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HAVERING -  Bespoke Building Futures programme delivered by joint venture partners Havering Council and Wates Residential.

Young unemployed adults in Havering have been given specialist training to help boost their employment prospects through the borough’s biggest regeneration project.

Eleven students from Havering graduated on 6th December from the first ‘Building Futures’ training programme held in the borough.

The free two-week training course included a site visit to the Napier and New Plymouth House development in Rainham to learn about the demolition process and gain hands-on experience of a construction site.

The graduation was celebrated with a certificate presentation ceremony.

It was also attended by Steve Beechey, Strategy Director and Managing Director of Government Affairs for the Wates Group, and members of Havering Council’s HaveringWorks team, who help people struggling to find employment.

Troy Short, 28, who was living in a homeless shelter in Havering, was amongst the graduates from the course. He described his experience:

“I’m so happy with the course. It was very in-depth and the tutor was amazing. It’s given me the opportunity to get back into work, get back on my feet and progress in life.

“Now I'm on an apprenticeship with a company called Kilnbridge. I'll be doing a three-year apprenticeship in demolition and once I've finished I'll have a full-time job with the company.”

Building Futures is a free two-week employment and construction skills training programme targeted at adults who are not in education, employment or training, helping them to gain valuable practical experience to reinvigorate their career prospects.

The programme incorporates personal development skills training, such as confidence-building and behavioural skills, as well as CV preparation, interview skills and taster sessions in various trades.

The programme also provides participants with the skills they need to complete the industry standard Provisional Construction Skill Certification Scheme (CSCS) test.

The programme comes as part of Havering Council’s partnership with Wates Residential to deliver more than 3,500 new homes over the next 12 to 15 years.

As part of the project, the joint venture partners are investing in further education, training and skills for local people to support their commitment to deliver a borough-wide legacy.

Steve Beechey, Group Strategy Director and Managing Director of Government Affairs for Wates Group, said:

“I’m really proud of the 11 students who celebrated their Building Futures graduation on Friday. It was great to chat with them and hear about what they learnt from the course. Having started my career as a construction site labourer, I was able to share my journey with the students to give them an insight into the huge range of opportunities on offer to build a successful long-term career in the industry.

“Bringing the Building Futures programme to the borough is just one of the ways our partnership with Havering Council is helping to deliver a lasting legacy for the local community, as well as thousands of high quality new homes. Wates runs this programme across the country but this was the first time a course was held in Havering. We wish today’s graduates every success and look forward to tracking their progress into further training or local employment.”

Leader of the Council, Councillor Damian White, said:

“The Building Futures programme is a shining example of how our regeneration projects can bring about real change for our residents, and strengthen communities in so many ways. Regeneration is about more than just building homes, it is about having a lasting positive influence on the people who live and work in our borough, which will continue for generations to come.

“I am thrilled for those who graduated from the course and have taken first steps into a bright future, and I would like to wish them the best of luck.”

Another of the unique training and employment initiatives that Havering Council and Wates Residential have recently supported in the borough is the Pop Up Business School. 

More than 80 residents took part in the free business course in May, aimed at helping potential entrepreneurs and small businesses kick-start their careers by boosting their confidence and providing a mix of practical workshops.

According to the Pop Up Business School, the new businesses will provide a £507,000 annual boost to the local economy through benefit savings and increased incomes.

The training course will therefore provide a lasting, positive impact on Havering.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR - We wish everyone a very Happy New Year. Let's hope that 2020 is better than 2019. 

HOMELESSNESS  - The number of households assessed by Local Authorities as either homeless or threatened with homelessness has increased by 11.4% from April to June 2018 to 68,170 this quarter. This includes 127,370 children were stuck in temporary accommodation between April and June - the most since spring 2006.

According to Shelter, 280,000 people will be homeless in England on Christmas Day – about one in every 200 of the total population. That stands at an increase of 23,000 since 2016. One in 107 children in Great Britain are currently living in temporary accommodation. There are approximately five homeless children for every school in the country. One in 24 children in London are homeless and living in temporary accommodation - that's equivalent to nearly 28 children per school or nursery.

Almost 13,000 homes have stood empty for at least 10 years, Lib Dems reveal

A Liberal Democrat investigation has revealed almost 13,000 homes have been left vacant for over 10 years despite devastating new government statistics which reveal 127,000 children face being homeless at New Year.

