Annual Review 2017/18

The difference we make

Citizens Advice Service aims and principles Basingstoke Citizens Advice, founded in 1961, is a local independent charity and a member of a national association – Citizens Advice. We provide information and advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities, with the aim of improving their health and wellbeing, and empowering clients so that they can help themselves.

We value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination and harassment.

We are here for everyone

The service aims: To provide the advice people need for the problems they face. To improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives.

We help people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free, independent, impartial and confidential advice, and by influencing policymakers.

Helping you to find your way forward

We hold the Simple Quality Protects Gold Standard.

We also hold the AQS (Advice Quality Standard); the only sector-owned, independently audited standard that focuses on advice. January 2018 audit: in the nine areas of leadership, we achieved a rating of Green (Good to excellent) and awarded the Advice Quality Standard (January 2017, Version 2): Advice with Casework in Employment and Housing level D5.

2 Introduction by Graham Hatcher Chief Executive Officer

Every year thousands of people come to us for advice and help with solving their problems. As the case studies in this Review illustrate, our service goes far beyond what people may expect. We do more than fix immediate problems. Our advice makes a significant difference to the people we help, and to the local economy.

Citizens Advice research found that 4 in 5 people we help had experienced a big life change before asking for our help – with nearly half reporting a change in their health condition. 9 in 10 reported that the problem affected their lives, including financial difficulty and making managing day-to-day harder. 77% of the people we help say that they would not have been able to solve their problem without Citizens Advice support; 79% of Basingstoke clients said they felt less stressed; and 96% felt more confident about dealing with their problem.

What we do is life changing, both for those we help and for our team. It also ripples out to improve the wellbeing of our community. However, don’t take my word for it – in this Review there are plenty of examples of this, including an inspiring, personal and emotional testimonial.

Contents

Aims and Principles 2 Chief Executive Officer & Contents 3 Chair of the Trustees 4 This is Sam 5 The wider value of volunteering 6 Our Team 2017/18 8 Our Impact 10 Dashboard 2017/18 12 Hate Crime 14 My Experience 15 Money Advice Service What Works 16 Training Manager’s Report 17 Alleviating poverty for the over 65’s 18 Enquiry by Local Ward 19 Research and Campaigns 20 Housing Casework 22 Employment 24 Hospital project 26 Local Welfare Assistance (LWA) 27 Other community work 28 Our Funders 30 Our Thanks 31

3 Ian Green Chair of the Trustees

From the moment that somebody walks through our door and is greeted by the welcoming smile of our receptionist, it is easy to forget that Basingstoke Citizens Advice is hugely dependent on the goodwill, dedication and skill of our many volunteers. Supported by paid staff who make sure that the advice we give is accurate, we make every client feel special.

We are proud to have over 90 volunteers who give 536 hours a week providing mainly face-to-face and telephone advice. Volunteers also fulfil other essential roles such as administrators and fundraisers, specialists and bookkeepers, all here to help to provide free, confidential and impartial advice to everybody about nearly everything.

Who we support Our team are focused on being available to all, opening 6 days a week for face-to-face, telephone and on-line support; we provided free advice to over 14,000 people in the last year. However, just being there is not enough, and over the last year, we have continued to reach out to people and groups who may need extra support.

By working with other charities, such as the Food Bank, and organisations like Sovereign Housing, services are provided where it is most important, to prevent further hardship. I am particularly pleased that we have become the first Hate Crime Third Party Reporting Centre in Basingstoke, again providing confidential support and advice to those who feel vulnerable.

How well do we do? Providing such a high volume of advice and assistance is of course not easy, especially when we have to ensure that every piece of advice we give is both relevant and accurate. I am really pleased to say that not only did we achieve record satisfaction from our clients (99% saying they would recommend us to others), but we also passed our AQS quality audit with outstanding results that included Casework in Employment and Housing.

As we head into the future we see many new challenges on the horizon, the uncertainties of Universal Credit as it rolls out across Basingstoke, to the unknown challenges we may face with changing Government priorities. However, with the support of the public, and our main sponsor, Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, we plan to be there when needed.

4 This is Sam

Sam is an example of one of our 92 trained volunteers.

People like Sam give their time, skills and experience to benefit the people who come to us for help.

This year our volunteers gave 536 of volunteering hours every week to help deliver our services. We couldn’t help as many people as we do without them.

Last year the economic monetary value of our volunteers was £484,645.

‘It is important to give something back to the community and volunteering at Citizens Advice is an incredibly worthwhile thing to do. It has given me a welcome learning opportunity and I learn new things every week.”

‘I love the fact that when I come into the office I feel part of a team, always welcomed by friendly people. I feel looked after and acknowledged for the work I do. When they say ‘we help change lives’ that is exactly what happens. We do actually change people’s lives, mine included.’

5 The wider value of volunteering One of the areas where we’re only able to partially demonstrate our saving to public services is volunteering. Volunteering also benefits our volunteers, they improve their skills, resilience, health and wellbeing, while strengthening community engagement.

Our training and the experience of supporting others helps volunteers improve their own employability.

