Simon Collyer
The ABC Writes to HRH Her Majesty the Queen About Evictions, Section 21, Peter Rachman and Boris Johnson
HRH HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN - Simon Collyer, ABC founder has written to the Queen regarding the ending of the 'eviction' protection period on August 23rd.
We will not repeat the whole of the letter which would be impolite, however this is part of it.
A section from the letter sent to the Queen:
Our organisation was one of several organisations lobbying the government and the Housing Minister to move the date when evictions could start against tenants behind with their rent (to August 23rd).
Half a million people could be at risk and Councils daily are being bombarded with calls from worried and desperate people - however, there are relatively few places available at affordable rents. People are staying put because of Covid-19 and house prices may be about to fall.
The rented housing shortage can be traced back to Mrs Thatcher selling off Council Housing stock at knock-down prices.
Additionally, a growing population and high immigration have caused issues along with the amount of available land. The last time I can think of when there was such a mismatch in supply and demand was in the late fifties. As my article from the ABC website (www.abcorg.net) enclosed points out, landlords like the notorious Peter Rachman emerged in that era.
We also pointed out:
While the Queen does not get involved in political debate, the Queen is one of the UK's largest landowners and is the unofficial head of the landed gentry. If there is a conflict between landowners and tenants then the Queen is by definition involved. We might hope she might talk informally about this issue in talks with the prime minister Boris Johnson. We explained what Section 21 is [where tenants can be evicted without any reason in a no-fault eviction when there is a fault) and the fact this odious legislation is still on the statute book.
The debate will be hotting up as this deadline approaches.
Image: Buckingham Palace.
ABC Comment, have your say below:
Back To Work For Many Predicted For August 1st
BACK TO WORK - Employers can bring staff back to the workplace if it is safe to do so from 1 August 2020. There has been a lot of confusion and mark wearing and whether staff will have to wear masks is not clear. The school holidays have kicked off and kids will not be back to school till Tuesday September 1st.
Face coverings are required to be worn in any shops, including food shops and supermarkets, but are not required in hospitality settings, including restaurants with table service, bars, and pubs.
Those who do not have to wear a mask on public transport include people with "any physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability", and would experience "severe distress" from doing so. This includes: if you are travelling with someone who requires lip-reading.
Image:Prime Minister Boris Johnson one described women wearing the burqa or burka as looking like ‘letterboxes.
ABC Comment, have your say below:
Government Funding for Tenancies for Vulnerable People Announced
HOMELESSNESS - This morning, Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has announced a £266 million package to support vulnerable people into long term accommodation.
The funding is part of the Next Steps Accommodation Programme which has been created to cover property costs and support new tenancies for homeless people and rough sleepers, who were provided with accommodation during the lockdown period.
From today, Local Authorities and London Boroughs can apply for the funding which is expected to support around 15,000 people.
The following types of short-term accommodation will be considered eligible for funding under the programme. Funding can be used for both the provision of new accommodation and the extension of existing accommodation:
- • Accommodation owned by a university, RP or private landlord and available for interim use.
- • PRS Access. This includes guaranteed rent or deposit schemes, mediation support and training, or landlord incentives.
- • Supported Housing. Additional support can be offered to enable access to supported accommodation or social housing.
- • Modular housing units where these can be made available with necessary facilities, including power and waste connections. These can usually be placed with temporary planning permission.
- • Hotels. This includes funding to extend contracts, where this is the only or best solution to keep people in safe accommodation.
- • Other forms of short-term accommodation to ensure that no one returns to the streets. Bidders are encouraged to be creative in their proposed response to reflect the expressed needs of individual rough sleepers.
- • Employment support and training either to access work directly or to improve individuals’ employability.
- • Reconnections with friends and family, including local, national and international reconnections.
- • Other forms of immediate support including tenancy sustainment support and immigration advice.
The closing date for applications from local authorities is Thursday 20 August.
ABC Note: The problem is not just funding, the problem is that Boris Johnson has failed to rescind Section 21 which means that landlords can evict tenants without any reason and it is being used by unscrupulous and unethical landlords to avoid paying for repairs.
Additionally, 55% of all families do not have savings and the 5.2 million people who have signed on Universal Credit have to go through a waiting period before they start seeing any money. They can take a loan called an 'Advance' but that reduces their monthly payment. Masses of people are facing job losses this autumn, it is estimated that two million people are threatened by redundancy when the government Furlough schemes end in October. Some 45,000 people face eviction following August 23rd and the end of the moratorium on evictions. These are the hardworking families, the government talks about so much, citizens who have not intentionally done anything wrong.
There are just too many people chasing too few properties. Many flats are being let almost immediately and although that discrimination against tenants on welfare is illegal in practice, in reality, the practise is widespread. The property market has slumped, people are not moving, and many people are still in lockdown.
In New York, the moratorium on evictions was set at a year. This time frame seems far more realistic. It will take time for the first wave of deadly COVID-19 to pass through the economy. We may see a second wave in the autumn. The virus is very much present in the community. What caused the massive deaths of the influenza pandemic in 1918 was that troops were moving around after World War One. The Spanish flu, also known as the 1918 flu pandemic, lasted from February 1918 to April 1920, it infected 500 million people–about a third of the world's population at the time–in four successive waves.
