Surrey Welfare Rights Unit

Social Policy

As a member of Citizens Advice we have a responsibility along with every other CAB to undertake Social Policy work. We collect evidence from our clients on the areas where they are experiencing problems. Using this evidence we try to bring about change whether at a local or national level. Sometimes we contribute to national campaigns being run through central Citizens Advice. Other times we approach government and statutory agencies directly with the issues we have identified. All the evidence we collect is kept confidential.

SWRU Social Policy Work

January 2008 We have been busy providing answers to readers letters in the national press. This gives us an opportunity to raise particular issues to potentially a huge audience. We have provided responses to the Mental Health Strategy in Surrey, the VCS Strategy of SCC and the Fairer Charging consultation. One of the Unit advisers is involved in the working party developing secure access to client records held with the DWP. We have just published the final report for the Can You Claim It? take-up campaign which we ran with partners in Woking and Runnymede boroughs last summer.

July 2007 Although our recent move has taken up a lot of our time recently we have still kept up with our social policy work. Responses were sent to the County Council Childrens and Young People Strategy, the Travel the Hospital Scheme consultation, the SCC Working with the Voluntary Sector Strategy. We were also invited once again to guest on BBC Moneybox to answer calls on benefits and related subjects.

November 2006 We were interviewed by the BBC Politics Show who are investigating into migrant workers who are prohibited from welfare support and who ends up supporting them. We spoke about which workers are entitled to work and access public funds for support and those who cannot upon arrival or who lose their rights, quite often because their work has ended within the first year after arrival. In light of recent announcements regarding greater restrictions on new EEA members in 2007.

February 2006 The Council on Tribunals has published consultation responses on its website. Our response can be read below and if you are interested in what others had to say on the value of oral hearings, this link will take you to the website.

November 2005 Along with Child Poverty Action Group and other advice agencies, we undertook to encourage MPs to sign up to Early Day Motion 546 which calls for all Tax Credits overpayments caused by Inland Revenue / HMRC error during the first two years of new Tax Credits to be written-off. We have received huge support from Surrey MPs some of whom had already signed and others who have committed to signing up.

October 2005 We have submitted a response to the Legal Services Commission consultation on the future of the Community Legal Service - Making rights a reality. Read it here. (48KB)
We also submitted a response to the Council on Tribunals consultation on the Value of Oral Hearings in the Justice System. Read it here.

April 2005 We are interested in whether or not Borough and District Councils take note of the DWP Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit guidance on overpayments. We are interested to hear from you if your clients have experienced overpayments being recovered from ongoing Housing Benefit payments within a month of the overpayment decision. The guidance states that Local Authorities should wait until the end of the month appeal time limit, but guidance is not binding. We are also interested to hear if Local Authorities stop collecting overpayments once an appeal is lodged. Again, the guidance states that they should. Let us know on advice@swru.org

Autumn 2004 In response to the recent Macmillan research paper on low take-up of benefits for cancer patients we have been developing our links with palliative care teams across the County. As well as ensuring those teams are aware of the support they can get from SWRU, we are looking at producing specific information that will inform and encourage cancer patients and their families to claim their entitlement. If you work in this field and have not been contacted then please ring us at the Unit.

If you would like to read the Macmillan report you can find it here (142kb)

Autumn 2004 We are currently working with health, the Mary Frances Trust and the SE Development Centre on a policy for paying services users for their involvement in developing health and social care services. The task is proving to be far more complex than we expected due to all the benefit and employment issues. Nationally, this issue is being looked at as part of Social Exclusion Unit's Breaking the Cycle development plan. We will report on progress in the near future.

Last updated January 2008

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