8 in 10 of our unemployed volunteers believe they are overcoming barriers to employment

54% of our employed volunteers state that they are using it to change or evaluate their career

35% of our volunteers left us for education, employment or training last year

This is additional benefit to society through the way we deliver our services.

Making a difference to people like Nina* was why Sam wanted to volunteer in the first place. He wanted to use his skills and experience from his working life to help people with their problems.

Working at his local Citizens Advice means Sam has a better understanding of the issues in his community.

He also finds volunteering and the training he received from Citizens Advice has helped him develop in his career.

*Nina’s story: See Impact report

6 An Employment Adviser's week: 30 May to 6 June

Background: I am a one-day-per-week voluntary adviser, on Wednesdays (usually).

30 May – Day in the bureau with two afternoon appointments, one of which needed an employment tribunal claim to be filed within a week. Completed the process over the next few days. This was a Disability Discrimination claim by a client with severe dyslexia.

31 May – A Preliminary Hearing by conference call on an Unfair Dismissal/Race Discrimination case. The Judge in Southampton conducted proceedings with me in the bureau, with the client, and the Respondent's solicitor in Cardiff. Full hearing set for 7 – 10 January 2019. This case involved unfair selection for redundancy.

1 June – In London from 11.00am to 3.00pm for a Citizens Advice Employment Advisers' Forum. This gave us an update on Employment Law decisions and majored on TUPE. Also a good opportunity for networking.

2-5 June – Dealing with the Respondent’s solicitor on a Disability Discrimination claim. Following a report by a medical expert, disability (depression) was acknowledged. This meant that an arranged Preliminary Hearing was cancelled. The full hearing is on September 12-14.

Dealing with ACAS on an Unfair Dismissal/Wages claim (hearing on 12-13 November). This involved underpayments, lack of Holiday Pay, no Notice Pay.

Dealing with Respondent’s solicitors on a costs application, asking them to withdraw their claim. The costs were over £35,000. Case ongoing.

Trying to settle a Wages claim with the Respondent’s solicitors with a view to an agreed settlement via ACAS (hearing set for 4 and 5 October). This involved minimum wage, employee/self-employed status and Notice Pay.

Preliminary Hearing preparations on an Unfair Dismissal claim (hearing 6 July). Frequent consultations with the Respondent’s solicitor about documentation.

6 June – Day in the bureau, starting with a Team Meeting. Two appointments after lunch.

Keith Williams Volunteer

7 OUR TEAM 2017-18 Advisers/Assessors Helen Leaford Chief Executive Officer David Backers Kate Manton Graham Hatcher Anne Barr Karen Ralph Catherine Brooks Olga Vlastaris Advice Services Manager Brigid Campbell Francesca Wood Louise Paine Paul Clasper Gillian Devonshire Admin/Reception Advice Session Supervisors Brenda Duckels Ivana Aleksieva Yvonne Andrews Claudia Enfield Mary Allum Candy Burnyeat Tony Fabian Gill Broom Nicola Dale Malcolm Ferguson Alex Cross David Hughes Grace Foot Lorelei Fussey Jane Komrower Sandy Forsyth Sue Goff Pat Lockyer Alan Gilvear James Hilton Margaret Moon Andy Grove Janet Horley Patrick Roberts Kate Harwood Pat Jones Peter Hayes Anna Jurczak-Stawiarska Training Manager Philippa Heffner Di May Di Lewis Jane Hope Lorraine Milford Robin Hope Caroline Morris Housing Caseworkers Catherine Hopkins Paula Page Tracy Barkaway Suzy Horsey Ranjy Parmar Melanie Collins Yvonne Hunt Will Rae Joan Irwin Christine Smale Hospital Project and Over 65’s Derek James Kevin Winter Caseworker Jenny Knight Adrian Yates Wendy Holding Roland Leese Phil Lloyd Research and Campaigns Office Manager Janet Mukundu Co-ordinator Jane Charlick Lynda Murray Philip Nield Christine Nield Executive Assistant Aly Otu Friends Group Gill Fountain Saryu Patel Ann Alcock Alastair Paul Peter Ansell Local Welfare Assessors John Platt Rosemary Ball Anthony Roots Amanda Proctor Gill Fountain Moshuda Ullah Howard Ray Ian Green Nick Riches Graham Hatcher Customer Service Advisers David Simmonds Indira Jani Kayleigh James Bob Tuck Joan Mozley Callum Low Dee Waterman David Rees Chris White Juliet Rees Adviceline Gateway Assessor Howard Wigg Cathy Robinson Ann Stoker Keith Williams Linda Butcher - Community Life Champion, Asda What Works Project Trainee Advisers/Assessors Julie Shepherd – Basingstoke Kayleigh Peacock Susan Heighes Community Champion, Tesco Peter Jones

The economic monetary value of our volunteers is £484,645 8 Staff and volunteers who have left in the last year Chris Aris Chris Bickley Stephen Bridgeman Harry Collins Melanie Ducker Toni-Lea Dumper If it were not for the excellent team, Hannah Gibbons who bring many more skills over and Barbara Glasscock above the training provided we would Barry Glasscock not be able to operate. Suzanne Holland Tony Kay A massive THANK YOU to everyone Rhiannon Lee

Steve Letch

Tally Lewis Petra Luberdova Graeme Mannix Josephine Thompson

OUR TRUSTEE BOARD Members of the Board of Trustees are directors for the purpose of company law and trustees for the purpose of charity law. The members who served during the period 2017/18 are set out below.

