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Found 16 results

  1. Feel its not far off , sickening, especially when its being used to manage essentials https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/18/britain-debt-timebomb-fca-chief-crisis
  2. Turkey a NATO member in the area, yet clearly resists other NATO members requests (whether right or wrong - quite understandably in my view) At least 1/2 - 2/3 of the 600,000+ illegal migrants/refugees in Europe this year are reported to have come through Turkey (France24 'conservative' estimate). It would be easy to say (as the EU is requesting at the moment) that Turkey should better police its EU side borders to prevent the flow of migrants, yet Turkey has in the order of 2M refugees/migrants (probably far more) within its borders excluding those who have moved on. - Who wouldn't want the refugees/migrants to move on in that situation, particularly given that a vast number of these migrants will hold hostile beliefs with regard to Turkey. Its clear to me that Turkey is a major part of the problem in the area (although probably NOT through deliberate choice) yet is also one of the VERY few relatively safe exits routes. What are peoples views on the situation, any realistic solutions and what people think of Turkeys actions as a member of NATO yet with direct and immediate security issues which would MOSTLY seem to be at odds with the rest of NATO's official stance? Some things to consider (my opinions - generally very well researched) * Turkey has long wanted a policed buffer zone along its borders, with refugees sent back into the buffer zone - the zones in the other countries borders. * The Kurds want a self governing region and will fight anyone to get it. (They have recently fought Syrian Army and IS and have elements active against Turkey since the coming apart of the Turk/Kurd 'ceasefire') They undoubtedly feel let down by everyone, and claim the Turks are bombing Kurds who are actually fighting IS rather than IS - hence supporting IS. Supported by news reports including 'western' France24 and Euronews. * Turkeys' apparent bombing of Kurds and NOT the IS troops fighting the Kurds (also reported from 'western' news channels) and would appear to show Turkey thinking the Kurds as more dangerous to Turkey than IS.
  3. During the last few weeks, apparently more than 2000 migrants have managed to get through security in Calais and are now in the UK. Theresa May is refusing to comment on this, as it does not make sense to publicise successful illegal migration. It would just encourage more to come. The new fences around the Calais Eurotunnel terminal are not working properly. They were put up in a hurry and are not robust enough to stop people. Some MP's are calling for the British army to be sent to Calais, which is unlikely as the French would not allow it. Also to turn the Eurotunnel terminal into a military controlled area would be pretty drastic action to take. What is the answer ? Migrants want to come to the UK and it is very difficult to stop them. Most have destroyed all of their identity documents, so even if they were rounded up by the French, it would not be easy to process them. I.e to establish genuine refugees from economic migrants. It would not be easy to return the migrants home. My suggestion would be to find an African country willing to act as a migrant assessment centre. Then to round up migrants and fly them to the assessment centre to decide what to do. Advise the people that they would not have any chance of going to the UK unless they cooperated. I.e to reveal true identity and provide all info requested. Then to return as many to country of origin as possible. For genuine refugees that would be harmed by return to home country, the EU should have a shared quota system, with the UK accepting some.