This does not seem to be the right moment to force tenants from the accommodation they have where they know their situation and their neighbours and their health, moving into potentially crowded shared accommodation with strangers. We need to keep as many of the public in their existing accommodation as possible. This may upset profit-seeking landlords, upset that arrears have occurred, however, we must think of the greater good of society and the health of our nation. We need people ready to work as soon as possible and to pay taxes, to repay the fantastic public sector borrowing that is being taken on currently. We need a new army of entrepreneurs to build businesses to replace those lost, and to replace all the lost jobs. You need a stable environment to succeed in self-employment. You cannot build a business if you are forced to keep changing addresses. You have to focus. Your small initial profits would be drained-off, like your personal energy, by moving accommodation again and again.
The ABC has written to the Housing Minister, DWP Minister and Colchester MP Will Quince, and we are writing to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
In the late 1950s in the third term of the Conservative government, a notorious landlord set the byword for band landlordism, Peter Rachman. Rachman became notorious for his exploitation of his tenants, with the word "Rachmanism" entering the Oxford English Dictionary as a synonym for the exploitation and intimidation of tenants. The shortage of properties was caused by the Blitz and the baby boom. Rachman was a criminal landlord - he was a small fish, in reality, however, he became a scapegoat to take away attention from much bigger landlords higher up the chain. A public outcry brought an end to landlords like these. Peter Rachman died in 1962 (aged 43) having lost his property empire and the Macmillan government was finally defeated in 1964.
Boris Johnson has moved the Conservative government leftwards, but he will find himself balanced between the narrow interests of Tory landlords - who occupy the Tory front bench and Tory-supporting buy-to-let landlords balanced against the greater good of the community who are bearing the brunt of the pandemic. These are the people who will have to pay back all the money the government is currently borrowing.
The PM could lose his footing over this issue and it will be a great ball for Labour to pick up as they have objected in the past to private landlordism and the fact there is a Class of people who live off others without contributing anything much to GDP. We may see policies that turn buy-to-let landlords into an endangered species. That the letting housing section will become the domain of social landlords who will treat their tenants responsibly and have...very importantly, stakeholders to report to. The days of the lone private landlord acting like a medieval Baron, dispensing his or her justice at will with limited accountability, may become a thing of the past. This approaching housing crisis may prove to be the catalyst for change in society, and perhaps even a change in government.
ABC Comment has your say below.
Simon on BBC Radio Discussing Masks
BBC EAST - Simon Collyer appeared just after 9.00am this morning (21/07/2020) with Sonia Watson on BBC Essex Breakfast Show discussing 'masks' and the costs for those on low incomes.
We appeared with Julian Hoez a French citizen currently living in the UK.
Julian is the interim Managing Director of Brussels-based think tank Vocal Europe.
Audio Clip courtesy of the BBC
ABC Comment, have your say below:
PLEASE CLICK BELOW:
Simon Collyer to Appear on the BBC Essex Tuesday 21st
BBC ESSEX - ABC Founder Simon Collyer is appearing on the BBC Essex radio breakfast show with presenter Sonia Watson on the 21/07/2020 talking about COVID-19 masks and the cost/benefits to those managing on benefits.
We do hope you can join us on BBC Essex - so please do tune in.
Simon's slot is after 09.05 am. Plenty of time for the morning cuppa.
Image: BBC Breakfast presenter Sonia Watson.
ABC Note: Sonia Watson presents the breakfast show on BBC Essex with Ben Fryer. Join us they say, 6-10 weekdays.
ABC Comment, have your say below:
Universal Credit Applications Telephone Waiting Times
UNIVERSAL CREDIT CALL WAITING TIMES - According to DWP Minister Will Quince:
Individuals making a Universal Credit declaration from 16 March to 23 June stood at 3.2 million (3,240,570)
The Average Speed of Answer for calls to Universal Credit in each week from 6th January 2020 is shown below in the format of hours:minutes:seconds.
Week Commencing -
06/01/2020 0:04:00
13/01/2020 0:03:34
20/01/2020 0:03:06
27/01/2020 0:02:14
03/02/2020 0:03:37
10/02/2020 0:03:31
17/02/2020 0:03:46
24/02/2020 0:02:56
02/03/2020 0:03:12
09/03/2020 0:03:34
16/03/2020 0:16:52
23/03/2020 0:43:08
30/03/2020 0:44:01
06/04/2020 0:29:32
13/04/2020 0:15:17
20/04/2020 0:23:05
27/04/2020 0:21:42
04/05/2020 0:10:30
11/05/2020 0:07:24
18/05/2020 0:04:30
25/05/2020 0:06:20
01/06/2020 0:02:35
08/06/2020 0:01:50
15/06/2020 0:01:44
22/06/2020 0:02:38
29/06/2020 0:03:54
Has this been your experience?
