Simon Collyer
Street League Annual Report
We thought we would include an image of Booby Moore. 'Two World Wars and One World Cup....' well enough of that! Today we love our german friends!
However more seriously if you are interested in how football helps young people get a job, we have attatched the Street League Annual Report.
Street League is the UK’s leading sport for employment charity. At Street League you play sport everyday and learn the key skills to move into work.
With youth unemployment such an issue here is a great intiative.
Incidently the ABC have been invited to this year's Youth Friendly Employer Awards. The Award the cerimony is on the 24th November 2016 Rockingham Forest Hotel, Corby Northamptonshire.
'Be their or be square' as 'Adam Ant' would say.
Click here to go to the report:
New Benefit Cap Comes In - Poor Squeezed as Inflation Will Drive Up Prices
The benefit cap has been reduced from £26,000 a year to £20,000 a year in the UK - except in Greater London where the limit is set at £23,000 a year.
Chancellor George Osborne's Budget in July last year included £12bn in welfare cuts.
This is a record £1.503 trillion - the total outstanding lending topped one and a half trillion by the end of September.
- £1,036 - the growth in private debt, including mortgages, for every UK adult.
- 1.656 million - the number of people classed as unemployed between June and August.
- £4,090 - the growth in public sector net borrowing every second in September
- £20.5 billion - The gross mortgage lending in September
- 1%- the lowest English annual regional rent increase in the North East
- £3,252The average amount households with mortgages pay in interest over a year
People in the UK owed £1.503 trillion at the end of September 2016. This is up from £1.451 trillion at the end of September 2015 – an extra £1036.58 per UK adult.
The average total debt per household – including mortgages – was £55,683 in September. The revised figure for August was £55,523.
Per adult in the UK that’s an average debt of £29,770 in September – around 113.7% of average earnings. This is slightly up from a revised £29,685 a month earlier.
Based on September 2016 trends, the UK’s total interest repayments on personal debt over a 12-month period would have been £51.135 billion.
That’s an average of £140 million per day.
This means that households in the UK would have paid an average of £1,894 in annual interest repayments. Per person that’s £1,013 – 3.87% of average earnings.
Per the Office for Budget Responsibility’s July 2015 forecast, household debt is predicted to reach £2.551 trillion in Q1 2021. This makes the average household debt £94,481 (if the number of households in the UK remained the same between now and q1 2021).
Total credit card debt in September 2016 was £65.7bn. Per household this is £2,434 – for a credit card bearing the average interest, it would take 25 years and 6 months to repay if you made only the minimum repayment each month.
The minimum repayment in the first month would be £58 but reduces each month. If you paid £58 every month, the debt would be cleared in around 5 years and 4 months.
Total net lending to individuals by UK banks and building societies rose by £4.7 billion in September 2016 – or £157 per day.
Net mortgage lending rose by £3.1 billion in the month; net consumer credit lending rose by £1.5 Billion.
In Q2 itself they wrote off £504 million (of which £285 million was credit card debt) amounting to a daily write-off, of £5.54 million.
Citizens Advice Bureaux across England and Wales dealt with 598,747 new enquiries in the three months between April and June 2016.
Debt was the second largest advice category (behind benefits) with 371,000 issues. This unchanged on the same period last year. Debt issues represented 26% of all problems dealt with over the period.
2,102 Consumer County Court judgments (CCJs) are issued every day, with an average value of £2,030.
48 mortgage possession claims and 34 mortgage possession orders are made every day. 370 landlord possession claims and 306 landlord possession orders are made every day.
Figures kind courtesy of the Money Charity.
Tories Underplay Sanctions Impact
Tory MSP Adam Tomkins embarrassed himself during a Holyrood debate this week, stating that welfare sanctions “affect only a tiny number of claimants”. He cited widely discredited figures from the Department for Work and Pensions which significantly underplay the number of ESA and JSA claimants who have been sanctioned.
Academic experts have described the way that the DWP compiles its figures, which only capture a month-by-month snapshot, as a “gross and systematic misrepresentation” which suppress the full scale of how claimants are being penalised.
