The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) works in partnership with award-winning charity Smart Works, a free interview preparation service for all unemployed women.

To be eligible women must have an arranged job interview. Their work coach can then refer them to the scheme.  At their appointment, women receive an outfit of high-quality clothing, free and theirs to keep, selected for them by 2 stylists. They then receive interview coaching with a senior HR or recruitment professional. All clothing is new or nearly new, donated by retailers and other women.

Image: Click on the above image to visit the website.

The service is available in:

• London (Islington and Ladbroke Grove)
• Edinburgh
• Reading
• Manchester (Stockport)
• Birmingham

The service will be available in Newcastle shortly. 

For more information email: Smart Works

One million employers across the UK have now enrolled their staff into a workplace pension, helping more than 9 million employees save towards a more financially secure retirement.

New figures, released by The Pensions Regulator, show that over 600,000 employers have complied with their automatic enrolment duties in the past year alone. The deadline is approaching for the remaining 150,000 employers, including new businesses set up since the government scheme was launched, to enrol their staff by June 2018.

The news coincides with a national government campaign which is encouraging people to Get to know your pension. The campaign reminds employers of their statutory obligations and encourages employees to get to know the benefits of saving into a work place pension.

DWP has launched a new Understanding Universal Credit website to help people find out what Universal Credit means for them.

It was created in response to requests from claimants and partner organisations for more information about Universal Credit.

The website provides information for:

• people who want to make a claim
• people who have already claimed
• organisations who advise people about Universal Credit

The website works alongside the Universal Credit guide, which people should continue to use to make a claim for Universal Credit.

The Understanding Universal Credit Website click here:  

The ongoing problems with the roll out of Universal Credit and the devolution of welfare powers to Scotland will be raised by the Scottish Parliament’s Social Security Committee when it hears from Rt Hon Esther McVey, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

The Committee’s meeting on Monday 16 April, which will see Esther McVey’s first appearance at Holyrood, takes place against a backdrop of the Scottish Parliament considering the Social Security Bill. A Bill which will see the devolution of 11 benefits and expenditure of £2.9 billion a year.

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. 'Mother inspired myself to take an interest in helping others at an early age and coached myself and sister Ruth to achieve much success in speech, drama and public speaking, winning festival honours and awards as juniors then teenagers'. 

Simon was later to race in the extremely competitive Olympic 470 sailing class, representing the UK at many major events. ‘Living by the water at Brightlingsea, Essex, it was inevitable that we would get involved in sailing at a young age’ says Simon. Brightlingsea Sailing Club has produced many champions in the sport including Olympic Gold Medallists, boatbuilder Reg White MBE and brother-in-law John Osborn in the, Olympic Tornado Catamaran Class.

'The ABC’s goal says Simon is to launch Work TV and we are working very hard to get grant money to enable us to do this' says Simon. The ABC are attracting some high-level support for this project, and the mood in the ABC camp is very upbeat.

Jacque’s obituary had had a lot of regional media coverage and coverage in the marine press points out the ABC. ‘I hope I can carry my mother’s legacy forward’ says Simon, ‘but it is a tough act to follow, she did so many good things in her life - I could not be prouder of her'. 

****   

Jacque Collyer-Smith - Obituary

Well known Brightlingsea resident, Jacque Collyer-Smith died on February 10^th 2018, following a short illness.   Jacque was for many years a local news correspondent for Brightlingsea, supplying the East Essex Gazette now the Clacton Gazette, Essex County Standard and East Anglian Daily Times with news stories and photographs.

Jacque served in the WRAF for six years, joining in 1943.  After the war she was part of the RAF keep fit display team performing at venues all over the country including the Royal Albert Hall.  She moved to Brightlingsea in 1951 with husband Edwin (Ginger) Collyer.  Jacque was widowed in 1966.

Through their mutual interest in sailing Jacque met Peter Smith and they were married in 1977 becoming Peter and Jacque Collyer-Smith. They were keen racing and then cruising sailors, members of Wivenhoe and Brightlingsea Sailing Clubs and the Colne Yacht Club. Their yacht ‘Lady Outlaw’ was well known around the Essex rivers. 

Jacque worked for many years in marine retail at the Boat Centre and L H Morgan and sons in Brightlingsea and Candor Marine in Colchester.  In 1990 Candor Marine was sold to Jacque and husband Peter, becoming Collyer-Smith Marine and Country.

In 1985 Jacque received the Deputy’s medal of merit for her role in organising the Christmas gift fund lunch and entertainment for people who have no company on Christmas Day. She was furthered honoured in 2014, marking her 50th year of active involvement with the Deputy's Christmas Gift Fund.  A silver bar was added to her ribbon, denoting a second Medal of Merit. In 1990 Peter and Jacque became the Deputy and Lady Deputy of Brightlingsea. During their Deputyship, Jacque started the ‘Ladies of the Liberty’ for wives and partners to become more involved with the Liberty of Brightlingsea. 