Former Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, has declared a "national emergency" and demanded urgent action to alleviate the housing crisis to ensure "every child has the security of a warm home."

The figures collated from over 300 local authorities, uncovered by Liberal Democrat freedom of information requests, also reveal there are a staggering 46,964 homes that have been empty for 5 years or more while there are 313,792 long-term empty homes [defined as over 6-months] across the country.

Some of the worst offending councils include Durham County Council, which has 682 homes that have been empty for over 10 years, with Rother and Manchester totalling 660 and 495 homes respectively.

However, the Liberal Democrat investigation revealed that only 21 councils - fewer than 1 in 10 councils - across the country have made use of Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMO) in the past five years. These are the powers used by local authorities to take over properties that have been empty for at least six months*.

As part of the party’s plan to alleviate the housing crisis, the Liberal Democrats are calling for legislation to allow local authorities to increase council tax by up to 500% where properties are being left vacant long-term. The revenues would then be used to build new homes for the community or to invest in local services.

Image: Homeless children on the increase. 

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NEW YEARS HONOURS - Iain Duncan Smith has been given a knighthood.

The former Tory minister would have faced a criminal investigation had Labour been voted in.

The deeply controversial benefits system has received much criticism and last week former Chancellor George Osbourne said that he never believed that Universal Credit would work. Univeral Credit which has yet to be rolled out to many claimants has led to widespread hardship a huge increase in homelessness andmuch worse. 

Earlier this year, a watchdog - the National Audit Office - revealed it would probe the government’s monitoring of suicides among benefit claimants after studies revealed links between self-inflicted deaths and the “complicated, dysfunctional and punitive” nature of Universal Credit.

Many people will feel sickened by this news and if anything it simply reduces the value of New Years Honours in many peoples eyes. 

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LEGAL – No one want to think about dying but sorting out your affairs while you are alive can save a whole lot of problems later. We hope you find this article useful advice.

The Problems with Wills That May Lead to Needing a Probate Lawyer

You might think that when someone has a will created, everything is organized, done and complete. However, after their passing, and depending on the specifics of their will (and the situation surrounding it), a probate dispute may arise later. At which point, it may be necessary to hire a legal expert who has specific experience dealing with probate matters.

In this article, we cover a few of the types of problems that may lead to requiring assistance from a probate lawyer.

Dealing with Trusts

There are different types of trusts where assets are held. This can protect assets in a variety of ways, but it also means that the planned disposal of assets will be less simple or quick to complete.

Trusts are not something that everyone is knowledgeable about. There is also more than one kind too. As a result, it’s not something that a layperson can understand easily. For these reasons, it makes sense to hire a probate lawyer to explain what the trust means and to represent your interests, where appropriate.

Rights of Inheritance

The situation with your rights of inheritance varies depending on your connection to someone who has passed away. If their will has been recently updated to include you, it might have created a situation where someone else objects to the probate and wishes to litigate a will because they feel they’re losing out.

In a situation where there’s a will but a dispute has arisen over rights of inheritance, it’s important to have someone in your corner who can explain what is going on. They will be able to cover who should be the beneficiaries of the final will and how someone else might successfully dispute it.

Guardianship

Guardianship may relate to a probate when it revolves around issues of the management of property interests. It’s occasionally possible that a guardian may represent someone’s interests in a probate situation too.

The subject of guardianship is complicated enough, but when it overlaps with probate, it may become a court matter. This could be the case when there’s a surviving child and both parents are deceased. Also, there could be issues both in terms of legal guardianship of the child and what to do about the assets of their parents too.

These types of situations absolutely require the assistance of a probate attorney, and preferably one who’s had some prior experience with guardianship-related cases.

Surviving Spouses and Homestead Rights

A surviving spouse living in the home (either jointly owned with the deceased or owned solely by the diseased) may end up dealing with the issue of surviving spouse rights. This can quickly become a complicated and sometimes contentious issue if there are multiple people making various claims as to rights for the estate, including the home.

There’s also the separate issue of homestead rights where there are debts to settle on behalf of the deceased out of the value of the estate but some parties wish to exempt property, like a family home, from certain creditors.

Ultimately, if you know someone who’s recently deceased and you’re in some way connected to the will or probate proceedings, then it’s usually sensible to seek legal representation.

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ECONOMY - The Resolution Foundation is an independent think-tank focused on improving living standards for those on low to middle incomes. What they have to say about the UK economy is interesting but over the pond in the US Ray Dalio CEO of the worlds largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, has been warning of a slow down following eleven years of debt (Quantitative Easing) fulled growth. 