Motherwell and Wishaw MSP Clare Adamson, who spoke in Wednesday’s debate on welfare conditionality, has called on the Scottish Tories to “brush up” on their facts ahead of future Holyrood debates on social security and to pledge to ditch the discredited DWP figures when discussing benefits sanctions.
Image: MSP Clare Adamson.
Video Below MSP Clare Adamson in action.
Please download the letter from the UK Statistics Authority critisizing the DWP.
DWP Postal Sites and Jobcentre Plus Contact Details
This document downloadable below lists Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) offices that have new postal addresses, including jobcentres and benefit centres. DWP postal addresses are changing because they are modernising the way they receive and process post.
To contact Jobcentre Plus by phone or find your nearest jobcentre, go to:
To make a new Claim
Call Jobcentre Plus to make a new claim for a benefit.
Jobcentre Plus
Telephone: 0800 055 6688
Textphone: 0800 023 4888
Welsh language: 0800 012 1888
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Find out about call charges
You can also claim Jobseeker’s Allowance online.
Alternative formats
Call Jobcentre Plus to ask for alternative formats, such as braille, large print or audio CD.
Existing benefit claims
Call the appropriate number for your benefit to:
- discuss a claim you’ve made
- tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about a change in your circumstances, for example if you start working or your income changes
You’ll need your National Insurance number when you call any of these numbers.
Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance
Telephone: 0345 608 8545
Textphone: 0345 608 8551
Welsh language: 0345 600 3018
Find out about call charges
Universal Credit
Telephone: 0345 600 0723
Textphone: 0345 600 0743
Welsh language: 0345 600 3018
Find out about call charges
Social Fund
Telephone: 0345 603 6967
Textphone: 0345 608 8553
Welsh language: 0345 608 8756
Find out about call charges
Maternity Allowance
Telephone: 0345 608 8610
Textphone: 0345 608 8553
Welsh language: 0345 608 8674
Find out about call charges
Bereavement benefits
Telephone: 0345 608 8601
Textphone: 0345 608 8551
Welsh language: 0345 608 8772
Find out about call charges
To change or cancel an appointment
Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
Universal Credit appointments
Telephone: 0345 600 0723
Textphone: 0345 600 0743
Welsh language: 0345 600 3018
Find out about call charges
Other appointments
Telephone: 0345 604 3719
Textphone: 0345 608 8551
Welsh language: 0345 604 4248
Find out about call charges
Information courtesy of the DWP
DWP postal sites can be downloaded below:
Family of David Clapson Lodge Formal Demand For Inquest
David Clapson, a former British soldier died after his benefits were sanctioned. His family has formally requested an inquest into his death.
Lawyers for Gill Thompson, David’s sister, have lodged official papers with the Hertfordshire Coroner on Friday. This was on the basis this was an unnatural death.
After David died in July 2013, the coroner turned down further investigation and an inquest, ruling that his death was due to natural causes. But, backed by the Daily Mirror newspaper, Mrs Thompson has fought for three years for a public investigation an initiative supported by the public with a crowd funding campaign.
Leigh Day law firm says there is a “strong public interest” in a fresh investigation because “a benefit sanction arguably played a contributing or causative factor in the death”.
David Clapson, was a former Lance Corporal in the Royal Signals. David died in July 2013 from fatal diabetic ketoacidosis caused by a severe lack of insulin.
This was because he had been unable to keep his insulin at the correct temperature because – following a benefit sanction following two missed appointments – he had no money to turn on his fridge. The post-mortem found that his stomach was completely empty.
The image are the family with Debbie Abrahams MP.
Debbie was a member of the Work & Pensions Select Committee from June 2011-March 2015, where she led the call for an independent inquiry into the Government’s punitive New Sanctions Regime. She was re-elected as a member of the Work and Pensions Committee in July 2015 until her appointment as Shadow Minister for Disabled People in September 2015.
Debbie is passionate about tackling inequalities and has campaigned extensively for a fairer society, setting up the Oldham Fairness Commission to deliver this in her own constituency.
Key facts from the Diability Benefits Service
- When the Department for Work and Pensions sanctioned him for a month, stopping his £71.70 Job Seekers Allowance, he was left unable to afford to top up his electricity key and unable to afford food.