Elected Members Hon Chairman – Ian Green Hon Treasurer – David Rees Company Secretary – Annabel Jones Neil Bass Victoria Boelman Chris Farrance John Robinson Bureau Volunteers Representatives: Yvonne Hunt Jane Komrower In memory of Cllr Rita Burgess who sadly passed away and will Representative Members be much missed Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Cllr Rita Burgess Cllr Stephen Day

9 Our impact in 2017/18 This is Nina Nina is an example of one of the people Problems have a severe impact on people’s we helped in 2017/18. lives. They need our help to solve them.

 14,293 people helped last year  22,874 issues dealt with directly Nina was struggling. She was behind in Her story shows how we help people paying her rent – the threat of being solve their problems and the impact this evicted was making her feel very has on their lives and wider society. anxious.

This also aggravated an existing health condition.

People access our service in different ways – face to face in our office, outreach posts, on the telephone or by email or webchat.

Sam, a volunteer adviser, helped.

He found out Nina had a recent change in her employment that put added pressure on her finances.

We help with a range of problems including housing, debt, benefits, employment, relationships and consumer rights.

Sam helped Nina set up a payment

plan with her landlord.

Together they worked out a budget to help Nina with other debts and maximise her income.

Problems don’t just happen in isolation, and can have a severe effect on people’s lives. Advice makes the critical difference. 77% of people we helped said they couldn’t do it without us. The minimum value to society of

Citizens Advice Basingstoke in

2017/18:  £2,587,224 at least saved by Sam found out Nina was on a flexible government and public hour’s contract, so he helped her services better understand her rights at work.  £14,447,905 in estimated wider social and economic and social value to society  £12,066.313 in financial

benefits to our clients from

problems solved. We helped 7 in 10 people to solve their problems.

And 4 in 5 people said advice improved their life, Problems don’t just affect people – such as improved security of housing or employment. they impact on local communities. Because we help so many people like Nina solve their problem, this creates considerable value to society. Our advice helped Nina’s financial situation. Her anxiety reduced, and her physical health improved. She no longer needed additional health services.

11 Dashboard 2017/18 Our clients age ranges from 16 to 95 years old. 10% are black minority ethnicity (BME) and 34% have a disability or long-term health condition.

Citizens Advice Basingstoke helped 14,293 clients during the year. Benefits remain the most common issue clients sought help with, accounting for more than 6573 enquiries last year.

£1,900,128 is the actual known outcomes gained for 815 clients over a 12-month period, by way of benefit back-payments, tribunal awards etc. As payments can continue beyond 12 months, the total financial gain will be much greater than this.

12 Basingstoke profile Clients seen Index of multiple deprivation

Boundary Member Bureau Outreach Darker colours show higher levels of deprivation

Ethnicity

13 Hate Crime, Equality and Diversity

We have a responsibility to identify where inequality arises in our local community and to seek to address it for our clients and ourselves through training, raising awareness and the provision of effective advice.

One of the key strands of the Leadership Self-Assessment Audit was Equality Leadership. This exercise enabled us to review the equality and diversity arrangements in place locally and to revise some elements of the Office Manual, including our Equality and Diversity Policy.

Although volunteers are not covered by equality legislation, an Equality and Diversity Policy for volunteers allows us to demonstrate that we are committed to being a stronger champion for equality (which is part of our One Service strategy). By restating our commitment to offering equality of opportunity to volunteers from different backgrounds, the Policy shows that we take the issue seriously and indicates that all our organisation's other policies have been written with inclusivity in mind.

During the year we became established as the first Hate Crime Third Party Reporting Centre in the area. Hate crime is any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice or hate, based on a person’s (or their perceived) religious belief, sexual orientation, disability or transgender.

We were well placed to become a Third Party Reporting Centre, as we are community based and accessible to the public; a particularly important factor since the closure of the town centre police station. We have the benefit of being available by phone, webchat/e-mail and in person.

As with all our services, we maintain confidentiality and allow for anonymity of victims. In addition, we already have well established links with local police and partner agencies.

On 19th April 2018, we held a hate crime conference with invited guests from partner agencies, which was also attended by Maria Miller MP and a number of representatives of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

This was a very successful event which put Citizens Advice Basingstoke at the heart of the debate about this very important issue.

14 My experience

My name is Kayleigh I am one of the peer mentors employed by Citizens Advice for The Money Advice Service sponsored “What Works” project. I would like to tell you my story. I am not telling you this for pity or any other reason other than to reassure you that no matter what you are going through things do get better, although you cannot see it at the moment your life is what you make it. How do I know this? Because I have been there I have lived in the blackness, I have felt the pain the physical pain of your insides being ripped apart every second of every day. The dark world that has become yours and you don’t see a way out maybe right now you don’t want a way out you just want the pain to stop.