This is what the Resolution Foundation have to say: 

The UK labour market is at a turning point, with next year set to see real pay finally surpass its 2008 peak but employment at risk of falling from the record level it enjoyed throughout 2019, according to the Resolution Foundation’s Earnings Outlook published today (Friday).
The Outlook notes that 2019 was a good year for the labour market. Despite the UK looks set to record its weakest year of GDP growth (1 per cent) outside of recessions since the war, it has delivered record employment levels (at 76.2 per cent) and the strongest nominal pay growth (peaking at 3.9 per cent in June) in over a decade.

The Foundation says that with the labour market amounting to the economy for most households, the big living standard question is whether its bullish run in 2019 can continue into next year given weak economic growth.

The Outlook warns that much of the economic data points to a weakening in the jobs market in 2020. It highlights three key warning signs:

Wary firms and worried workers. Business’ employment intentions went negative in 2019, while more than twice as many people expect unemployment to rise next year as did so back in 2017.

Declining vacancies. The number of vacancies – often a leading indicator for employment – has, while still high, been falling consistently for the past 10 months.

Youth job falls. Young people have volatile employment rates, which tend to follow the economic cycle more than most other groups. Worryingly, employment among 18-24 year olds has been falling in 2019.

By bringing together various key economic data (including GDP growth, vacancies, the exchange rate and output gap) in a statistical model, the Foundation’s analysis suggests that current weak GDP growth (on track to come in at 1 per cent for 2019) is consistent with falling employment in 2020.
On pay the Foundation notes that 2020 will be a symbolic year for the UK’s post-crisis economic history, with average pay packets finally set to surpass their April 2008 peak at the start of the year. This would bring a close to the UK’s unprecedented 11-year pay downturn, but the longer-term prospects for pay risk being held back by the continuing absence of productivity growth.

The Foundation argues that it is more likely than not that 2020 will see record pay, but a retreat from record employment as the labour market reaches a tipping point. It could however continue to defy expectations, and the chances of it doing so would be much higher if the return of rising business investment and productivity arrived with the new year. Ensuring they do should be the focus for policy makers.

Torsten Bell, Chief Executive at the Resolution Foundation, said:

“2019 was a bad year for the economy, which looks set to have recorded its weakest GDP growth outside of recessions since the war. However, the part of the economy that households really care about – the labour market – defied the economic gloom and delivered record employment and decent pay growth.
“As we look ahead to the new year, the crucial living standards question facing the country is whether the labour market can continue its bullish run into 2020.

“The future is an uncertain land, but our best guess is that 2020 will be very different from the last few years. We may well see a welcome return to record pay levels, but a less welcome retreat from record employment, with worrying signs including falling vacancies and rising youth unemployment.
“Policy makers focus on the underlying problem – an economy growing slowly because businesses aren’t investing. This received next to zero discussion during the election campaign but putting it centre stage should be a new year’s resolution for all of us.”

ABC Note. The Resolution Foundation have previosly said: The UK’s total wealth grew by 13 per cent to reach record £14.6 trillion in the two years to 2016-18, with wealth among the richest ten per cent households increasing almost four times faster than those of the poorest households (11 per cent vs 3 per cent), the Resolution Foundation has said recently.

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HOMELESS FUNDING - Following the nes that the government is putting in an extra £260 million for local authority homelessness services, Cllr David Renard, Local Government Association housing spokesman, said:  

“Today’s announcement shows that the Government has listened to our calls and continued to fund homelessness services. Behind every instance of homelessness lies an individual tragedy and councils want to work with the new government to prevent this from happening in the first place and support those affected.  

“Councils are doing all they can to tackle homelessness, providing temporary housing for over 84,000 households, including 126,000 children.   

“With greater funding and powers, such as the ability to keep all Right to Buy receipts and set discounts locally, councils can resume their role as historic builders of affordable homes and do just that.

“Restoring Local Housing Allowance rates to cover at least the lowest third of market rents when the current freeze ends in 2020 would also protect families in the private rented sector at risk of becoming homeless.”

Image: Homeless at Christmas. 

And:

A chronic shortage of affordable housing is forcing cash-strapped councils to spend more than £2 million a day on temporary accommodation for homeless families, analysis by the Local Government Association has reveraled. 