- In a letter to David’s MP, the DWP stated they were “aware Mr Clapson was insulin dependent”.
- In 2014, Mrs Thompson started a petition with Change.org that gained over 200,000 signatures which helped to secure a Parliamentary Select Committee Inquiry in March 2015. However, the Government rejected the Select Committee recommendation that the number of peer reviews into deaths of persons subject to a sanction be made public.
- The Government also rejected Ms Thompson’s calls for an Independent Review into David’s death and the deaths of others in similar circumstances and of an independent body to conduct more reviews into the deaths of those in receipt of ‘working-age’ benefits.
Image: RIP David Clapson, a victim of cruel benefit sanctions and misguided DWP policies.
Leigh Day is a specialist law firm with some of the country's leading personal injury, product liability, clinical negligence, employment and discrimination, international and human rights teams. Please click on the image to go to their website:
National Pensioners Convention Gives Reaction to Work And Pensions Committee Report Into Intergenerational Fairness
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention has issued the following response to the Work and Pensions Committee’s report and recommendations into Intergenerational Fairness:
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said on intergenerational fairness and housing: “Whilst the report makes it clear that no single generation has stolen the future of their successors, there is little doubt that today’s pensioners are still being blamed for the problems faced by today’s younger generations. This phoney conflict is being used as a smokescreen in order to cut back on the welfare state. The housing crisis hasn’t been caused by pensioners, but because in Britain we sold off council houses, we haven’t been building enough affordable homes, wages and employment are low and insecure and an economy built on house-price inflation simply cannot be sustained. This is what needs to be addressed.”
On the state pension triple lock: “The committee wants to scrap the triple lock after 2020, and effectively go back to what we had prior to 2010 because they say it costs too much, but next April the state pension will rise by just £3 a week based on a 2.5% increase. In a country that is supposed to have the sixth strongest economy in the world, are we really saying that we cannot afford to give pensioners a £3 a week increase? Future generations are going to become ever more reliant on the state pension for their income in retirement – but if we scrap the triple lock the state pension will wither on the vine like it did in the 1980s and they will be left with nothing.”
On the winter fuel allowance: “Last winter, a staggering 43,900 older people died from cold related illnesses. Energy bills continue to rise, and spells of prolonged cold weather and poor housing stock mean that older people are particularly vulnerable. When it was first introduced, the winter fuel allowance covered around a third of the average fuel bill. Now it hardly covers an eighth. But the real reason why we have so many additional benefits for pensioners is because our state pension is so low. It currently ranks as 32nd out of 34 OECD countries. Cutting the winter fuel allowance might save money, but it will make the problem of winter deaths worse.”
The Finalists of The Youth Friendly Employer Awards Are Announced
Youth Employment UK have been overwhelmed by the number and quality of this year's applicants for the Youth Friendly Employer Awards. The organizing team want to thank all of the organisations who took the time to enter.
The Award cerimony is on the 24th November 2016 Rockingham Forest Hotel, Corby Northamptonshire.
- Small Employers: MyKindaFuture, Humanutopia and The William Cecil
- Medium Employers: Aspire sports, Fidler and Pepper Solicitors and Positive Outcomes
- Large Employers: Hertfordshire Council, Agilisys and IFDS Group
“Recruiting, training and retaining young people in employment are key issues for many organisations. In contrast, young people remain to be one of the groups most "at risk" of unemployment. Impetus PEF produced a report this year that identified that nearly 1.3 million 16-24 year olds will experience some time NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training).
There are a plethora of changes taking place at policy level and the future employment landscape is unclear. With that uncertainty now is a time when educators, employers, youth organisations and training providers must come together to ensure that the right thing is being done to help all young people progress.
The third Youth Friendly Employment Conference will be taking a look at the key characteristics of "Youth Friendly" organisations. Through a series of workshops we will explore with both young people and employers how delegate organisations can identify ways in which their business can better support young people.”
Key Outcomes
- * Understand the employment challenges facing the most vulnerable groups
- * Better awareness of the barriers facing young people and
- * Understand how organisations can develop employment practice to tackle these barriers and support more young people
- * Share best practice and learnings with a range of organisations from different sectors
- * Policy insights
- * Exhibition and networking opportunities to broker stronger links
Positive Outcomes are our Headline Sponsors. And with a name like that involved the event ought to go well.
