% more people; with 3781 people

helped directly with advice and information on 8455

individual problems since 1 April 2015. The amount

of advice that we have been able to provide

compared to last year, was as follows:

Welfare benefits

Overall, we dealt with 26% more welfare benefit

enquiries this year. The main increases being:

33.3% increase in enquiries about housing

benefit

30.4% increase in enquiries about tax credits

28.5% increase in enquiries about disability

benefits (PIP/DLA)

26.5% increase in enquiries about employment

and support allowance

Debt

Overall, we dealt with 9% fewer debt enquires this

year. The main changes being:

21.4% increase in enquiries about council tax

arrears

12.0% increase in enquiries about catalogue

and mail order debts

11.9% reduction in average client debt

amounts (£11,150.11)

36.2% reduction in enquires about bankruptcy

and debt relief orders

Employment

Overall, we dealt with 31% more employment

enquiries this year. The main changes being:

100.0% increase in enquiries about dispute

resolution

40.3% increase in enquiries about dismissal

26.4% increase in enquiries about pay and

entitlements

Housing

Overall, we dealt with 34% more housing enquiries

this year. The main changes being:

66.6% increase in enquiries about actual

homelessness

46.4% increase in enquiries about owner

occupier property

38.1% increase in enquiries about private

sector property

Exeter CAB Chief Executive Steve Barriball

said: “The growing economy needs to lead to a

more secure future for all:- whether people are

starting out as self-employed; a parent trying to

balance work with childcare or someone who is in

work but needs extra support. These are all features

contributing to other increases in client enquiries.

We need to see more action from the Government to

address failings in the benefits system, provide more

security for those in work, and provide additional

assistance to those struggling to get on the property

ladder; either as property owners or tenants.”

Steve continued: “Households need to be primed

and ready for a rise in interest rates. Many people

are just about managing financially which means

even a small interest rate rise can tip them over the

edge. Any rise in interest rates must be slow and

steady so people have time to adjust. Creditors can

help borrowers by explaining the impact a rise will

have and help them to prepare, as well as

recognising where they can be flexible to help people

keep afloat.”

Steve finished by saying:

“Our commitment is always to provide the advice

people need for the problems they face. However,

we can only continue to do this if we have the

necessary resources and we need to increase public

and business donations. Anyone wishing to support

our work can donate on-line by going to the

Donation Support section of our website

(www.exetercab.org.uk)”

Alternatively, donations can be made in person at

the Bureau offices on Dix’s Field in Exeter.

Advice trend statistics

Priority debts rise by £2942 per client

Start the New Year with a debt detox!


We are urging people to start the New Year

with good resolutions to manage their money.

Last year we dealt with almost 4500 new debt

problems, totaling more than £9.5m, the

equivalent of more than 80 new debt problems

every week. The figure is expected to remain

high into 2016.

Steve Barriball, Chief Executive, says

“People are paying a high price for being

ill-informed and lacking confidence when it

comes to crucial financial decisions. That debt

‘hangover’ from Christmas, coupled with the

impact of the increased cost of living, could

turn into a nightmare if people ignore it”.

Steve suggested the following ten top

tips for 2016:

1. Check that you are not missing out on

money that you should be getting in

benefits or tax credits, tax rebates or

allowances.

2. If you really need to consider taking out

a loan, make sure you shop around and

get the best deal. Look out for low

interest rates.

3. Be wary of consolidating your debts, get

advice and don’t put your home

unnecessarily at risk. Defaulting on a

loan secured against your home could

mean that you lose your home.

4. Plan to build up an emergency savings

fund by saving a regular amount each

month.

5. Shop around for the best savings rates

and check regularly that it is still the

best deal available.

6. Check out tax efficient ways to save

money like cash ISAs (Individual Savings

Account)

7. Be wary of low interest credit card

transfers. Check the terms and

conditions carefully.

8. You may be losing money by sticking

with your existing bank or energy

supplier; shop around, it‘s simple to

change.

9. Don't automatically renew your car,

holiday or house insurance without

comparing prices.

10. Start planning ahead for next Christmas

by setting a little aside each week and

save it in an interest bearing account,

such as a Credit Union or special

Christmas savings account

Steve continued, "All too often people come

to us when they've already reached crisis point

or can no longer cope with their problems. By

carrying out a regular financial overhaul and

taking some preventative measures many

problems could be averted before they

become crises. Traditionally people make New

Year’s resolutions to change bad habits - we're

urging people to do the same with their

finances."