  4. Well a quick start to a thread.I had no intention this morning to start another thread.But will,how can i resist. Maybe a touch rushed but will build on this.Got to go out to try to make a bob or two shortly So i hope it makes a little sense. Would rather hang round the Bear Garden but needs must. Want to know really wherever you are in the UK how you feel about housing in your areas,whether renting,mortgage,condition,evictions,pressures,landlords,rent deposits anything you want to say. Have you memories of times gone by,can you see into the future.Perhaps you have a crystal ball Why am i mentioning London,well got to start somewhere.And grabs some attention as well.Usually. Also i was reading King12345 post about Hounslow and had a look around his area and found a article that interested me and set me off. Within a minute or two i was looking all over London. I must answer the post on another thread.And remember starting in London perhaps but let us move round the UK.Just what it it like for you.Stressful,blissful anything you want to say,feel free. So without further ado,let me start.Got a busy day,first i have to let the pigeons out and feed the ferrets. Street-chart: London's housing crisis illustrated – in pictures A London renter has created street graphs throughout the capital to highlight fast-rising rents, evictions and homelessness, the chronic shortage of affordable housing and the decline in homeownership-in a different way. Street graphs in Hackney show how the average rent in London has increased since 2005 http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/gallery/2015/may/14/london-street-chart-illustrate-housing-crisis
  5. The question is whether the NHS is in crisis ? According to media reports i have seen during the last few weeks, there are the following problems. - non urgent operations are being cancelled with long waits for some procedures. People are being offered quick private treatment at the same NHS Hospitals if they pay the full private rate as a cash payment. - there are thousands of elderly and disabled in Hospital beds who cannot go home, because of lack of social care and no funds to carry out adaptions to peoples homes. - people are waiting 3 weeks or more to get appointments with GPs - there are large numbers of people being refused new drug treatments by NICE on the basis of cost, even though the drugs are licensed. - the Tory party promise to cap care home costs will not be introduced before the next election. Meanwhile it has been revealed that redundancies due to NHS reforms have cost £2 billion, with many re-employed by other parts of the NHS. Government claim money has been saved.
  6. Hi all, I hope i've posted this in the correct place, please move it if I haven't. at the start of this month I received a letter from DWP stating that I owe them around £250 (I can't remember the exact amount off the top of my head.) and that they needed me to pay this back or make an agreement to pay by the 25/4/2014. The letter said that I had previously been written to explaining why I owed the money and that was it. Nothing else on the letter. I telephoned them and spoke to a lady on the phone who said that i'd had 6 crisis loans that hadn't been repaid. I told her that I would need to see evidence of these debts before I made any payments so she reeled off a list of dates to me. (1 was in 2002, 2 in 2003, 1 in 2006, then another 1 or 2 in approx 2009-2010). She also gave me a list of the amounts but wasn't "allowed" to tell me which amounts coincided with which dates. They are all periods when I was on the 'dole' and I vaguely recollect getting the crisis loans and then no money being taken from my benefits but it was a long time ago and I had a bit of a weed problem back then so my memories of the times are a bit vague. (with the exception of the '09-'10 one as that was when my son was born.). I asked the woman on the phone why it had taken so long for them to attempt to reclaim the money as I had been on JSA multiple times since then and more to the point, why would they allow me to have multiple crisis loans at one time before others have been repaid, she just fobbed me off with some excuse that I can't remember. I stumbled upon this forum as I was doing a bit of research on a different matter entirely for a friend of mine and discovered a section about "Statute Barred" and I was wondering if this would apply for the majority of the loans. Obviously, the ones that are within 6 years wouldn't be covered by these but the majority of them are more than 6 years old and potentially should be covered. I didn't make any arrangements to pay, although I did ask for documentation of all of the money owed (which I haven't received) and I said that I would be back in touch. I have been working for approx 7 months this time around and on barely minimum wage, my rent + CSA payments take up approx 60% or more of my wages (depending on overtime worked and bonus for hitting targets) so I really can't afford to be paying money out if I don't need to be. Any help on this would be appreciated. Regards, Daro
  7. Hi all. been a long time since I needed to post here I tried a search but couldn't find anything like my story. I have also posted this in the CAG facebook page because as I state at the end I want as many people as possible to know about this. Hi folks. I would like to ask has anyone ever been denied a crisis loan or know anyone that has. I'm between payments at the minute. My SSP has run out and am waiting for my ESA to come through. My money ran out at the weekend and my electricity and food ran out yesterday.. Went to my local SSO to get a crisis loan. The guy dealing with me rang the ESA office and told me that they had all they needed and no reason why a payment couldn't be put in my account today. Therefore I was refused a loan. They wouldn't even give me the price of a bus ticket home. Today at lunch time there was no payment in my account. Rang esa to be told there was nothing to say a payment had been authorised. He said he sent through an email to authorise an interim payment but said it would take 4 hours to be sorted. Because of the time I rang at meant no payment until tomorrow. Obviously that's unacceptable so rang the benefits enquiry line. The lady there said she couldn't help but told me to get back to esa and ask to speak to a supervisor. Did that and was told I couldn't be transferred but I would get a call from one before the end of the day. I didn't believe that so rang BEL again. This time the person told me he would transfer me to esa. Instead I was put through to JSA. I was told there that there should be no reason why esa couldn't transfer me to a supervisor. In desperation I rang my MP. As of 4.55 neither me or my MP has had no response from ESA. They have no idea the stress this has put me under. Luckily I don't have any children needing fed but regardless of that this is an unacceptable situation. I spoke to a charity worker who told me this is not a unique case and even mentioned that a family with 4 young children were denied a loan. Sorry this has been a long story but even though I was given some food I am furious I have been treated this way and want as many people as possible to know about this. I'm even thinking of going to the papers....national if needs be!! Is this normal practice or even accepable.
