The Communicator October 2012 - Swan Housing Association

Residents firstUniversal CreditTo prepare for the introductionof Universal Credit, the threepayments which are given toencourage people back to workare being phased out.These are: Job Grant, In WorkCredit, Return to Work Credit.Because of the introduction ofUniversal Credit these paymentswill stop so if you want to takeadvantage of these paymentsyou will need to do so by:Job Grant Monday 1st April 2013Return to Work Credit Tuesday1st October 2013In Work Credit Tuesday 1stOctober 2013So if you are thinking about tryingto find a job, now would be agood time to start looking,especially as you may still be ableto take advantage of one of these.Job Grant - a one off payment ofeither £100 or £250 made toeligible claimants who have beenon benefits for at least 26 weeksby the 1st October 2012.In Work Credit - this is currentlypaid to lone parents who leavebenefits to start work. To beeligible you must have been onbenefits for at least one year, thequalifying period will end on the2nd July 2013. The In WorkCredit is paid for up to 52 weeksat £40 (£60 per week in London)Return to Work Credit - to beeligible for this you need to have adisability and have to been onbenefits for 13 weeks by the 2ndOctober 2012. If these conditionsapply to you, and you are leavingbenefits to start paid work you willbe paid £40 per week for up to 52weeks on top of your wages.These payments are tax free.For more information, pleasecall your Welfare BenefitsOfficer on 0300 300 2500Free debt advice fromConsumer CreditCounselling serviceThe Consumer Credit CounsellingService provides free andconfidential advice to you if youare struggling to pay all your bills.When you contact them by telephoneone of their advisors will talk with youto find out what you think you needhelp with, they will then ask you somemore questions to make sure thatyou have thought about all your debtsthat you need to pay.They are friendly and helpful, they donot make you feel bad about gettinginto difficulties.The helpline advisor will pass you toone of the experienced debtcounsellors to discuss your situationin more depth. This can be doneimmediately or an appointment canbe booked for a future date.At this appointment the debtcounsellor will assess yourcircumstances and discuss solutionswith you.The advisor will help you to prepare afinancial statement, this is a sheetYou can contact them by telephone on: 0800 138 1111Or you can visit their website on: www.cccs.co.ukIMPORTANT!Civil Penalties will be introducedfrom 1st October 2012A civil penalty of £50 will be appliedto an overpayment of state benefitor housing or council tax benefit ifyou negligently make an incorrectstatement or representation, ornegligently provide incorrectinformation or evidence; fail toprovide information; or fail to notifya change of circumstances to theappropriate authority.Residentstorywhich tells the people you owemoney to how much money youreceive and how much you and yourfamily need to live on. It will also showhow much money is left which can beused to pay the outstanding bills.You will be given a unique clientreference number from the ConsumerCredit Counselling Service. Thisnumber will prove to your creditorsthat you are getting advice and thatyou are working with a well respectedorganisation to help you resolve yourproblems. This means that yourcreditors are usually more likely toaccept the offers that you are makingto them.You can also be offered specialistcounselling services if you are selfemployedor have mortgage arrears.These can sometimes be trickier todeal with so that is why there areexperts on hand. There is also adebt advocacy service to helppeople who need extra supportdealing with their debts.Article provided by a resident.The penalty will be applied wherethe Local Authority or theDepartment of Work and Pensionsdecide that there is a recoverableoverpayment of £65.01 or more fora period beginning on, or fallingafter the 1st October 2012.The penalty will not be applied if theoverpayment was caused by theDepartment of Work and Pensionsor by the Local Authority. Theoverpayment decision and thepenalty decision can be appealed.8