Like many people, I had a bad childhood which led me to make some terrible decisions in my teen life. I fell pregnant at 16, then met an older guy who promised me and my son the world but instead I got years of abuse (physical and mental), control and loneliness. In 2015, I finally broke free from this so-called relationship, but it cost me everything.

For a year I was alone, broken and homeless with severe mental health issues. I then reached out to my sister who helped me with my mental health and found me somewhere to live. My mental health problems had totally consumed me, I had no idea who I was or what I wanted. I never slept, never went out, I would just sit in the dark every day and pray for the pain to end.

I happened to be in the communal room of the YMCA when Citizens Advice came to advertise the role for peer mentor, so I applied for the position. (I didn't see how this would help or how I'd be able to hold down a job.) At first it was extremely hard, I hated being around people and I hated engaging with others, but becoming a peer mentor has completely changed my life and the things that would have and probably should have broken me have only continued to make me stronger. I am so much more confident in myself and what I can achieve. I would never have imagined I would be able to stand in front of a room of people and give a presentation, but last year that is exactly what I did. I Kayleigh at the AGM with the Mayor, Mayoress, stood up in front of the Mayor and Mayoress, Maria Maria Miller MP Miller and other important people at the CAB AGM and gave a great presentation. It took a lot for me to do this but the praise I received after outweighed all the negative feelings I had about it before. Just through being a peer mentor my mental health is now stable. I know what I want in life and that only I can make it possible.

With the help of Citizens Advice Basingstoke, I have control over all my debts, I “Just through being am financially capable and am saving for a brighter future. I know and accept a peer mentor my who I am as a person. I am not the same person I used to be - I never will be. mental health is I have changed as a person and I will continue to change and to grow as a now stable” person. Being a peer mentor has opened me up to amazing possibilities and a bright future.

Money Advice Service What Works Project

Background In November 2016 Basingstoke Citizens Advice won an award funded by the Money Advice Service to try to understand what works in motivating young adults (age 16-24) to improve their financial capability. In this traditionally hard- to-reach group our aims were to use different methods to research the best way to engage them and challenge their attitudes towards spending, saving, shopping around and financial responsibility. The project was initially a one year trial, however this was extended for a further 5 months to allow for an additional group.

The Project Following on from the success of the work with two groups at Basingstoke YMCA we were then given the opportunity to work with a different group of young people at Basingstoke College of Technology, with students from the Specialist Provision Department.

Initially working with 4 peer mentors, the idea was that peer-to-peer learning and mentoring would be more productive and effective than other traditional teaching methods. We also wanted to explore whether social media would be an effective way of communicating financial capability with this age group.

Findings We found that although the groups were small (consisting of between 6-12 people), using peer mentoring as a teaching method was one of the most effective ways of getting this age group to engage. Social media did not prove to be as effective as most of the attendees were reluctant to share their financial experiences online.

An additional, unexpected, outcome of the project was that amongst both the peer mentors and the attendees several young people reported that working on the project and attending the course had a marked and positive impact on their mental health.

The project was evaluated by an external evaluator and their findings will be published in summer 2018.

Some of the participants commented:

“This course has made me realise I need to set myself up for the future”

“I’m cooking fresh food from scratch now to save money, so it’s sort of like they’re teaching me how to cook. By saving money I’ve started to eat healthier”

16 Di Lewis Training Manager

Historically we have had university students looking to volunteer throughout their holiday periods. Usually we have found general administration work for them to carry out. However, this year we decided to pilot a new fast track scheme whereby the students spent a full intensive week training to become assessors and were then able to start advising clients under supervision. This was a very successful pilot - we trained 3 students, who volunteered throughout the summer months, covering other volunteers’ holiday absences and also helping to staff our telephone and webchat services. This enabled us to become the 2nd highest webchat/adviceline responder in England in Sept 2017. Not only did we benefit from the students, they themselves also fed back the huge benefits that they received:

“Working as a volunteer at Citizens Advice provides hands-on work experience involving both personal and legal issues for clients. This has been an invaluable experience for me, as I am a non-law student wanting to pursue a career in the law.” - Hannah, University Student

“Working at the Citizens Advice has given me valuable experience to prepare for the world of work it is also an interesting and different way to gain life skills. Through working with Citizens Advice I feel I have a better understanding of the community and country as a whole. Additionally I feel I have been taken out of the student bubble and given real life experience. I have also noticed that volunteering at Citizens Advice has given me something interesting and different to talk about in interviews.” Tally, French and History Student

“From my role as a volunteer Gateway Assessor at Basingstoke Citizens Advice, I have learnt invaluable skills. I have gained confidence in communication, established strong interpersonal capabilities, as well as administrative skills: all of which are essential for any future employment. From a legal perspective, law firms are always interested in discussing my role as a Gateway Assessor. Firms recognise that I am responsible for independently providing clients with accurate information, which is essential for a legal career. It is always a positive talking point with firms and an opportunity to demonstrate legal skills gained from practical experience. Volunteering at the Citizens Advice is definitely something that makes you stand out from other applicants.” Rhiannon – Law and Criminology graduate

All of our staff and volunteers faced a huge challenge in September when we introduced a completely new Case Record Management system. All 90 + “I feel I have been volunteers successfully learnt the new software and are using it as if it had taken out of the been there forever! student bubble and

given real life Given the huge variety of clients’ queries the training never stops, and November was an extremely busy month. Firstly we became a Hate Crime experience” Reporting Centre, which meant that all advisers and assessors needed to learn to recognise a hate crime and to successfully support clients to report the event. Additionally, following a successful pilot with Citizens Advice nationwide, we have been training and supporting our advisers and assessors to recognise and support victims of domestic violence. Then the new Single Financial Statement was introduced and our advisers and assessors were required to understand the changes to how we deal with financial issues.

