Citizens Advice

I worked in advice work for much of the 90s.

I did training with Citizen Advice Bureau.

I was on Any Answers a few weeks ago saying exactly this.

You have three types of benefits, means-tested, contributory, and benefits that are neither means-tested nor contributory, such as PIP, carer's allowance.

Unfortunately, just like every other Labour budget, the headline story is the same.

Dame Claire Moriarty is the head of the Citizens Advice Bureau, and she was critical of the abolition of standing charges for gas bills, saying that the government hasn't properly considered the implications.

if you're disabled or people who are living in poorly insulated homes where they're losing heat all the time, they could have higher costs and they could end up actually paying more when this measure goes through.

It is still not clear what will happen next in Israel, as counting of ballots continues after Tuesday's general election.

Sending him for a mental health assessment, sending him to his GP, giving him a prescription for antidepressants would not have changed anything.

The best thing for that guy was getting an appointment at the Citizens Advice Bureau where he could get help with managing debt and legal advice on the house that he thought he was about to lose.

Because as soon as you fix those two issues or give him some help with those two issues, he's then got brain space, head space to deal with all the stuff.

But if you're living permanently in fear that I'm going to get kicked out my house, the bailiffs are going to come and take me away, you know, all of that stuff, you can't think about other things.

A, a branch of Hays Travel was, uh, trashed, a company that's done a huge amount for the northeast of England.

Uh, the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Uh, I mean, it was pretty...

You had people like Lucy Connolly, who pleaded guilty to incitement and was jailed, um, you know, calling for hotels and saying, "I don't care if they're burnt, they're burnt down," and so on.

So we'll be unpacking what that means for the sector.

And on the flip side, we've got Citizens Advice talking about the right to reach a human in customer service and what that might mean for the future of supported care.

Craig.

Before we talk about that, what have you been building this week?

Right.

So, you know, back to this point about what do we let agents go and do for us as humans and what are the risks? I think probably there's a lot more to this story that will be coming out.

yeah which leads us next on to the i guess the oopsie i did it again bit and um i've got a bit of a soft throat so apologies my singing will be to its normal standard but it's sort of uh i've got i'm going i'm going beastie boys today for this this story and then you gotta fight for your right to speak to a human And this is this is citizens advice.

And I was going to say Bureau, but again, they dropped the word.

And I think it's worth it to stay protected and just make sure you're doing this the right way.

yeah and if you can't afford to like pay an accountant or you know pay somebody we have these organizations in the uk called citizens advice bureaus so um that would be my then suggestion is if you can't afford an accountant whatever you do go to a citizen's advice and just get like an opinion from somebody who is paid to give opinions

Exactly.

And, you know, when in doubt, talk to other authors that are a little bit further down the path than you as well.

I wouldn't recommend that, but...

You know, it can be done if you're willing to invest a little bit of time and energy.

And yeah, the Citizens Advice Bureau, that's cool.

Talk to other authors.

I would not break them the news of the debt because for obvious reasons you're worried about what will happen, and we're assuming you're in a loving and trusting relationship here, but obviously this is a glitch to it.

I would make an appointment at a debt counseling agency, National Debtline, Citizens Advice Bureau, StepChange, or Christians Against Poverty if you're struggling emotionally too.

I would go and have your first appointment with them where they give you the routes, they give you the light at the end of the tunnel, if you like.

I would then go back and tell your partner about your debts because they can-- well, you're gonna need to work together and help you with it.