Monmouthshire County Citizens Advice ANNUAL REPORT 2016 – 2017 A Year of Consolidation Company Limited by Guarantee Registered Number 6532431 Registered Charity Number 1125068 Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN: 617672 Chair’s Introduction 2016-17 has been another successful year for Monmouthshire County Citizens Advice (MCCA). We have continued to integrate the service across the County, but there is still some way to go. The unending support of volunteers, staff and our funders has been critical in delivering a first class service in the face of increasing demand against diminishing resources. At the start of the year we made some changes to our staffing structure following the resignation of a key staff member. A temporary arrangement was put in place to ensure that we continued to provide a full service and, following a successful trial and approval of the Trustee Board, those arrangements have been made permanent. The resultant cost savings have also contributed to a reduction in the deficit in our budget from £22,000 to £15,000. Our main funding streams continue to come from the Welsh Government (via Citizens Advice), Monmouthshire County Council and Town and Community Councils and our Friends group continue to provide valuable and loyal financial support. However, continuing austerity policies of the UK Government inevitably means that public spending cuts continue to filter down to organisations like ourselves. This poses an enormous challenge to a small organisation such as Monmouthshire County Citizens Advice. Funding for the Better Advice, Better Lives (BABL) project has remained unchanged over the last 15 years and now amounts to almost one third of our annual income. For the last three years there has been doubt about the future of this project, which is a vital part of our service. At the time of writing this report we still do not know Welsh Government intentions for coming years. The 2017-18 funding for the project was only announced in February 2017 so it seems likely that the Trustee Board will be setting a budget without knowledge that BABL funding is secure. This clearly also has an impact on clients and those staff who are employed through this funding stream. Our BABL staff achieved significant income gains amounting to £1,132,890 plus £173 of debts written off through BABL funding in 2016-17. With a reported 65% success rate of personal Independence Payments and Employment Support Allowance appeals against assessments at Tribunal, the value of this service should not be underestimated. Monmouthshire County Council also took the decision to adjust their contribution to the service by £5,000 on top of the 10% planned reduction in funding, which continues to pose challenges to delivering our services. We continued to make contact with all of the Town and Community Councils in Monmouthshire. They are advised of the number of their residents that our volunteers and staff have helped and have been successful in attracting new and additional funding through these activities. Whilst Monmouthshire County Citizens Advice is a local charity we are, as I am sure you are aware, members of the Citizens Advice. During 2016 - 2017 Citizens Advice finally approved changes to its Membership Agreement. These changes had been in the pipeline for two to three years and so we were forewarned of some of the changes that we would need to make. Participating in some of the pilot schemes has helped MCCA to adapt our working practices toward the new agreement, which became mandatory from 1 April 2017. One of the main areas of change was a requirement for self-audit and I am pleased to report that we scored well in our initial assessment. Although funding continues to be a challenge, the Board recognise that there needs to be some investment to ensure that staff and volunteers are supported to work effectively as a single organisation. Our main investments this year have been in IT and telephony. Firstly, we completed the installation of a digital Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephone system which means that our four main offices now have the ability to transfer calls between offices. This has benefits for caseworkers, supervisors and clients, and is expected to reduce our costs. Our second project has been the acquisition of a server to link IT across the County. This has proved to be quite a long process due to the poor broadband connection in some of the main towns, but it has hoped that the new server will be finally up and running very shortly. My thanks go to all of our funders for their continuing support. The number and range of enquiries dealt with during 2016-17 demonstrate how vital the service we provide is to Monmouthshire’s residents. I also want to thank all of the volunteers and staff that are Monmouthshire County Citizens Advice, it is their dedication that enables us to continue to provide the service to our clients. Brian Counsell Chair 12 Our Services The Citizens Advice service helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. Citizens Advice use evidence of their clients' problems to campaign for improvements in laws and services that affect everyone. Monmouthshire County Citizens Advice is a member of Citizens Advice and is a local charity serving communities across the county of Monmouthshire. We provide information advice and support to people whatever their problem and collect data and campaign to improve people’s lives. Information and advice is provided by volunteers - over the telephone, over the internet or face-to face. Our service is free, independent and confidential. If we are unable to assist, we can signpost or refer you for specialist support. As members of Citizens Advice we are provided with business and advice support, up to date information and training materials. Citizens Advice also oversees the quality of the advice we give as well as our governance. Our Offices Monmouth Abergavenny 23a Whitecross Street 19 a/b Cross Street NP25 3BY NP7 5EW Chepstow The Gate House High Street NP16 5LH Caldicot 5a Church Road NP26 4BP General information is available 24hrs online from https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk. Individual queries can be dealt with over the telephone via Adviceline on 03444 77 20 20, or for TextRelay 03444 111 445. Our face-to-face support is provided from four main offices in the main Monmouthshire Towns. Drop-in sessions are also available for limited hours in Abergevenny, Raglan, Usk and Bulwark. An initial assessment will either provide you with information, or where required a follow up appointment will be made with either a generalist or specialist adviser. Information on opening hours for each location is provided at the end of this report. Our Key Achievements 2016 – 2017 was another busy year with 3059 clients receiving advice on 6,734 issues. Volunteers in Monmouthshire County answer around 130 Adviceline calls each month. As in previous years, more of the clients we have assisted are female (56%) than male (44%). The ethnicity of our clients matched the profile of Monmouthshire, with 98% reporting as white. Advice on benefits increased from 36% to 40% and debt 15% to 19% compared to 2015-16. The age profile of our clients has changed since 2015-16, with more advice being given to clients who are 60+ years old than in 2015-16. 42% of clients reported having a disability or long-term health issue. Our advice 2016-17 Benefits 40% Debt 19% Employment 9% Housing 6% Our Benefits Advice 2016-17 27% Personal Independence Payments (PIP) 23% Employment Support Allowance (ESA) 7% Working and Child Tax Credits 6% Housing Benefit 5% Council Tax Our Debt Advice 2016-17 17% Credit, store and charge cards 11% Debt relief orders 9% Unsecured personal loan debts 9% 3rd party debt collection (excl. bailiffs) 9% Council Tax arrears Although a relatively small proportion of benefits issues relate to Council Tax (5%) the proportion of clients experiencing financial difficulty linked to Council Tax arrears is 8%. Assisting clients with budgeting and managing their Council Tax arrears is clearly of benefit to Monmouthshire County Council, one of our core funders. Credit, store and charge card borrowing and unsecured debts continue to cause our clients financial problems, whilst 9% of all cases recorded as debt advice relate to debt collection practices. Our Research and Campaigns work has identified that stopped benefits and sanctions related to changes in the benefit system, particularly from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payments, are not just resulting in reduced income, but increased levels of debt. Better Advice Better Lives Monmouthsire County Citizens Advice again received funding from Citizens Advice to deliver the BABL project. We deliver support for clients claiming benefits as well as those needing to submit appeals. Benefits advice is provided by a team of five specialists, from each of the main offices and outreach centres. Advice issues follow national trends, with timely access to benefits, the need to assist in preparing appeals and delays in receiving benefits the main concerns of Monmouthshire clients. A case can take up to nine months before conclusion, which can cause considerable financial difficulties. There are still issues with the health assessors employed by the Department of Work and Pensions for the ESA and PIP claims. This issue has been raised nationally and covered in the media across England and Wales. Over 65% of appeals that proceed to Tribunal are successful. Our BABL Advice 2016-17 Target 328 clients Achievement 514 clients Income Gains £1,132,890 Funding for BABL continues to be uncertain. The 2017-18 funding was announced in February 2017.