As usual our volunteers and staff have responded positively to all of these learning challenges. Their willingness to accept and embrace the changes is part of the reason I love to work here.

17 Alleviating poverty for the over 65’s The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Fund (Penton Trust) We give support to our growing population of elderly people who are facing hardship. The main areas of advice continue to be debt, benefit entitlements, housing, consumer rights and Lasting Power of Attorney.

Mr B, an elderly gentleman, had received a letter stating that he had been overpaid pension credit and would have to pay it back. Both Mr B and his wife were suffering from ill health and struggling to manage.

He had no idea why this had occurred, was worried that they could not cope and that he was in trouble. It took some time before the Job Centre sent their information to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Mr B then received a letter which he brought to Citizens Advice for clarification.

We called the pension credit team at DWP who explained that Mr B’s capital had increased and this was the new award that they worked out. They explained that it had been an error on their part and he did not have to pay back any monies; Mr B was so relieved he was crying. They said that he could claim severe disability premium and also claim carers allowance for his wife, which meant that he would get a carers premium in his pension credit claim. We successfully applied for additional benefits and overall they were better off by £1,000 per month.

This made a huge difference to Mr B and his wife who were now able to afford to pay for cleaners and carers.

Over the months Mr B kept saying how grateful he was, that we were there for him as he did not know who he could turn to. He said he could not thank us enough as he had been lost as to what to do. He was so happy that when he left the appointment he kindly donated money in our collection box.

This project to help over 65’s has generated an additional income of £261,840 during 2017/18

18 Enquiry by Local Ward

Many of our clients have multiple issues. This table only shows the primary enquiry and only includes clients who have provided information on their ward.

Health & Enquiry by Local Benefits & Relationships Debt Employment community Housing Legal Other Total Ward tax credits & family care

Basing 79 56 37 6 29 18 9 41 275 Baughurst and Tadley North 19 20 4 3 8 5 6 20 85 Bramley and Sherfield 85 50 21 6 27 22 16 24 251

Brighton Hill North 131 70 42 11 24 13 6 25 322

Brighton Hill South 195 111 67 10 64 37 28 60 572 Brookvale and Kings Furlong 232 78 97 20 94 39 34 70 664

Buckskin 274 169 83 16 57 37 40 58 734 Burghclere, Highclere and St Mary Bourne 11 3 2 1 5 0 1 6 29

Chineham 154 41 59 1 30 38 12 55 390

East Woodhay 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8

Eastrop 181 103 98 6 109 37 43 46 623

Grove 146 79 49 14 47 29 14 23 401 Hatch Warren and Beggarwood 93 38 72 5 0 20 8 38 274

Kempshott 43 18 26 5 21 17 1 26 157

Kingsclere 21 3 2 0 4 7 1 7 45

Norden 434 221 187 29 86 55 59 104 1175 Oakley and North Waltham 74 27 28 12 32 15 6 21 215 Overton, Laverstoke and Steventon 94 51 22 9 19 9 9 21 234 Pamber and Silchester 16 7 3 2 1 8 0 15 52

Popley East 283 155 80 15 75 31 37 70 746

Popley West 162 103 87 6 49 24 15 44 490

Rooksdown 107 47 31 0 36 30 10 51 312

Sherborne St John 18 7 15 0 16 8 2 9 75

South Ham 377 157 102 27 83 70 60 98 974

Tadley Central 4 6 7 0 2 3 0 7 29

Tadley South 25 10 15 3 8 7 2 9 79 Upton Grey and The Candovers 51 11 16 3 7 9 3 9 109

Whitchurch 39 24 14 1 10 12 3 12 115 Winklebury 205 78 58 8 33 43 35 51 511

19 Research and Campaigns Work

From their many and varied contacts with clients our advisers and assessors often identify unfair policies or practices which have the potential to affect many other people. Our research and campaigns work seeks to identify the underlying causes and campaign for changes so that others in future don’t suffer in the same way. In this way, people who never visit Citizens Advice or may not even know we exist can benefit from our work.

We provide evidence from the clients who visit us in Basingstoke to our national teams who use the evidence in national campaigns.

National Campaign: Universal Credit Universal Credit represents the biggest change in benefits in a generation. It wraps several means-tested benefits into one and is managed via a claimant’s online account. Citizens Advice supports the aims of this new benefit and is actively monitoring its implementation – which is being carried out in stages over a number of years.

