Our impact and social value in Amber Valley 2017/18 Thank you so much for your help... now I can start to get my life back on track. X,XXX3,028 18,960 peoplepeople problems helpedhelped tackled Our work in Amber Valley £4.4X,XXX million £2.4X,XXX million peoplesecured in peopledebt benefits and rescheduled helped helped grants or written off Welcome and introduction We are proud to celebrate another successful year for Citizens Advice Derbyshire Districts. We have helped more people than ever, and dealt with more issues. We have seen over 10% more people than last year, following on from the redesign of our Telephone Adviceline and extending reach and services into more communities. It has also been an award winning year for us, with much to celebrate: • First prize winners in the national Energy Impact Awards • National Volunteer of the Year - one of our team was awarded this honour by Citizens Advice, chosen from 23,000 volunteers across the service • Our energy advice was recognised in the Houses of Parliament with our lead officer receiving a Heat Hero Award Our communities will be facing more challenges over the coming year, as we see Universal Credit rolled out across Derbyshire. We are working in partnership across Amber Valley to help ensure people are able to get the support that they need. The work we do wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of our volunteers and staff, and the support of our funders. We look forward to helping even more people in our communities in the coming year. Chief Officer Chloe Doxey Our clients... Citizens Advice clients are almost five times more likely to live in poverty than the average member of the UK population. Our work in Amber Valley serves some of the most economic and socially challenged wards in Derbyshire. Clients by gender 60% Female 40% Male 51% of people we have helped in Amber Valley have a disability or long-term health condition. Clients by age 24% of people with a disability or long term health condition disclosed having mental health issues. We are finally in receipt of the combination of benefits we’re entitled to which has given us a new quality of life, we are sincerely grateful for your patience and support. We helped Lucy to claim Disability Living Allowance for her daughter and identified Lucy could claim Working Tax Credits including an extra disabled child element. The Working Tax Credits enabled Lucy to move into work, provide financial security for her family and improve her own mental wellbeing. The extra income for Lucy’s daughter would allow her to pay for activities which her daughter enjoyed. Amber Valley in detail... In the last year we have: dealt with handled tackled over assisted with 9926 2376 527 issues 686 enquiries queries relating to relationship relating to about PIP and Council Tax and family Benefits, Tax queries 1770 Arrears issues Credits and UC about ESA Melissa had recently been diagnosed with a serious spinal cord condition . It was causing constant spasms which affected her mobility. Melissa had worked all her life and had been financially independent. She had been medically retired from work and was now worried that she would not be able to continue to live independently, manage her household budget, and afford her rent and bills. We completed a thorough benefit check for Melissa. We identified that she was entitled to Employment and Support Allowance and assisted her to make a successful claim. Our adviser discussed with Melissa the impact of her health issues and the difficulties she experienced day to day. We established entitlement to, and provided advice on, Personal Independence Payment which is a benefit for help with daily living and mobility needs. Again, we assisted Melissa with a successful claim. The benefit check identified additional entitlement to Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support and benefit premiums which we helped Melissa claim. We helped Melissa contact Call Derbyshire to request an assessment of her social care needs, help from support workers and aids and appliances that would enable her to remain independent for as long as possible in her own home. An appointment was arranged with our energy adviser who helped Melissa identify cheaper tariffs for her gas and electricity and obtain a reduction of her water bill. Accessing our advice and support Melissa’s financial future is now more secure with an annual financial gain of £22,677.72 enabling her to live independently. 