The LGA, which represents more than 350 councils in England and Wales, is calling on government to use this week's Spring Budget to free councils from borrowing limits hampering their ability to build new homes, and to adapt welfare reforms to protect families at risk of homelessness.

The number of affordable homes built in 2015/16 fell by 52 per cent and was the lowest number in 24 years. Just 6,554 social rented homes were built in the same year.

A steady decline in affordable housing and squeezes on household incomes has seen the number of households local authorities have been forced to place in temporary accommodation rise by 50 per cent since 2010.

Almost 75,000 households are currently living in temporary accommodation, including bed and breakfasts, hostels and private rented accommodation. This is bad for families and communities and expensive for councils.

This crisis is spreading nationwide. Since 2010, the use of temporary accommodation has gone up 44 per cent in London and 67 per cent across the rest of England.

LGA analysis reveals councils have been forced to spend £2.6 billion to house people in temporary accommodation in the past three years.

The LGA is also calling for a temporary lifting of the Local Housing Allowance freeze to help ensure the provision of accommodation for vulnerable families.

Lord Porter, LGA Chairman, said:

"Homelessness is spreading across all areas of the country. 

"Funding pressures are combining with a lack of affordable housing and private sector rents rising above household incomes to increase homelessness. It is also leaving many councils struggling to find suitable accommodation for those in need, particularly those who are young, vulnerable, or with families. 

"With councils continuing to face huge financial pressures, it is unsustainable for them to have to spend £2 million a day to house vulnerable people at the sharp end of our housing crisis. Councils would much rather invest this scarce resource in building new affordable homes and preventing homelessness happening in the first place.

"A renaissance in housebuilding by councils and a plan to reduce the squeeze on household incomes are both needed if we are to stand any chance of solving our housing crisis, reducing homelessness and the use of temporary accommodation, and sustainably reducing the housing benefit bill.

"Communities across the country need a new deal with the Chancellor that gives councils the ability to borrow to invest in housing and to keep 100 per cent of the receipts from any homes they sell to replace them and reinvest in building more of the genuinely affordable home they desperately need."

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HAPPY CHRISTMAS - To all our audience. It has been a very exciting year for ABC. 

We must especially thank Andrew Smith AAT qualified Professional of the Tax Hive Ltd www.thetaxhive.co.uk for knocking our books into shape and getting our year-end accounts done. I am very impressed by the dedication and commitment Andrew has shown to us. If you want a top-notch accountant at affordable prices, Andrew is the man to talk to. I am sure he will be going onto great things in 2020. 

I must also thank Mike Veeckmans, TRAVEEKA bvba in Belgium https://traveeka.be Mike is a Joomla software expert. Joomla is the backend software system for our website. Well done Mike and thanks for all your help. 

Very special thanks to Colchester IT, Nigel the boss, Jack and all the team: www.colchesterit.com Love the new set-up. Keep it going. 

Thank you also to the offices of Will Quince MP and all the work you have done. 

And to my family and the support they have provided. There are many others including RT TV who gave me the chance to appear twice and to BBC Essex and BBC Look East and the Colchester Gazette and Colchester Standard in particular for all the coverage.  

It has been a very eventful year and I am speaking in January at Springfield School and the Portsmouth Acadamy on January 24th as part of Aspirations Week. A talk called Human Potential helping school children navigate the world of work. Thank you to Portsmouth City Council, Economic Development Department for the opportunity.

Thank you to Carole Spiers, chair of the Institute of Stress Management Association (ISMA)  https://www.isma.org.uk for inviting us once again to their VIP conference. 

And thank you to One Stop Convenience store for our grant. We just need funding now for cameras and we will be close to kicking off Work TV. 

In September I took part in a visit to Japan on a writing trip to Wakura Onsen and Nowaza Onsen. A bit off track for the ABC, but a chance to see another culture. 

Image: Looking out to sea at Dolphin Smile Notojima Island, Japan. Tranquillity in a busy year. 

Japan is a wonderful country but it does make you appreciate what it is to be British. One could not imagine the Brexit debate occurring in Japan where there is a strong requirement to conform to group thinking. The Brits have our faults but we are a country that produces its share of strong-willed individuals. I am proud to be British despite the issues that almost threaten to tear us apart as a nation at times. 

I pay tribute to fellow Remainers and Brexitters and the battles we have had getting our points across on Facebook.

Our predictions - We have had eleven years of growth and that has seen growing employment across the Western World.

