Simon Collyer
Wages Standstill Sees Over a Million Low-Income Families Struggle with Extreme Debt, Says TUC
More than a million families with a household income below £30,000 are in extreme debt, and ongoing wage stagnation is making the problem worse, according to a new report published today (Tuesday) by the TUC and UNISON. The report, Britain in the Red, finds that total unsecured debt (which excludes mortgages) for UK households rose by £48bn between 2012 and 2015 to reach £353bn. The report looks at how this debt is distributed, finding that millions of households are struggling with high repayment rates relative to their income: 3.2 million households are in ‘problem debt’ – defined as paying out more than 25% of their gross household income on unsecured debt repayments (3.2m is equivalent to 1 in 8 households.) 1.6 million households are in ‘extreme problem debt’ – defined as paying out more than 40% of their gross household income on unsecured debt repayments (1.6m is equivalent to 1 in 16 households.) Many low-income households are under particularly severe pressure. Of the 1.6 million households in extreme problem debt, it is estimated that 1.2 million have a household income below £30,000. For low-income households in employment, extreme problem debt is growing fast. In 2015 9% of low-income households in employment were in extreme problem debt, nearly doubling from 5% in 2014.
Working instead of coming in to the Jobcentre? You’ll get sanctioned!
You could not make this up if you tried. A Claimant sanction on Universal Credit for doing an extra days work and missing a meeting at Jobcentre Plus despite sending in a Mandatory Reconsideration letter from the employer. How is the employer expected to manage if they offer staff extra work, and this has to be turned down by the worker?
Andrew Dutton
forum member
Derbyshire Welfare Rights Service
Total Posts: 712
Joined: 12 October 2012
Client works part-time on UC.
Gets offered an extra day’s work, which clashes with a fixed JC+ meeting. Calls JC+, explains, all seems to be well.
Sanctioned for non-attendance.
Requests MR on 8/8/16 and sends letter from employer dated 12/8/16 proving he was at work on the day in question.
MRN 14/8/16 - no change to decision, says he has not produced evidence he was at work.
Apart from the sheer haste behind the issuing of the MRN, this is a decision that places attending JC+ appointments telling you how to get work over and above…. actually working.
What…...
A Frustrated ABC Member Speaks Out
A letter from a frustrated ABC member
Message: As I near (the old State Pension retir't age of 65yrs) circa Jun-2017 - I find myself and no doubt thousands of others in that 'crack' of losing out as the new Pension scheme hits home. I feel that whatever scheme you come into, i.e. into the employment sphere... getting a NI no. in 1967 (in fact recall that time you had to be on a register to do a Paper-round, circa 1964). on joining the NI scheme in 1967 - I stay on that scheme to Retir't Age (during that epoch was to 65). Its a 'Contract'... of all my working life I have possibly missed no-more than 2years in my reckoning and possible less than that, although mostly on JSA. I have, as many others - K's, paid between £2 and few shillings to £320+ a month into the NI Scheme. A 'pot' that has some worth over the 50 intervening years. Okay I've had a few operations (via NHS) but that's what an 'Insurance Policy' is for, is in not. And now having paid in for 50years - there had been leaches that have 'sucked' the Lion share out of the NI Scheme... we, end of the baby boomers that filled that 'Bank' will suffer this revised 'Contract'... is it a case for my Human Rights, to say 'pay me what I'm due...' the Accrual office have done a good job for the current Gov.uk in knowing the numbers and in cutting the social fund paid out to those that 'Paid In'.
Community Fridge Launched to Combat Food Waste
London's first community fridge is a public fridge where people can give spare food, and those who need food can take it. It's a food revolution, one fridge at a time!
It's a big fridge in the centre of Brixton where people and businesses can donate spare food, or food that would otherwise go to waste. Others can then go to the fridge to pick up what they want. There are community fridges across Spain, Germany and beyond.
People and businesses have spare, edible food. It can be hard to get that food to people who can use it. A community fridge provides a secure and open place where we can help stop food waste and food poverty. The project was started by residents, food activists, traders in Pop Brixton, market traders, a group of Londoners who hate food poverty and hate food waste.
The fridge is managed. Organizers make sure that the food in the fridge is within date and safe to eat and clean it. The fridge is open for all to contribute. If you want to get involved
Come along to Open Project Night, on every Monday from 6.30pm at Impact Hub Brixton. It's a free space for everyone interested in Lambeth.
Gender Pay Gap Still Wide Says IFS
According to the Institute of Fiscal Studies gender wage differentials remain substantial and are a hot topic in policy debate. Inequalities between men and women are clearly of direct interest in their own right. In addition, poverty is increasingly a problem of low pay rather than lack of employment. The proportion of people in paid work is at a record high, and female employment has risen especially quickly, particularly among lone parents. Two-thirds of children in poverty now live in a household with someone in paid work. In an age when the main challenge with respect to poverty alleviation is to boost incomes for those in work, and when so many more women are in work than in the past, understanding the gender wage gap is all the more important.