157 people came to us We helped 135 people to 168 people needed for advice about divorce address their rent arrears our help to access and separation community care Issues Ward % tackled Ripley 1765 9% We have continued working with Severn Langley Mill and Aldercar 1368 7% Trent Water to give reduced rates to Alfreton 1276 7% households which don’t have much Ironville and Riddings 1263 7% money left at the end of the month. Heanor West 1227 7% Each customer can save up to £297 on Heanor East 1093 6% their bills. Heanor and Loscoe 1090 6% Kilburn, Denby and Holbrook 1072 6% Total savings for Ripley and Marehay 1086 6% residents last year Somercotes 1052 6% were more than £170,000. Belper Central 860 5% Shipley Park, Horsley and 796 4% Horsley Woodhouse People Belper East 785 4% Ward % Belper South 770 4% helped Codnor and Waingroves 723 4% Ripley 252 9% Heage and Ambergate 648 3% Langley Mill and Aldercar 235 8% Swanwick 563 3% Belper North 510 3% Heanor West 217 7% Duffield 320 2% Alfreton 198 7% Crich 272 1% Heanor East 186 6% Alport 177 1% Heanor and Loscoe 179 6% Wingfield 174 1% Somercotes 170 6% Kilburn, Denby and South West Parishes 71 >1% 162 6% Holbrook Alan has a number of health issues and we’d Ironville and Riddings 155 5% previously helped him access disability and Ripley and Marehay 145 5% means-tested benefits. He returned to our Outreach Service for assistance managing his Shipley Park, Horsley and 122 4% British Gas account. Billing errors, missed warm Horsley Woodhouse home discount payments and estimated annual bills meant Alan was being asked to pay a lot more Belper Central 118 4% than the average household for his utilities. Belper South 119 4% Alan wished to raise a complaint regarding his Codnor and Waingroves 117 4% poor treatment and customer service and required advice and assistance with this. We submitted a Belper East 105 4% letter of complaint on his behalf. As a result British Gas agreed to credit Alan’s account by £330. Heage and Ambergate 99 3% Whilst Alan was happy with this outcome he had decided that he may be financially better off by Belper North 88 3% switching to a cheaper energy supplier. We were Swanwick 81 3% able to help him compare tariffs identifying an Duffield 58 2% annual saving of £260. Crich 55 2% At Alan’s request we helped Wingfield 42 1% him change supplier and his Alport 39 1% monthly payments were South West Parishes 23 1% reduced. Our advice... There are many reasons why people turn to our service. Often one presenting issue, such as housing, may well be linked to other issues such as debt, benefit, financial capability and/or employment issues. We take a holistic approach to advice, ensuring every client leaves our service empowered and ready to tackle their issues. Debt This is our second largest area of advice, with Council Tax arrears accounting for the highest number of debt enquiries. In fact, there were double the amount of enquiries relating to Council Tax Arrears when compared to any other area of debt advice we provide. Non payment of Council Tax can be a key indicator of long term debt. By identifying and tackling this early we may also be able to prevent other crisis situations developing - particularly through our budgeting advice and income maximisation. Benefits, Tax Credits and Universal Credit Benefits relating to health conditions and disabilities, such as Personal Independence Payment and Employment and Support Allowance, continue to be a significant area where advice is required. Sick and disabled people are needing help in making and managing a claim or are seeking advice on challenging decisions. By being able to offer timely advice and practical help navigating paperwork, we are ensuring that vulnerable people are not left without financial support at times of need. We have seen 199 issues relating to Universal Credit, as Amber Valley was only a ‘live’ UC area (with ‘gateway’ conditions only affecting a small percentage of the population) during this period. However, it is undoubtable that the number of UC issues will rise dramatically in the coming financial year once Amber Valley becomes a ‘Full Service’ UC area. The difference we make ... Brenda is a single parent with health issues and is getting by on benefits. She came to us for help following a relationship breakdown. She was very worried as she couldn't afford the legal fees for help with a divorce and she is not eligible for Legal Aid. We advised Brenda through each stage and outlined what the next steps were. We provided guidance and assistance, helping her to fill in the formal documentation, navigate the court process, establishing if there were property or asset issues. We advised Brenda on the costs involved and identified fee remissions totalling £550 to which she was entitled. Brenda returned when she received the acknowledgement of service, a state- ment in support of divorce form and an application for a decree nisi form from the courts. Brenda was advised what she had to do next and guidance and assistance was provided with the completion of court paperwork.