Below you can find an agenda:
Germany's Unemployment Rate Lowest on Record Since 1991
Germany's unemployment rate dropped (DW) to 5.8 percent in October, the lowest on record since 1991.
The federal labor office reported shortages of skilled workers and 691,000 job vacancies in the country.
BREXIT High Court Ruling
The BREXIT High Court Ruling was correct and even Nigel Farage agreed. However, there are a lot of other issues that are being rather overlooked? Arguing the 'will of the people must be respected' rather overlooks the fact that neither Wales or Scotland wants to leave the EU.
Commenting on the High Court ruling, Steffan Lewis AM, Plaid Cymru Brexit spokesperson, said:
“The High Court’s judgement is to be welcomed. However, Parliament should not be able to trigger Article 50 unilaterally, without the consent of the devolved legislatures. The four nations of the UK each voted differently in the referendum, each must have a voice in the Brexit negotiations.
“Leaving the EU will affect many devolved issues and will impact each nation differently. Wales, unlike the rest of the UK, is a net exporter of goods, meaning that retaining tariff and regulatory barrier free access to the single market is of upmost importance to our economy. The National Assembly for Wales must have the ability to withhold consent, if the final Brexit deal will be bad for Wales.
“When the public voted to leave the EU, they did not vote on a white paper that spelt out what exactly that meant. The terms of Brexit are still to be negotiated. Plaid Cymru respects the result of the referendum, but will not give our support to a Brexit that damages Wales’ economy and weakens our communities. We will continue to fight to retain our single market membership, because it is the way to get the best outcome for Wales’ public services, our businesses, farms, and communities.”
David Cameron and George Osbourne, saw the referendum as a means of resolving conflicts in the Tory Party, and as such they have opened a complete can of worms. With the pound having dramatically fallen and prices shooting up, many people will be having second thoughts as prices rise and working people feel the pinch still further in 2017. A General Election would be welcome indeed. Many people used BREXIT to vent their frustration against the government and that was the wrong reason to vote leave.
A General Election is needed to clear the air and to give whichever party that leads the country a clear mandate to go forward.
Jobcentre Plus Phoneline Update
The Jobcentre Plus phoneline has been malfunctioning. Claimants using the system dialling in on 0845 604 3719 numbers, which are still being advertised on Google against individual JCP office addresses - claimants are being abruptly cut off after a lengthy trip around the telephone system.
0345 604 3719 - is the new main Jobcentre Plus number to use.
In line with many Government Departments, the Jobcentre Enquiry Line Customer Service line has been moved from an 0845 Number to an 0345 Telephone Number.
This change is in line with recent policy changes around cutting usage costs to benefit claimants when calling to report a change of Circumstances to the Jobcentre Enquiry Line section or when they simply want to chase the progress of an application.
It is worth noting that whilst 0345 Numbers are not technically ‘free’ they are treated in the same way as telephone numbers beginning 01 and 02 and as such will be taken from your inclusive minutes if you are calling from a mobile.
This guide gives an idea of mobile phone charges however we suggest you contact your provider to check if this is the correct tariff.