ABC Comment, have your say below:
Cadburys Shrinkflation Takes a Bite Out Of Your Budget
ECONOMICS - The purchasing power of money is falling due to what is called 'Shrinkflation'. Products shrink in size and your money buys less content. Cadburys are shrinking their chocolate bars yet charging the same price.
The Rule of 72 is a simple way to determine how long an investment will take to double given a fixed annual rate of interest. By dividing 72 by the annual rate of return, investors obtain a rough estimate of how many years it will take for the initial investment to duplicate itself. It works the other way. Divide the rate of inflation by 72 and it tells you the time it will take in years for inflation to halve the purchasing power of money.
All money is borrowed into existence. The amount of money in the economy equals the amount of goods and services sold. The Chancellor has borrowed 100 billion to fund the COVID-19 issues but that increases the money supply. There will be a lot of downward pressure on prices due to a recession but expect to see the value of money and what it will purchase fall. Intelligent investors are putting money into art, collectables, gold and silver.
At least a pint of beer has not shrunk.
ABC Comment, have your say below:
Australian Unemployment Hits Record
AUSTRALIA - The unemployment rate in Australia as at its highest level in 22 years.
Almost 1 million Australians (or 7.4% of the workforce) did not have a job in June. Many more are under-employed – working fewer hours than before.
The Covid-19 lockdown in Melbourne will damped any hope of a quick recovery.
The term 'Aussie Battler' is very appropriate in a country nicknamed 'the lucky country'.
ABC Comment, have your say below:
Unemployment Statistics Under Fire From the Resolution Foundation Think Tank
GOVERNMENT STATISTICS - The Resolution Foundation a noted think tank has been questioning the government's unemployment statistics. At the ABC we have long had doubts about the quality of statistics produced by the Office of National Statistics and whether or not they provide a true picture of unemployment in the economy. The way the UK reports unemployment may not reflect the "true scale of joblessness", says a think tank.
Unemployment statiscs are prepared based on international rules, however, governments and organisations like the European Union may all have the same agenda of making things seem more positive than they are.
These are the key findings of the Resolution Centre.
The Claimant Count measure of unemployment is currently overstating the level of and changes in those genuinely unemployed and claiming unemployment-related benefits, for two reasons. First, the crisis occurred in the middle of the roll-out of Universal Credit (UC), and has dramatically increased the pace of that roll-out. The replacement of legacy benefits by UC leads to more people being captured in the Claimant Count, including those who would have previously only claimed Child Tax Credits and Housing Benefit, and claimants awaiting a health assessment.
Second, and more importantly, the easement of the usual work-search conditions and contact between claimants and work coaches between March and June means that many new UC recipients have not had their work status accurately updated as quickly as they otherwise would. This is particularly important in light of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (JRS), with some furloughed workers making an out-of-work UC claim that would have placed them in the Claimant Count, before they knew they were furloughed.
Analysis of timely longitudinal survey data suggests that at least 27 per cent (400,000), and likely many more, of the 1.6 million Claimant Count rise between March and May is accounted for by those still working, furloughed workers, or Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant recipients. While some of these people will ultimately be thought of as unemployed, it is far from clear that all should be right now. We estimate that only 45 per cent of the recent Claimant Count rise (700,000 claimants) relates to those newly out of work and not receiving other government support via the JRS or SEISS.
In contrast to the overestimate provided by the Claimant Count, the International Labour Organisation measure of unemployment in April will have underestimated any increase in unemployment. This is because the hard lockdown period, and the collapse in vacancies it caused, meant that many people who did not have a job during April, or who lost self-employed work, did not make an effort to look for new work. This is reflected in the fact that while unemployment did not budge, economic inactivity rose by 425,000 in the month to April, driven by those inactive for reasons other than the usual ones, and those who say they want a job.
It would therefore be more sensible to use the employment rate as the key indicator of the state of the labour market. But key employment measures are also failing to provide a complete picture of the state of the labour market and the amount of productive work being done. The headline employment measure includes people who are temporarily not working (the proportion of employees in this group has risen from around 7 per cent before lockdown to just under three-in-ten in the five weeks after lockdown began), while Pay As You Earn (PAYE) data misses out the self-employed, and includes employees who are not working but are being paid (including furloughed workers).
To gain a complete insight into the amount of productive work actually being done, we need to turn to additional indicators published by the ONS. These include the average and total hours worked in a week by those who are in employment (average hours fell by 23 per cent between early March and the last week in April), and the proportion of workers employed and not temporarily away from work.
ABC Comment, have your say below:
DWP Aligns Universal Credit Housing Payments Following Court Ruling
DWP RENT PAYMENTS - Universal Credit systems will be changed so that social landlords receive direct rent payments on the same day that tenants are paid the rest of their benefits from next month, the government has announced.
Tenants struggling with paying their rent can have payments paid direct to their landlord. These direct payments known as an alternative payment are paid on a four-weekly cycle, while the claimants living amount is paid monthly.
A new “payment alignment feature” will mean the direct rent payments switch to a monthly cycle coinciding with people’s Universal Credit payment dates, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said.
Welfare delivery minister Will Quince said the feature “will help reduce time spent on administration by landlords”.
ABC comment, have your say below:
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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