For fact sheets on debt and money issues go

to www.citizensadvice.org.uk


The Devon Advice Service for Working Age Carers

(DASWAC) is a new project, funded by Devon

County Council, for people with caring

responsibilities who are of working age (between

18 and pension credit age).

The project offers a telephone advice service;

including better off calculations to help clients to

balance their working and caring commitments,

and benefit checks including help to claim, help

with form filling and challenging decisions.

The service is accessed through Devon Carers by

telephoning 08456 434435. A carer’s needs

assessment will be completed in order to be

referred to the service.

Case study

‘Martin’ was struggling to maintain his work with

his caring responsibilities. He had never claimed

any benefits and was caring for his mother who

had advanced dementia. Although she had

Attendance Allowance in place at the highest rate

‘Martin’ had no benefit income. He had a small

amount of savings that were dwindling which he

was using to ‘make ends meet’ each month. He

wanted to know if he could keep working but get

some help with the rent.

We talked about his options regarding reducing

his working hours and claiming Carer’s Allowance.

He said that he found it very useful to know that

this safety net was there but did not want to

reduce his working hours at this time as he was

very concerned about still being able to work once

he was no longer caring for his mother.

We also looked at Working Tax Credit and

Housing Benefit options and the impact Universal

Credit would have once this came into effect in

his area of Devon. He concluded that there was

just enough help available in terms of an

entitlement to small amounts of means tested

benefits to allow him to keep caring for his

mother and to keep doing the job he loved.

He was very relieved and grateful for the advice

and information, and said: “. . It will make such a

difference to my life to be able to get some help

with the rent so I can keep working while caring

for Mum.”

New service launched for working age carers

Healthwatch Devon Autumn newsletter

You can sign up for the Voices newsletter and

monthly e-bulletins from Healthwatch Devon at

www.healthwatchdevon.co.uk

Healthwatch is there to represent your views on

your health and care services.

The Autumn newsletter includes articles on end

of life care and 7 days service.

Healthwatch can be contacted on:

Telephone: 0800 520 0640

Email: [email protected]


Recent research from Citizens Advice highlighted

that as many as 1 in 3 people may know someone

who is suffering from domestic abuse, but that

many will not know how best to help.

On the back of this research Exeter Citizens

Advice is raising awareness of specialist helplines

people can call if they suspect someone they

know may be in an abusive relationship.

Friends and family can play a key role

encouraging victims to seek specialist help. In its

new report, A link in the chain available from

www.citizensadvice.org.uk Citizens Advice found

that most people in Britain do not feel equipped

to help someone who is suffering from domestic

abuse.

Findings from the report and a survey of over

2,000 British adults revealed:

Those with personal experience of domestic

abuse are over three times more likely to

say that their friends and family are aware

of the abuse (48%) than the police (14%).

Only 16% of British adults said no barriers

would discourage them from telling

somebody else about their concerns.

More than 1 in 3 people (36%) who have

personally experienced abuse didn’t tell

anyone else. Victims can be too afraid or

isolated to talk to others about their abuse.

Those suffering from domestic abuse may feel

unable to reach out for help themselves, so

people who want to support them need to know

the steps they can take and where they can get

specialist help.

We have joined the national Talk About Abuse

campaign so we can help everyone know how to

recognise abuse, talk about it safely and enable

victims to make the right decisions for

themselves. If you are experiencing domestic

violence or abuse, or you are concerned someone

you know might be in an abusive relationship,

you can seek help by calling the following

confidential freephone helplines.

If the victim is a woman

you can get help from the freephone, twenty-four

hour National Domestic Violence Helpline on

0808 2000 247

(run in partnership by Refuge and Women's Aid)

If the victim is a man

you can get help from the Men’s Advice Line on

0808 801 0327

In addition, if the victim is lesbian, gay,

bisexual or transgender

you can get specialised help from Broken Rainbow

on 0300 999 5428

Between 25th November and 10th December

Health Promotion Devon will be presenting a

collection of events that raise awareness of this

issue. You can go to:

https://16daysexeter.wordpress.com/ for more

details.

