Tell MPs your experiences of financial help from your council

Former_MSE_Will · 16 October 2015 at 10:53AM

MPs in the Work and Pensions Committee are holding an inquiry into the local welfare safety net.

The inquiry is looking at what local help is available around the UK - including local council support schemes (previously the Social Fund), local Council Tax support and Discretionary Housing Payments - and how they interact with any national benefits systems.

We will send the responses to the following questions to the Committee, so please tell us your experiences.

Which council area do you live in?
What were the causes of you needing to apply to locally-run schemes?
How did you hear about the locally-run schemes?
What was the application process? (phone/ online/ face-to-face etc.)
What support was provided and did it meet your needs?
If you were turned down, what reason was given, and did you go anywhere else for alternative support?

Thanks in advance for your comments - I'll post updates on the MPs' inquiry in this thread, so be sure to check back or subscribe if you'd like to know the outcome.

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DomRavioli · 16 October 2015 at 6:00PM

Due to a DWP screw up, I attempted to apply for a local discretionary scheme. It was a nightmare. I ended up giving up in the end because of the absolute idiots running it (they didn't have a clue), the three lost applications (which were given in by hand, so they definitely received them), and their disgusting and discriminatory attitude to disabled people.

After 9 days of complete and utter incompetence, I managed to sort alternative arrangements out, thank god I did not have to continue with it as it would have had a significant worsening effect on my mental health.

darkrev · 21 October 2015 at 4:13AM

I was living in Lancaster, I was subjected to a domestic violence risk when an old partner with ptsd found out where I lived by accident. I did a house swap to another area totally. I got 4 days notice to move. I was on esa through illness and had no savings. I was told by my housing officer (social housing) about local council discretionary grants. I phoned a general number and was eventually put through to a really empathetic woman. I provided evidence of my circumstances and several quotes for removal companies. These were substantial quotes. I received the financial help from the council for my emergency leaving costs. Within the week, I will be eternally grateful, they may have saved my life.

Playing_with_Fire_2 · 21 October 2015 at 8:22AM

I volunteered with vulnerable people in Slough. The application process for crisis loans was so complicated that I'd have to call on behalf of them.

I was disappointed that they wouldn't accept calls from someone who knew they would have no money at the end of the week, they'd just say call back when you have no money, and it would then take three days to process, and you couldn't apply out of short business hours (10-4?) or on the weekend. Even if you called on Thursday saying you'd have no money on Friday evening, you'd have to wait until Monday to claim and next week to receive the payment. What kind of a crisis will wait a week?

The way that the conversation was conducted was horribly accusative, constantly reminding me that if I was lying I could go to prison.

The majority of the cases were due to problems with benefit payments. When explaining the delay the benefit recipients would be told to 'go and get a crisis loan', but then not be able to get one. The worst case was when someone had been unable to pay rent due to a delay in benefit payments, was about to be evicted, called for a crisis loan but was told that rent arrears weren't a reason for a crisis loan, so ended up living rough.

My experiences with crisis loans makes me understand why Wonga and the like are so successful. Slough council has helped their business immensely.

Red007 · 21 October 2015 at 11:43AM

I Live in London Borough of Hounslow
2 years ago just before Christmas my fridge freezer broke down, had no money or savings to buy another and couldn’t obtain credit due to poor history, was sent on a goose chase by DWP to find my local scheme which had replaced crisis loans/community care grants, eventually spoke to someone in the council who told me the scheme didn’t exist! Eventually tracked down an online application portal where I discovered councils and agencies didn’t have a duty to advertise the scheme (so as to reduce uptake and future budget allowances. Clever!) And submitted my claim for assistance there, no telephone number to call so wholly a waiting game for assistance, got a reply the next day saying it was being looked at and they would be in contact... 3 days later got a call saying i had qualified and they would send a voucher which could be used only at a local furniture project.. the voucher never arrived, 2 weeks later I had to go into my council to pick up the letter, then out of the 4 projects I called I could only get two separate units as they didn’t have one whole fridge freezer in stock, I then had to pay an extra £60 on top as the voucher issued didn’t even cover the cost for a fridge freezer from the project! So not only did I have no fridge freezer for 3 weeks, increasing meal costs and blowing my budget, I then had to spend more money to get an item I didn’t even want but desperately needed!
When id called to ask if I the voucher price limit could be increased or issued so I could buy a new appliance (which was what it eventually worked out had been totally spent) I was told no and I should be grateful I was getting any assistance and that I should get my GP to refer me to a food bank in the interim, and I could go to a local charity for hot meals!
The whole process was an absolute disgrace.