In autumn, we participated in the national campaign by writing to our MP Maria Miller, describing a local case and asking for a number of improvements. Mrs Miller wrote to the Secretary of State and following these interventions a number of positive changes have been introduced. For example:

 The helpline is now free.  A built-in 7 day waiting period (on first claim) has been removed.  A gap in Housing Benefit payments has been plugged.

This was particularly beneficial for Basingstoke – the rollout was paused for 3 months allowing numerous technical improvements to be made. We became a full service area in May, rather than February. This gave all concerned an extra 3 months to plan.

Influence in the energy market Citizens Advice has statutory obligations to work on behalf of energy consumers. In 2017 we achieved a significant – and largely unreported – benefit for all energy consumers. In short the energy wholesalers have enjoyed a cosy relationship with the energy retailers (British Gas, EDF, Npower etc.) which has meant that billions of pounds were saved in profits rather than being passed on to consumers. Based largely on a campaign from Citizens Advice OFGEN has changed its price control model in a way that should eventually benefit every UK household by on average £200 per annum.

Local success: Council Tax protocol Citizens Advice and the Local Government Association have together developed a good practice protocol for the collection of Council Tax. All local authorities are encouraged to sign up to this in partnership with their local Citizens Advice.

We are pleased that Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Citizens Advice Basingstoke have signed up to this, including the latest 2017 revision. The protocol covers many aspects of working together including regular meetings, named contacts and workshops/training etc. Residents are better supported, especially those that get into arrears, and the debt collection processes are better managed.

Analysis from our case recording system shows that Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council act in a fair and reasonable way when collecting Council Tax arrears. This is another good example of how we work proactively with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

It is also another example of how people in Basingstoke and beyond, who never visit a Citizens Advice, can still benefit from the work we do.

Benefit every UK household by on average £200 per annum

21 Housing Casework

Our two Housing Caseworkers receive referrals from Sovereign Housing Association for tenants with rent arrears who face potential eviction and homelessness. Tenants are seen at the office, or at home, depending on their vulnerability. Intense support is provided including court representation and benefit appeals.

Case study

Holly was referred to us initially for a PIP claim. Holly has been the victim of domestic abuse in the past and has severe personality Holly has been disorder and anxiety as a result. the victim of domestic abuse in We helped her complete her claim form and worked through the the past process. Her claim was accepted and Holly was awarded PIP for both components at standard rate.

Once Holly was in receipt of these benefits she asked for help with her debts. As Holly struggles to cope with day to day finances and her debts, we asked her psychiatrist to complete the Debt and Mental Health evidence form. This form was completed and sent to all creditors asking them to write off the debt.

So far, we have managed to get £15,000 of debt written off and only have two creditors who have yet to make a decision. If the outstanding creditors do not write off the debt we will advise the client on more formal debt options.

We will continue to work with Holly until her financial situation is more stable and we are confident her tenancy is no longer at risk.

Case study

Emma was referred to us for help with her rent arrears and benefit problems. She suffers with depression, severe anxiety and other health problems which are still being investigated. She had attended an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) medical and was deemed fit for work; after also failing the mandatory reconsideration we then went for appeal.

During the mandatory reconsideration period, Emma was advised to claim Job Seekers Allowance so she would have some money coming in. We were in the process of arranging the face to face appointment but due to her mental health problems she said that she couldn’t cope with this. She therefore had no income and couldn’t afford her prescriptions, so her health deteriorated too.

Once the appeal was lodged her ESA was put back in place at the basic rate. At the tribunal the three judges deemed that Emma was unfit for work and was placed in the support group. Emma then received a backdated ESA payment and has a further £35pw coming in. She is also considering applying for PIP. She was also awarded a discretionary housing payment to top up her housing benefit to prevent further arrears.

Her arrears have now been paid off and her stress levels have fallen.

23 Employment Pregnancy & maternity A young mother asked for our help. She had been off work for 4 months due to a problem at work. Her company knew that following the birth of her baby she suffered post-natal depression. On returning to work part-time she was subjected to bullying and harassment, so she raised a grievance.

The company did not deal with this satisfactorily and their actions potentially put the client at even more at risk. The company was also going through a restructuring and moving premises and had more or less ignored her position within the company. Whilst this grievance was going on the client had to take time off work and was on medication for the stress she was suffering.

She had 15 years of unblemished service and was considered a ‘top’ performer until the bullying and harassment. It was clear that she was under a good deal of pressure and was struggling to know what to do next. She was getting nowhere with the company, and her medical condition was causing considerable stress to her and her family relationship. She told me that, despite her years of service, trust between her and her managers had completely broken down and that she probably could never return to her employment.

We were able to remove this work-related stress entirely from the client’s shoulders. We notified the employer that we were now representing her and thus the client never had to speak with them again. It was clear that the employer (a large organisation) were themselves struggling with the restructuring and other complications. Using our experience and the legal framework around constructive dismissal I provided the employer with a solution – in the form of a financial package for our client.

This was a “win/win” solution: it was a good deal for the client whilst protecting the interests of the employer and freeing up management time. Our client was extremely grateful for our intervention, both from a financial and personal health perspective and is enjoying time with her family.

