News

Friday 16th March is the funeral of Jacque Collyer-Smith, mother of Simon Collyer, founder of the ABC.  'Mum was devoted to giving people opportunities and dedicated a great deal of her time to helping the local community' says Simon....

The Equality & Human Rights Commission report says that the UK’s social security system does not provide sufficient assistance to tackle inadequate living standards. One and a half million more children in poverty by 2022 The report, which...

The Colchester Emergency Night Shelter team are doing fine work and are considered a great local asset.    We were please to assist a young lady in danger of being made homeless today with some help from Colchester Night Shelter. Night Shel...

The Unpaid Work Experience (Prohibition) Bill has its committee stage, the first chance for line by line scrutiny, in the Lords on Tuesday 13 February. This is a private member's bill. A private member's bill is a type of public bill (that...

An extra week of Fuel Allowance of €22.50 will be paid to over 368,000 households this week (commencing Monday, 12th March), in respect of the week of severe weather from Monday 26th February to Friday 2nd March. The extra payment will be paid a...

A Blackpool couple struggling in an 11-month battle over disability payments say a High Court ruling could offer hope.  The court has said the Government was wrong to make changes to the controversial Personal Independence Payments last March to...

House of Commons Tuesday 13 March 2018 Meeting starts at 11.30am Agenda Oral questions: Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (including Topical Questions) Ministerial statement: Spring financial statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer&n...

Emmanuel Macron swept into power last year promising change, among them shaking up the French economy to kick-start growth and reduce a spiralling social welfare bill. At the end of 2017, the annual review of the Loi de Financement de la S&eacut...

Universal Credit was a good idea and that point is worth stressing. The initial idea for Universal Credit – one benefit that would combine many to make the social security system simpler for all who access it and simpler to administer – w...

Benefit changes coming into effect from 9 April are set to save around £2.5bn – the second biggest welfare saving in a single year since the crash – and will significantly squeeze incomes of ‘just about managing’ familie...