I then had to go through the whole endeavour again a year later when my cooker then broke the following Christmas! This time though I knew where to go online, and found some more information on my councils website actually explaining the process and scheme... however didn't have the same issue this time with the voucher not being enough to cover the cooker as the furniture project id found a cooker at was reasonably priced not over inflated like the others! However as they only provide refurbished appliances, I was unable to get a built in oven to suit my kitchen space, please for the voucher to be changed for a new appliance were again met with "you should be lucky you’re getting anything" I then had to request to get the council in to re-do the work surfaces and cupboards in my kitchen to accommodate the cooker, only to be told by the council that was not possible as it was not essential not important as I could get a counter oven for my worktop instead!
I ended up having to then sell the cooker id claimed from the furniture project and buy a second hand oven off eBay luckily locally for the same price... another two weeks of no hot meals.

I'm on prescribed medication which requires me to eat (surprisingly most people think those on benefits don’t deserve to eat!) and have allergies to food which leave me unable to eat what most people consider a normal diet... so going to a food bank would see me leaving with tinned veg and that’s about it! My GP laughed when I asked her to refer me to a food bank when I was in crisis and told me point blank it would be of no use to me, due to my dietary issues.
I ended up selling most of my household furniture to feed myself over Christmas and keep warm.
A year later vie only just replaced it through the good will and donations of my community via Freecycle.
I now look at my local authority as a further complete joke.
I don’t know what was worse... having the jobcentre man come round and check my fridge & cupboards for a crisis loan (for food after IS>ESA botch transition) 7 years ago or the rigmarole of hoops you have to jump through to get assistance now from your local authority?

I was thankful that I had some assistance, and have had the pleasure (sic) of previously claiming crisis loans/community care grants from DWP in the past due to having a great support worker who ensured I was aware of & helped get what i was entitled to, but honestly this new scheme... the whole process could have been a whole lot simpler and less demeaning if certain furniture projects weren't running a profit racket at vulnerable people’s expense, and the council behaved appropriately & monitored them effectively... But asking for anything being monitored or run properly in London Borough of Hounslow is asking for miracles.

paragon909 · 21 October 2015 at 8:51PM

Flickering_Ember wrote: »

For safety reasons, I will just say that this council was in the West of Scotland because I fled domestic violence. I had help from my support worker from Womens' Aid to apply for household items (not cash; you get the actual items) and got declined for flooring, curtains, a bed, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers for my new flat. I slept on the floor until I had enough money to buy a bed and I still don't have curtains, nor is there flooring in every room but it's OK. I'll get there!

I would appeal the decision or go to your MP.

It clearly states on the Welfare Funds (Scotland) Act 2015.

Use of welfare funds: assistance for short term need and community care

(1) A local authority may use its welfare fund only in order to provide occasional financial
or other assistance to or in respect of individuals for the purposes of—

(a) meeting, or helping to meet, an immediate short term need—
(i) arising out of an exceptional event or exceptional circumstances, and
(ii) that requires to be met to avoid a risk to the wellbeing of an individual, or
(b) enabling qualifying individuals to establish or maintain a settled home.

(2) “Qualifying individuals” means individuals who have been or, without the assistance,
might otherwise be—
(a) in prison, hospital, a residential care establishment or other institution, or
(b) homeless or otherwise living an unsettled way of life.

Going by what you said you had to go to womans aid to flee potential violence and an unsettled way of life. I think you would win a case against the council.

You can appeal 2 times, First review is seen by another member of staff, The 3rd appeal is seen by independant panel, But if I was you I would write a letter to your local MP, They will send a letter to the head of finance for the local council.

Mummytosix · 21 October 2015 at 9:23PM

London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham

Since my husband left our family a year and a half ago LBHF have been allowing me a Discrectionary Housing Payment of £379 per week to make up the difference between the LHA I am allowed and the actual cost of the rent in the four bed house myself and my six children occupy...... When I applied for the housing benefit a welfare officer visited me and suggested I apply for this

I did this immediately and they even backdated it to coincide with my LHA

Many thanks to LBHF , Andy Slaughter , Boris Johnson , etc

Former_MSE_Will · 11 November 2015 at 3:50PM

Thanks for you comments on this thread, everyone. We've read all of them and will be shortly sending them to the Committee. The Committee will start taking evidence from experts soon.

If you'd like to keep up-to-date with the Committee's work you can sign up for email alerts on their website (but this will include updates on their other work as well as this inquiry).

I'll also update this thread when the Committee make more information about this inquiry available.

If you'd like to continue the discussion, please do, but it won't be possible to forward further comments to the MPs.

UKParliament · 18 November 2015 at 12:16PM

Hi Everyone,

The Work and Pensions Committee held an evidence session today as part of their inquiry into the "local welfare safety net"— local authority-run discretionary welfare assistance, housing payment and Council Tax support schemes.