24 Dispute Resolution

A young man came to see me accompanied by his mother. Noah has learning difficulties and had been dismissed by text from his ‘gardening assistant’ job with a local gardening firm. He was given no notice and then when work came up with the same firm he was asked to go back for a day. He refused. The employer later tried to say that our client had never been dismissed whereas it was clear that he had, and with no notice or his outstanding holiday pay.

Noah did not want to make too much fuss but was very upset about the way in which he had been treated, understandable as it looked like the firm had selected the most vulnerable employee to make an immediate lay-off in order to save money. Given his vulnerability, it also placed his mother in a difficult position.

We dealt with this matter for Noah and had to point out to the employer’s lawyer that unless they settled quickly on the matter of notice and holiday pay then we would proceed to Employment Tribunal (ET) to claim Unfair Dismissal, outstanding holiday pay for this year, and indeed previous years, and possibly also to make a claim for disability discrimination.

We succeeded in obtaining for Noah what he wanted, i.e. his notice and holiday pay. He did not want more, and was very driven in what he considered he was owed and had not ever really wanted to go to ET. He knew his ex-employer was a small businessman and did not want to burden him financially. In that sense Noah displayed a remarkable sense of fair-play. In obtaining the notice and holiday pay Noah was very happy, the ex-employer got away lightly and his lawyer wrote to thank us for the way in which we handled the whole affair.

Throughout this case I made it absolutely clear to Noah that it was his case, and he could make the decisions about the way forward once we set it all out clearly for him. His mother had said that because of that approach (letting the client ‘own’ it) her son had become much calmer about the whole matter. Initially the dismissal had had quite a detrimental impact upon Noah.

25 Hospital Project

This work with NHS Foundation Trust Hampshire Hospitals’ Patient Discharge Team and Adult Services, helps in-patients and their families to receive the benefits and support they require and are entitled to once they leave hospital. In the normal 10 hour week within the hospital we help patients with information and advice such as:

Debt and housing advice, Attendance Allowance, Pension Credit, Employment Support Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment Income Support, Carer's Allowance, Council Tax Benefit and Lasting Power of Attorney.

Case Study

Mr M had been in and out of hospital with back and knee problems. He could only make very short drives to the shops. Mr M’s daughter was very concerned about his welfare and worried that he may injure himself by falling. She lived far away but phoned him daily. She wanted us to go and visit him to do a benefit claim as he was struggling and becoming more and more socially isolated, and also needed a cleaner. Mr M’s other daughters visited regularly and gave him food and money to help him out. During a home visit, we established that he was on a very low income and had 10 years left on his mortgage which he was struggling to pay. He got a 25% reduction on his council tax. With our assistance Mr M received pension credit and more help with his council tax. He was also awarded attendance allowance which meant that he could get severe disability premium within his pension credit.

Mr M also wanted us to renew his blue badge as that had expired, which we did. We also helped his daughter with her request for information about lasting power of attorney and carers assessment.

He and his family were very pleased with all the help and support that we gave and said that they could not have managed without all our help. “It had made such a difference to him.”

Wendy Holding Caseworker

This year the Hospital project generated a financial gain of £225,140

26 Local Welfare Assistance (LWA) Helping people in crisis across Hampshire

We continue to work with Hampshire County Council to deliver a County-wide service and help people to cope when in a crisis. Available to both the public and professionals our Assessors help to:

● Provide the tools for families and households in crisis to deal with their immediate problem, build resilience and move forward with their lives. ● Share knowledge and information about the help available through community networks and other professionals. ● Provide intelligence to help Hampshire County Council identify and develop the necessary support and provision to address the critical needs of its most vulnerable residents.

Case Study: Mr W called because he had lost his bag on the bus, containing money and a mobile phone, and needed money for food and to replace the phone.

During exploration it became apparent Mr W had significantly limited mobility but was not receiving assistance with the costs of travel to appointments, which was a particular issue as he was due to have a significant operation.

We referred Mr W to the local foodbank, and told him that if mobility made this difficult, a foodbank volunteer could deliver the food to him.

Mr W was encouraged to speak to the police about the lost bag, as it could have been handed in.

We identified Personal Independence Payment (PIP) as a possible benefit he could receive and made him aware of the potential financial benefit it would bring, if awarded, including a premium in his ESA. He was also made aware of the NHS Low Income Scheme. A referral was made to the local Citizens Advice to assist with the forms.

Outcomes: Mr W was able to get food until he was next paid, with possible support to take the food back to his home, removing the anxiety and possible wellbeing risks.

Mr W has applied for PIP and should this be awarded it would bring in extra weekly income as well as potentially enabling a premium on his benefit further increasing his income, whilst reflecting his support needs.

Mr W was able to get his travel costs covered for his hospital appointments and was also eligible for a HC2 health certificate enabling support for a number of health care costs, further removing ongoing anxiety.

Mr W was also told that, if he needed assistance with more expensive items or services, the LWA service would be able to help with grant applications.