Quantitative easing has run its course and the government has stopped pumping liquidity into the financial system while taking money out of the real economy via austerity to stop inflation. Austerity is far from over but social security benefits have been so slashed it seems that there is little more that can be done without starting a revolution.

Image: We moved in May but we had no Internet for four months. Eventually we won our case at the ombudsman. Virgin Media have made some effort to make amends. 

Homelessness has skyrocketed as has child-poverty. The positive side of Brexit is that there will be no one else to blame. The EU bogeyman has been used as a scapegoat, when in fact many of their programs and initiatives are first class. We have seen the rise of populism this year and the strains caused by those that own assets gaining enormously from rising prices due to money being pumped into the economy, in comparison with those without assets who have become much poorer.

Populism will continue, and we predict as we will go into the downturn side of the economic cycle and this could become worse with social and political consequences. Whether the great new future promised by Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage emerges we will see. Will could see a bonfire of Human Rights, Workers Rights and Health and Safety legislation - well I am afraid that looks very likely. Article 20 of the ECHR guarantees one's rights to social security. What will happen when that's gone?

The NHS is already partly privatised and outrageous car parking prices are just one example of private funding. Boris Johnson will be under intense scrutiny. Brexit is a process not an event and with the EU treating the UK as competitors, not partners, negotiation will get a lot tougher. Trump may survive impeachment but we cannot guarantee a future president will be as accommodating in US/UK trade talks. We could be bombarded with cheap, chlorinated, nutrition free food, which could have long term health effects. Children of school age living in hostel accommodation will face a diet of cheap crap further opening the gap with those in public schools, for which for no expense is spared and taxes are still further cut for the rich and inheritance tax cuts allow the usual suspects born into wealth to continue to dominate the best jobs in our economy.

We might well see the departure of the Scots. If we believe in democracy then we must allow them a choice. Will our Royal Family become too much of a burden to be carried by a shrinking nation and will some adjustment be needed to provide a monarchy that fits modern times. The Queen and David Camerons offshore tax advising father were named in the Panama Papers, 11.5 million leaked documents from law firm Mossack Fonseca that detail financial and attorney-client information for more than 214,488 offshore entities. Trials are starting in January but this issue could go on for years. Further fuelling and highlighting the gap between the haves and have nots.

Image: There are many different was to make a living. This might be more of the unusual ones!

Global warming is the greatest threat of our times, yet there are still those who either indifferent or think that it is a hoax. Hello, come In.....do you read me....!!! 

It is a rum-old world out there right now. Consider investing in a bomb shelter, bullet-proof vest and a tin helmet, you might need it!!

Here at the ABC we wish you all the best. Have a very Happy Christmas.

Simon Collyer

Image: Simon Collyer on RT TV.  

BENEFIT CHANGES - The government is ending the Benefits freeze in 2020

For disabled people the Tories have promised to reduce the number of assessments needed.

The manifesto states: "As part of our efforts to empower and support disabled people, we will reduce the number of reassessments a disabled person must go through when a significant change in condition is unlikely – because you should not have to provide repeated proof of your disability in order to receive support."

More good news is the party also says it will publish a National Strategy for Disabled People before the end of 2020, which will outline ways of improving the benefits system for disabled claimants.

ABC Note, have you applied for a disabled persons railcard? Please click below: 

More than 600,000 people who claim disability benefit are poorer under the new system says figures from the Disability Benefits Consortium. Almost 50 per cent of those who moved to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) from the old system, Disability Living Allowance (DLA), are getting less money according to new figures. 350,000 former DLA claimants are now getting no payments at all since PIP launched in 2013. A further 306,000 have had payments substantially reduced. Three-quarters of appeals are found in favour of those appealing.

The ABC are members of the Disability Benefits Consortium. The Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC) is a national coalition of over 100 different charities and other organisations committed to working towards a fair benefits system.

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HOMELESS - Havering Council is working with community partners to ensure that nobody is left without a roof over their head over the festive period.

We love this video from the Hope4Havering organisation and the Catalysist Night Shelter.  “Making homelessness history in Havering” is our dream day the organisation.

This is the 8th Anniversary  of the Catalyst Nightshelter which has provided essential food and shelter to over 1240 men and women but also has housed 657 people.

Most cases of rough sleeping say the organisation are complex, with people needing more than just housing support. 

We wish them well here at the ABC HQ.

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