Latest Articles By Simon Collyer

COUNCIL INNOVATION - The lowest income households in South Ribble will no longer have to pay a minimum council tax contribution. Currently, at least £3.50 per week is deducted from the incomes of certain benefit claimants in the district – but&n...

DWP NEWS - Local Housing Allowance: Rates to Rise. Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates will rise with inflation from April 2020. There are around 1.4 million people in the private rental sector receiving Local Housing Allowance, and this change will...

COLCHESTER - Banner Theatre, presents a Powerful New Show About The NHS  - 'FREE FOR ALL' 'Free For All' is a 999 Call for the NHS! Powerful songs, dynamic music, unique video footage and moving storytelling. A tribute to a health serv...

BBC - The BBC Money Box programme has been highlighting the long weighting time for complaints to be decided by the Department of Work and Pensions. This can be as long as eighteen months to have cases adjudicated, and in some cases as long as four y...

FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION - We were approached by a US organisation that wants to highlight the issue of explotation and discrimination by retailers, manufacturers finance and credit card companies.  The Pink Tax: How Women Pay More for Pink....

HOMELESSNESS - We came across this case from the Local Government Ombudsman.  A pregnant woman, who approached Tower Hamlets council for help when she was made homeless, was left in an unfurnished flat, miles from her support network, the Local...

LANDLORDS UPDATE - The Understanding Universal Credit website now includes a Universal Credit Housing queries routeway. This provides guidance on how to resolve landlord queries about Universal Credit, plus links to online information and teleph...

BREXIT PENSIONS - Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, UK state pensioners living in the European Economic Area or Switzerland by 31 December 2020 will have their pensions uprated every year for as long as they continue to live there. Th...

SOCIAL CARE - Barry Balderstone, 75, suffered from a range of medical conditions including ulcerative colitis, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, double incontinence and chronic kidney disease. He was deemed not ill enough to qualify for free,...

CROYDON - A man who rented a flat illegally to private tenants in Croydon is set to be added to a national database of rogue landlords after he and two connected companies were prosecuted and fined. Gausan Limited, its director Hakki Parlak and...