Exeter CAB Research and Campaigning Update

Citizens Advice report says friends and family can be a “lifeline to support” for victims of domestic abuse

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/policy/policy-research-topics/crime-and-justice-policy-research/a-link-in-the-chain-the-role-of-friends-and-family-in-tackling-domestic-abuse/

https://16daysexeter.wordpress.com/


Exeter CAB announces results of first economic well-being survey

We have released the results of our first economic

well-being survey. A summary of the results of

the survey, run in partnership with the Express

and Echo, Radio Exe, Exeter City Council and

Exeter Chamber of Commerce, can be found on

our website www.exetercab.org.uk

Ildiko Wood, who completed the survey,

said: " Being on fairly low wages (£15-17k per

annum), the higher Income Tax threshold in

recent years and lower inflation has helped a lot

and it's easier to get by; however it is only

'getting by', as long as nothing unexpected

happens. Unfortunately it is impossible to save

any money and plan for the future. You always

have to rely on loans or credit cards if you need

anything other than every day purchases; for

example home improvements, replacing a fridge,

servicing a car, vet bills. Not to mention luxury

items or holidays. "

Another survey respondent said: “As someone

who is self-employed, I have found it increasingly

difficult to find work after the age of 60 and as a

self-employed consultant. Companies and public

sector organisations are less and less able to buy

in expertise, and employment is even harder to

come by. My income has simply not kept pace

with the cost of living and it worries me and is

having an impact on my family relationships. I am

expected to work for another 3.5 years, but

cannot currently see how this is possible. I am

fortunate that my partner’s income offsets some

of the effect but I cannot see my son and

grandson very often as I cannot afford the travel.

I would prefer interest rates to stay low as

otherwise I will be faced with additional mortgage

costs on top of everything else.”

Another respondent said: "I work in the public

sector, at the lower end of the payscale, and my

wife works in care. We have seen our income

shrink in real terms for 6 of the last 7 years. As

such we have found it increasingly hard to get by

on what we earn. Constant belt-tightening will

only work for so long and it is becoming difficult

to see what we can do without next (and no, we

don't drink or smoke!) Our kids are approaching

the age where they will be hoping to go to

university; I'm terrified that we simply won't be

able to afford for

them to go.

Austerity hurts."

Exeter CAB Chief

Executive Steve

Barriball said: “The

overall picture is a

mixed one.

However, it is clear

that whilst things

are improving in

terms of income and

reduced expenditure

levels for some, for

others managing on

current income

levels remains a challenge. We intend running a

further survey in the New Year to gauge any

trends going forward.

Steve continued: “56% of respondents told

us they were worried about their financial

situation. Just over a third (34%) of

respondents had seen their incomes reduce

over the last six-months, with 32% seeing an

increase. Whilst over a third (38%) had seen

their expenditure increase, 23% reported a

reduction in expenditure. 41% of respondents

had no savings, whilst 40% had no debts. Of

those with debts the top three areas of

borrowing were loans and overdrafts (36%),

credit cards (33%), and loans from family or

friends (18%).”

Steve finished by saying: “In terms of job

satisfaction, 15% of respondents gave a score of

5 out of 5, with 9% scoring 1 out of 5. Overall,

some 84% of respondents were fairly happy or

better with their employment situation. 51% of

respondents had received a pay rise in the last

year, but more worryingly 30% had not received

a pay rise in the last two years.”

Please email contributions for the next newsletter to [email protected]

Advice Column


I’ve heard that pension reforms mean that I

can have full access to my pension pot when

I turn 55. How do I work out what I should

do with my pension savings?

The pension reforms that came in this April give

people the freedom to access their defined

contribution pension how and when they want.

You can buy an annuity, or take your pension out

in one go, or withdraw it bit by bit and leave some

of it invested. Planning for your retirement can be

complicated so it’s important to get guidance on

your options.

The good news is that the Government has

introduced Pension Wise, a free service offering

guidance online, over the phone with The

Pensions Advisory Service, or face to face with

Citizens Advice. The appointments are pre-booked

45 minute sessions tailored to your individual

circumstances. Guidance is impartial, meaning

that it will not recommend products or services,

but they will describe your options and help you

consider the impact.

To get the most out of Pension Wise guidance,

preparation is key. First, work out the value of

your pension pots. Look at your most recent

statement, or contact your provider. Check if

there are any restrictions attached. Next, get a

state pension forecast, and gather the details of

any benefits you receive.

The next step is to work out your likely

expenditure. Include the cost of essentials like

housing or utilities, and leisure activities. This

should give you a rough budget.

Ensure that you have this information available

for your Pension Wise appointment. Your guider

will help you think through your circumstances,

and discuss the options available to you.

For more information and advice go to

www.citizensadvice.org.uk or telephone the

Pension Wise team on 01752 502 695.

The information contained in these articles does

not constitute advice. Exeter Citizens Advice

Bureau accepts no liability for the information

published. Copyright Citizens Advice. For the most

up-to-date information, please visit

www.citizensadvice.org.uk

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