The Committee talked to:

Giles Peaker, Chair, Housing Law Practitioners Association
Dr Peter Kenway, Director, New Policy Institute
Paul Gray CB, Chair, Social Security Advisory Committee
Paul Howarth, Director, Welfare Reform Club
Rachael Badger, Head of Policy Research, Citizens Advice
David Holmes CBE, Chief Executive, Family Action
Francis McGee, Director of External Affairs, Stepchange Debt Charity
Joanna Kennedy, Chief Executive, Zacchaeus 2000 Trust

Watch

You are able to watch the session on Parliament TV

Purpose of the session

This is the first of two evidence sessions in the inquiry. The Committee hears from academic, legal and policy experts on the opportunities and risks of localised welfare schemes and the extent to which their discretionary nature is indicative of a "postcode lottery". Welfare rights, advice and support organisations provide evidence on how the schemes are delivered locally and the impacts on claimants.

UKParliament · 2 December 2015 at 10:14AM

The Work and Pensions Committee will examine the "local welfare safety net"-local authority-run discretionary welfare assistance, housing payment and Council Tax support schemes today from 9.30am.

The Committee will be hearing from:

Jill Farrar, Senior Team Manager, Blackpool Council
Councillor Paul McGlone, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Investment, Lambeth Council
Councillor John Fuller, Vice Chairman, Resources Panel, Local Government Association and Leader South Norfolk District Council
Marcus Jones MP. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Local Government)
Matthew Style, Director of Local Government Finance, Department for Communities and Local Government
Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform
Pete Searle, Director of Working Age, Department for Work and Pensions

Watch

You will be able to watch live or catch-up on Parliament TV.

UKParliament · 12 January 2016 at 10:27AM

The House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee's report on the local welfare safety net says central and local government must co-ordinate better to fill gaps in the welfare safety net and prevent severe hardship and destitution.

The Government must also act to protect people from unintended effects of national welfare reforms such as the Benefit Cap and the removal of the spare room subsidy (also known as "Bedroom Tax").

Read the report in full.

Committee findings

The Committee concludes that the expansion of local discretion, at a time of budgetary pressures and national welfare reforms, has given rise to concerns about a "postcode lottery" in relation to the coverage and adequacy of the safety net, particularly in England.

The Committee says:

Localisation risks blurring the lines of national and local responsibility, leading to confusion among vulnerable people about where to turn in a financial crisis: closer joint-working and sharing of national and local data must be prioritised
Time-limited Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are clearly inadequate protection for some groups of people the Government did not intend its welfare reforms to affect, but who cannot reasonably be expected to take steps to mitigate the effects. Such groups should be exempted
The DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) should strengthen and put onto a statutory footing its guidance in relation to Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) for disabled people
Central and local government should agree and implement an effective local government funding system which can cope with future economic downturns and protect services, including crisis welfare, in more deprived areas
The recently announced DCLG (Department for Communities and Local Government) review of local Council Tax support schemes should investigate, and if necessary recommend eradicating local authorities issuing court summonses, and instructing bailiffs, as a method of raising revenue
The lack of any cross-departmental evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of the welfare safety net in preventing severe hardship and destitution must be addressed: the Government must ensure that its reforms are working as intended to prevent vulnerable people falling into severe hardship and destitution

Committee's comments

Rt Hon Frank Field MP, Chair of the Committee, said:

"As the old saying goes, a stitch in time saves nine: emergencies that are not dealt with early will escalate. Some councils are doing great work and realising the potential of localised emergency welfare—tackling the underlying causes of their residents’ needs, where possible promoting self-sufficiency and ultimately saving public money.

But localisation of welfare is the most radical departure in welfare since the Attlee government laid down a minimum income throughout the entire country for what would otherwise be the destitute poor. Inevitably some local authorities are not yet achieving a national minimum. Local and central government must take joint responsibly for closing the gaps in the safety net and minimising both the human and financial costs. Welfare reforms such as the Benefit Cap and the Bedroom Tax, and an expansion of discretion in deciding who receives welfare, mean that the principle of a state-guaranteed minimum income to prevent hardship and destitution, which has been the cornerstone of our system certainly since the time of the Attlee government, is under threat."

Karen Buck MP, Committee Member, said:

"In effect the minimum amount of disposable income on which the State believes it reasonable and fair to expect the poorest in society to live has been significantly reduced. This risks vulnerable people falling through the safety net into severe hardship and destitution. The Government has an obligation to undertake a proper evaluation of the welfare safety net, and ensure that it affords reliable protection against financial crises, to which people on the lowest incomes are now more vulnerable."

Commenting on the report, Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Commons Communities and Government Select Committee said:

"I welcome the publication of the Work and Pensions Committee’s report on the local welfare safety net. This is very much in line with the conclusions of our reporting in the last Parliament, in particular our reports on Localisation issues in welfare reform and Implementation of welfare reform by local authorities. In these we welcomed the localisation dimension to welfare reforms and stressed the fact that local authorities have a valuable contribution to make in planning and targeting local welfare provision.

As the Work and Pensions Committee note, the move to 100% retention of business rates will be important for local welfare, and the Committee’s report is a helpful contribution to the inquiry into business rates that we announced before Christmas, which will examine all the implications of the proposed changes."

Tell MPs your experiences of financial help from your council

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