Mobile Network | Price Per Minute |
0345 Call Charges 3 (three) | 3p per minute |
0345 Call Charges Allpay Mobile | 15p per minute |
0345 Call Charges ASDA Mobile | 8p per minute |
0345 Call Charges C Mobile | 14p per minute |
0345 Call Charges Delight Mobile | 3p per minute |
0345 Call Charges Econet | 10p Per Minute |
0345 Call Charges Freedomtalk | 8p per minute |
0345 Call Charges iCard Mobile | 8p per minute |
0345 Call Charges Lomo Mobile | 10p per minute |
0345 Call Charges LycaMobile | 15p per minute |
0345 Call Charges OVIVO Mobile | 8p Per Minute |
0345 Call Charges Sainsbury’s | 8p per minute |
0345 Call Charges Smart Pinoy | 10p per minute |
0345 Call Charges TalkMobile Essentials | 8p per minute |
0345 Call Charges Talkxtra | 7p per minute |
0345 Call Charges Tello | 3p Per Minute |
0345 Call Charges Tesco Lite | 8p per minute |
0345 Call Charges The People’s Operator | 12.5p per minute |
0345 Call Charges T-Mobile | 30p per minute |
0345 Call Charges Tru | 36p per minute |
0345 Call Charges Victory Mobile | 4p Per Minute |
0345 Call Charges Virgin Mobile Simply | 8p per minute |
0345 Call Charges Vodafone | 30p per minute |
0345 Call Costs AfriMobile | 10p per minute |
0345 Call Costs Banana Mobile | 14p Per Minute |
0345 Call Costs Dialog Vizz | 9p per minute |
0345 Call Costs DiDa Mobile | 10p per minute |
0345 Call Costs Donate Mobile | 20p per minute |
0345 Call Costs EE | 30p per minute |
0345 Call Costs Family Mobile | 8p per minute |
0345 Call Costs Giffgaff | 10p per minute |
0345 Call Costs GT Mobile | 3p per minute |
0345 Call Costs Kontakt Mobile | 9p per minute |
0345 Call Costs Lebara Mobile | 19p per minute |
0345 Call Costs Now Mobile | 10p per minute |
0345 Call Costs O2 | 35p per minute |
0345 Call Costs Orange | 35p per minute |
0345 Call Costs RSPCA Mobile | 14p per minute |
0345 Call Costs Simple Call Mobile | 4p per minute |
0345 Call Costs Talk Home Mobile | 10p per minute |
0345 Call Costs TalkMobile Rewards | 25p per minute |
0345 Call Costs Tesco Mobile | 25p per minute |
0345 Call Costs The Co-operative Mobile | 8p per minute |
0345 Call Costs Vectone | 15p per minute |
0345 Call Costs Virgin Mobile | 26p per minute |
0345 Call Costs White Mobile | 6p per minute |
0345 Call Costs Wildlife Mobile | 18p per minute |
The figures are estimates only please contact your provider for the latest information.
Executives
-
Simon Collyer
Position: Founder & Director
Simon Collyer hails from Brightlingsea in Essex, a small town on the coast between Colchester & Clacton. Simon worked very successfully in the leisure marine industry in the UK and in Australia. Later in London Simon worked in the web development and publishing fields, founding a below-the-line sales promotion agency in the early nineties and then later a software company Red Banner in South Africa (2002-06). Here in South Africa, Simon became interested in the Third Sector and starting his own organisation.
-
Christopher Johnson
Position: Bookkeeping and Administration
Chris lived in Oxford for twenty years, having been educated at Magdalen College School. Chris sought a career with British Rail and spent twenty years in railway retail management ending with Virgin Trains at Euston Station. Christopher retrained in bookkeeping and accounts in 2000 and now works for Chelmsford Community Transport.
A strong, enthusiastic team player with a meticulous eye for detail, Christopher brings a range of skills to the ABC.
Team
-
Frances Rimmer
Position: Researcher
When not charming snakes Frances is a Modern History student at the University of Essex, focusing specifically on social history. The lives and experiences of the ordinary person rather than on politics or the military. Outside of her studies, Frances enjoys film and writing. As a keen roller skater who plays roller derby with the Kent Roller Girls, Frances secret wish would be to become a skating instructor and open her own rink, as she has always wanted to help people in some way, and feels it would be great to do so while also sharing her passion with like-minded people.
-
Stuart Meyers
Position: Researcher
Stuart Meyer, is a final year American Studies student at the University of Essex. Stuart focussed his academic life on global justice and the rights of migrants. Additionally Stuart has a passion for writing, both creatively and with the aim of providing accessible information to those who need it most Stuart has made a great contribution to our library of Advice Guides demonstrating his versatility by writing intelligently on a wide range of topics.
-
Louis Jones
Position: Film Maker
Louis is a 19 year old TV and film student studying at Colchester Institute. Along with hand-picked fellow students, Louis made the ‘Membership’ video that can be seen on the ABC website. Louis volunteers at, Hospital Radio Colchester, as a football commentator. A true fan of the ‘Great Game’ Louis insights have been sought after on occasions by key local media, the Colchester Daily Gazette & even BBC Essex.