"If you’re a woman, you will earn less than a man." - From Theresa May’s first statement as Prime Minister
"Last year Britain was ranked 18th in the world for its gender pay gap ... We can and must do far better." - From Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign speech in July 2016
We Are Back
Good evening to all our audience. The ABC has been off-line for a few days subject to moving to our new web hosting home. We were previously being hosted by This is Fever who developed our website but we prefered to be hosted at a dedicated web hosting site Fasthost and they can give us the attention needed.
To be frank it was not the smoothest of moves and we had no notice our website was being moved hence why we gave people no notice. I hope now we can get on and make progress building up our directory.
We apologise to those who have missed us but hope we can catch up now and start moving forward again.
Monster Gets Sold
Job listing website Monster, which was an early pioneer in e-commerce and operates the Universal Jobsmatch website, has been bought for $429m (£330m). Monster developed the Universal Jobsmatch website at a cost of over £17 million and annual running charges of £6 Million. It was initially reported that the service only really showed zero hours contracts agency posts, was biased towards promoting part-time jobs and only about 3% of the jobs advertised were actually direct from an employer.
Randstad, the world's second largest staffing company, is buying the US firm in a bid to expand its presence in America.
Monster Worldwide, a dotcom-era survivor, also owns jobs.com and made $309m in revenue in the first half of the year.
The deal strengthens Dutch firm Randstad as it looks to take on rival employment agency Adecco, and comes just weeks after Microsoft agreed to buy networking website LinkedIn for $26bn.
No Desire to Retire?
No Desire to Retire have created the UK’s only free, dedicated online platform designed to release the potential of mature workers, with the capabilities and desire to work from the UK’s over 50’s, from a few hours a week to seasonal, part-time or full-time hours.
The promoters claim to have:
- Several thousand individual listings covering the UK
- Hundreds of employers now browsing the site
- National partnership with the Dept. of Work & Pensions
- A national brand footprint that is growing rapidly by the day
Steve Perry - Founder
Looking for work and 50+ this could be a good website operation to join: http://info.nodesiretoretire.com
Benefits Worker Is Held Over Claims She Tampered with Claims to Steal Money
We found this article in the Basildon and Canvey and Southend Echo Newspaper. We have yet to hear more however.
This is the article:
A BENEFITS officer and her son have been arrested over suspicions she tampered with claims to steal money.
Police turned up on the doorstep of a home on Broomfield Mews, Pitsea, yesterday morning as part of a criminal investigation at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).The officers were joined by department investigators.
The 48-year-old woman, who is understood to work as a benefits officer, was arrested at 6.15am on suspicion of theft by employee and an offence under the Misuse of Computers Act.
It is alleged that she gained unauthorised access to Government computers to commit further offences.
Police also arrested her son, a 20-year-old man from Basildon, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit theft.
They were both taken to Basildon police station for questioning while officers carried out a search of the home.
The pair remained in custody at the time the Echo went to print.
PC Marek Jaworski, from Basildon’s community policing team, carried out the arrest alongside colleague PC Jill Prophet.
He said: “The Department of Work and Pensions have carried out an internal investigation into a member of staff who was suspected of fiddling with benefit payments.
“Although it wasn’t our investigation, the reason why we were involved is because we have got the powers to arrest, search the property and seize any items of interest.
“Now that an arrest has been made, we have handed it back over to the Department for Work and Pensions and we have very limited involvement from now on.”
He said the operation, which was also attended by Basildon’s emergency response officers, went smoothly.
He said: “We arrived at the property in the early hours of the morning to ensure that the suspect would be at home.
“We knocked at the door and the woman inside was already up and let us in.
“Everybody was co-operative and we didn’t need to exercise any proper police powers.
“The only person who did make a fuss was the woman’s husband, he was not arrested.”
Article reproduced courtesy of the Echo Newspaper.
Digital Evolution Conferance
For all you professionals;
Digital Evolution: is Tinder Foundation’s annual conference for 2016 and will take place on Thursday 24 November at London’s BT Centre, just a stone’s throw away from St Paul’s.
This is the fifth year they have held their conference and they will be bringing together a range of community organisations, policy makers and corporate organisations working on digital inclusion activities, to talk about the huge impact that technology can have on tackling key social challenges in today’s society.
Tickets are priced at £115+VAT for Centre Partners and £140+VAT for others but our early bird tickets are available until Friday 16 September at the discounted price of £95+VAT for Centre Partners and £120+VAT for others.
WHEN
Thursday, 24 November 2016 from 10:00 to 16:30 (GMT) - Add to Calendar
WHERE
BT Centre - 81 Newgate Street, London, EC1A 7AJ
Executives
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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’.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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