Jacque was a founding member of the Seaview Players acting in, producing and directing many of their productions. Her productions won many awards from the North East Essex Theatre Guild and at Felixstowe Festival.

Jacque Collyer-Smith is survived by husband Peter Collyer-Smith, son Simon Collyer, daughter Ruth Shah and granddaughters Kate and Lucy.  The funeral will take place on Friday 16th March 2018.

Image: Jacque Collyer-Smith (white jacket). 

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS

Friday 16^th March

11am Weeley Crematorium

2pm Service of Celebration, St James Church, Brightlingsea

Afterwards at the Brightlingsea Sailing Club

No need to wear black    Everyone Welcome

Donations to Deputy’s Christmas Gift Fund or

Brightlingsea Support Group for St Helena Hospice

c/o John J Smiths Funeral Services

1a Tower Street

Brightlingsea, Colchester

CO7 OAL

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 looks at the impact reforms from 2010 to 2018 will have on various groups across society in 2021 to 2022, suggests children will be hit the hardest as:

• an extra 1.5 million will be in poverty
• the child poverty rate for those in lone parent households will increase from 37% to over 62%
• households with three or more children will see particularly large losses of around £5,600

The report also finds:

• households with at least one disabled adult and a disabled child will lose over £6,500 a year, over 13% of their annual income

Bangladeshi households will lose around £4,400 a year, in comparison to ‘White’ households, or households with adults of differing ethnicity, which will only lose between £500 and £600 on average

• lone parents will lose an average of £5,250 a year, almost one-fifth of their annual income
• women will lose about £400 per year on average, while men will only lose £30

The negative impacts are largely driven by changes to the benefit system, in particular the freeze in working-age benefit rates, changes to disability benefits, and reductions in Universal Credit rates.

David Isaac, the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which is responsible for making recommendations to Government on the compatibility of policy and legislation with equality and human rights standards, said:

"It’s disappointing to discover that the reforms we have examined negatively affect the most disadvantaged in our society. It’s even more shocking that children – the future generation – will be the hardest hit and that so many will be condemned to start life in poverty. We cannot let this continue if we want a fairer Britain.

"We are keen to work together with government to achieve its vision of a Britain that works for everyone. To achieve this outcome it is essential that a full cumulative impact analysis is undertaken of all current and future tax and social security policies. We have proved it’s possible and urge the Government to follow our lead and work with us to deliver it.”

As well as calling on the Government to commit to undertaking cumulative impact assessments of all tax and social security policies, particularly in order to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty, the Commission is also reiterating its call for government to:

reconsider existing policies that are contributing to negative financial impacts for those who are most disadvantaged

review the level of welfare benefits to ensure that they provide an adequate standard of living

The announcement comes one week after the Commission submitted a report to the UN’s Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) highlighting that the UK’s social security system is inadequate.

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 Shelters cannot help people till they are homeless as a general rule.

The best place to contact, if you are at risk of being made homeless, is your local council. Often councils will have a presence in your local Library.

The food at Colchester Night Shelter was superb when I visited. Jamie Oliver would give it the thumbs up.

Above all do not panic, get upset or feel embarrassed. Lots of people are in the same boat and it is not drugs and alcohol that is the main reason for becoming homeless - splitting up with a partner is surprisingly a major cause of losing the roof over people’s heads. With 47% of UK marriages ending in divorce finding yourself without a partner and a place to live is not uncommon. 

We hope this advice helps.

Image: Courtesy of the Gazette Newspaper. 

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 automatically to all customers who currently receive the Fuel Allowance payment, including pensioners, lone parents, and those on disability and jobseekers payments.

Customers will receive their additional fuel payment via their usual payment method - at the Post Office or via electronic funds transfer into their bank or building society account. The payment will also be paid automatically to the 54,000 customers who have chosen to receive their Fuel Allowance in two lump sum payments – this is the first fuel season in which this lump sum option has been made available.

All eligible customers will receive the extra week's Fuel Allowance alongside their usual Social Welfare payment.

The Minister for Employment Affairs & Social Protection, Regina Doherty, T.D. announced that she was making the additional week's payment on Wednesday 28th February. The payment was processed last week and will be paid in full this week to all eligible customers.

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 

Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)

Ten Minute Rule Motion: Holocaust (Return of Cultural Objects) (Amendment) 

Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP (Chipping Barnet, Conservative)

Debate: Motions relating to Universal Credit, Children and Young Persons and Social Security

Adjournment: Hemel Hempstead urgent care centre 

Rt Hon Sir Mike Penning MP (Hemel Hempstead, Conservative)