-
Marcus Pierpont
Position: Film Director
Talented student film maker, Marcus Pierpoint, directed the ABC 'Membership' film which can be seen on the organizations website. Marcus has recently graduated from a BTEC course, studying Creative Media Production at Colchester Institute and he claims a true passion for films and filmmaking. Marcus also enjoys radio work and volunteers at the local hospital radio station, producing and presenting his own show. Marcus is enrolled at the University of Greenwich, and dreams of a career in the media industry.
-
Shane Mitchell
Position: Film Maker
Shane Mitchell, is another Colchester Institute Film and TV student that aspirers to be a Director of Photography in the future. Shane was the camera operator for the ABC Membership video, fun to make says Shane but it is also work he is very proud of. Shane loves all things ‘film’ and he makes videos even in his spare time.
-
Joe Corlett
Position: Film Director
Ex-student script writer/director, Joe Corlett, directed the ABC's corporate video (About Us) which is now viewable on the main website. Joe graduated from the Colchester Institute with a BTEC diploma in the field of media. Joe is passionate towards film making and hopes to continue making more that are constructed form his own material. On the side he's loves being out jogging in all terrains and when not out side he's writing scripts for future projects. Joe is now out in the world ready to start his life goal of working in the Media industry.
-
Jon Taylor
Position: Film Maker
Jonathan Taylor has been working in the media sector for 3 years and for our filming projects he worked as the production manager. John worked on graphical elements of our film, About Us for example, rendering images and making them look good on screen.
Jon is also experienced in animation and he made the logo and animation sequences in the ABC corporate videos.
Part of Jon’s brief was to also organise the administration side of filming, known collectively to admin experts the world over as ‘the paperwork’.
-
Thomas Hearn
Position: Film Maker
Thomas Hearn, has been involved in media, for about three years. Tom likes to work a lot at a computer, particularly the editing suite. For the ABC project, Tom worked on the edit itself; created and pieced together both the footage and the music, Tom created the visual elements of the ABC ‘About Us’ video and put most of the visual effects on the video.
I think we can agree that along with the rest of our youthful student team; Tom has done a very fine job indeed.
-
Max Gillard
Position: Film Maker
The last of our film team Max Gillard has recently finished college studying Creative Media Level 3 and Max hopes to continue the course on to University to someday gain a job in the media industry.
We wish Max the best of luck.
-
Harry
Position: Film Maker
My name is Harry Genge and I am an aspiring film maker. I have skills in the majority of film orientated jobs, though I am most interested in the creative roles such: Directing, Director of Photography and Writing. In my spare time I make short films, write, read, draw/paint and take the dog out for long walks.
-
Ned
Position: Producers
My name is Ned Woodcraft and I’m an aspiring Producer. As well as completing a diploma in media production I have also had a number of jobs in the professional market. I’m also a keen sailor and water sport enthusiast.
-
Brandon
Position: Producer
My name is Brandon and I’m an aspiring producer and actor. I enjoy bringing a production together with planning and preparations to create a great finished product. My hobbies also include street magic and bass playing.
-
Callum
Position: Writer and Director
My name is Callum Olive and I’m an aspiring writer and director. I’m always looking for a new project and love writing new stories and screenplays at home and on the move. My hobbies include playing the piano and street magic.
-
Joanie DeMuro
Joanie joined ABC team in early 2017. She was one of six student volunteers from the University of Essex in that cohort. The student team focused on a range of projects, including creation of Wikipedia page,‘training manual’ and most importantly, researching and adding entries to the website directory of organisations that assist the unwaged, or those on low incomes. “This placement was very helpful - thanks for the opportunity Simon.”
-
Cherry Lam
Cherry Lam has been volunteering for ABC for one month. Although it is a short period of time, she knows a lot more about the running of a charity organisation. Cherry is responsible for adding directories to the organisation website according to categories. Joining this placement helped her improving skills and gaining new experiences. Cherry says is extremely appreciative of the support she has received from ABC which allowed her to improve skills.
Join
FREE
Here