Local Welfare Assistance Call 0300 330 1150 Available across Hampshire

27 Other Community Work

Healthwatch Hampshire Healthwatch represents people’s views about NHS health and social care services, making sure services are held to account, and demanding action where it is needed. Healthwatch makes sure people’s views are listened to and valued, so that our health services improve in the way they should. We use clients’ evidence to build a true picture of our local services, taking notice of the good and bad things that are reported. Whether it’s improving them today or helping to shape them for tomorrow, local Healthwatch is all about local people being able to influence the delivery and design of local NHS health and social care services.

Pension wise We trialled a pilot scheme hosting the Pension wise service helping people to understand the different options for taking pension money. This proved to be very popular in Basingstoke and as result the service will be expanded to two days a week during 2018/19.

Energy Best Deal Extra This is an extension of the Energy Best Deal work where our staff help those individuals who are struggling to pay their fuel bills and in debt. Clients are given further help to maximise their income, how to change suppliers and reduce utility bills.

Case study Sarah is a vulnerable adult, with mental health problems and has a support worker. She lives with her dependent daughter, who suffers with behavioural difficulties. She receives some benefits but is currently appealing her ESA which has been stopped.

Sarah has a large amount of debt which we are helping her with. In completing her financial statement, we noticed a high amount was being spent with her energy provider EON. When asked she said she was only currently using electricity as she gets a strange message on her gas meter. She has not been able to put her heating on over the winter period and has been using electric heaters.

We rang EON and queried the client’s account. EON confirmed that Sarah had spent £103 on electric between 8/1/18 and 10/2/18 however she had not put any money on her gas meter since 28/7/17 and a standing charge of £55 had built up. They said she would have to clear this debt before any money could be put onto the gas meter otherwise it would be swallowed up paying the debt off.

We explained the circumstances and EON agreed to issue a new gas payment card with a £65 credit to clear the standing charge and give her £10 on her meter. This gave Sarah immediate access to gas so she could put her heating back on. We are continuing to work with Sarah on maximising her income; managing her debts and ensuring that she and her daughter are in a safe and warm environment.

28 Foodbank and Emergency Food Parcels None of us like to think that in our own community there are vulnerable people and families with children who do not have enough food. On top of emergency food parcels distributed from our office, we also provided 600 Foodbank vouchers.

The estimated money value is £14,268, based on The Trussell Trust food costs.

The Trussell Trust Foodbank Network provided 1,332,952 three-day emergency food supplies to people in crisis compared to 1,182,954 in 2016-17. Of this number, 484,026 went to children.

A family parcel with three days’ food costs £32.15 A single parcel with three days’ food costs £14.74

Paula Vallance at Basingstoke Foodbank: “We've really noticed the benefit of having Citizens Advice Basingstoke drop-in’s on Fridays this year. Every one of the clients who've taken advantage of a chat with one of the experts on a Friday have been genuinely delighted they'd done so. Our long term hope is to be able to expand our partnership with Citizens Advice to further drop-in's on Monday and Wednesday mornings.” (Postscript - Agreement signed July 2018)

Foodbank Friday client: ”We didn't think they'd be able to help as we thought there was nothing more that could be done, but we were wrong and they managed to point us to some further financial help! We can't thank you enough.”

Night Shelter for rough sleepers

Six Citizens Advice Basingstoke volunteers took part in weekly advice and support sessions to help rough sleepers, some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in our community, at the United Reform Church (URC) Night Shelter for 3 months during December 2017 to February 2018.

The Night Shelter provides a much needed safe haven with pop up winter night shelters at 5 churches in and around Basingstoke. This enabled the guests to have access to washing facilities, a hot meal, socialise, and get a good night's sleep knowing they were warm and safe. Also available to them were our volunteers offering free advice and support on any issue they were concerned about.

Quote from The Night Shelter organisers: “Feedback from both the guests and our volunteers was excellent and our volunteers felt that they had helped every person they had spoken to “

Some comments from our volunteers: ‘A very worthwhile project and one I will volunteer for every year’ ‘Very fulfilling’ ‘Great teamwork and lovely people’

Our Funders

The greatest challenge for us here at Citizens Advice Basingstoke continues to be to maintain and diversify our funding streams, to finance both existing and new projects. We are grateful to the Borough Council for their decision to continue to fund us as one of their very few “Strategic Partners” with an approved five-year grant.

This was an extremely welcome decision, and enables us to focus on looking for further fund raising opportunities with businesses and other social partners.

Thanks to all our funders:

Our Thanks

Thanks also to the staff of Basingstoke Discovery Centre, and to all our colleagues working in the voluntary and community sector.

Our thanks to the following Solicitors who provide a pro bono service at our office:

Brain Chase Coles Clarke and Sons Eric Robinson Lamb Brooks Penningtons Manches Phillips Shoosmiths Wills Chandler

“Engaging with our clients and their complex needs can be challenging so the dedication our team, our community partnerships, and the support of external colleagues and Solicitors are invaluable.

Together we really do make a difference and help people move forward”

Contents and images within this report are copyright and owned by Citizens Advice Basingstoke. Citizens Advice Basingstoke is an independent and impartial charity and as such cannot endorse individual companies

31 The Charity for our Community

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