  8. Hello all I have received a letter on the 17th of December dated the 11th of December in which the DWP state they are recovering a Crisis Loan on the the 12th of December out of my Employment Support Allowance. The Crisis Loan was paid to me in November 2011 and repaid in January 2012 The DWP alledge that this money has not been repaid. Sadly the cash payments I made into the local jobcentre for which I received a receipt does not seem to have been paid anywhere hence the demand for payment. Thankfully I have one receipt that did not get shredded recently with everything else and the DWP tell me that they have no knowledge of that receipt number. I have also had to make a formal request for this to be investigated via the recoveries section of the DWP I have also written to another section of the DWP requesting a Subject Access Disclosure regarding the application and any other documentation they hold computer or paper based Has anyone else had this so long after an initial Crisis Loan was given regards sinkinghelp
  9. In a moment of madness (I have a recurring mental illness), I rang the benefits agency and told them (incorrectly) that I had received a lump sum which I had given away a number of years ago - what actually happened was that the money went to someone else but it had been offered to me and I hadn't accepted it. Since the 1st of January they stopped all benefits whilst they decided they would investigate what had happened. They stopped the benefits retrospectively - I did not find out until a couple of weeks later when I received a letter from them. So, now we are in February and my rent is not being paid and I understand that I can not apply for a crisis loan whilst they investigate me. It looks as if this situation could go on for some time. I have been to a drop-in in my local town where they have started to correspond with the benefits agency and local council - and it seems that there is nothing anyone can do about getting me a loan to manage. The only help that seems to be available is a bag of food each week - but it is not enough to last more than a few days. Does anyone know of anywhere where I can get financial assistance to pay for food? I don't think that I can last more than another week.
  10. hello, My partner and I are self employed and I suffer from Raynaud's disease and kidney infections I need heat for this, oil heating as we have no open fire. My partner and I have next to zero money coming in at present through the business and even though we get £120 per week in tax credits it is really hard to obtain oil with bills etc. I have heard that the DHSS provide Crisis Loans to people on benefits, do you think we would be eligible? We also need a bed and there is no way that we can get credit. We have no kids and the business has made no profit from the last year, I know going on benefits would seem the better option as you can obtain budgeting loans etc but we want to make a success of our business and it is a struggle. I have been turned down for DLA, can anyone advise, we cant even afford to put an electric shower into the house as I am not on ESA/DLA. Please help. I am in Northern Ireland, it may be different here! thanks
  11. I was directed here from another forum, after posting there for people's opinions. I think this is posted in the wrong place - it's my first time here, and I don't know where to post it. Sorry. I don't know what to do, but I want to take the matter further, and was thinking of filing a small claims court case. I don't know if it's wise or not, but I don't know how a small claims court work - and what happens if I lose? ________________________________________________ Background (LONG - SORRY!): I received a letter 19th Dec 2011, dated 13th December 2011, stating that from the 10th December 2011, the DWP were deducting money on a weekly basis from me, for a Social Fund debt. I had no idea what this so-called “Social Fund” was, and called up for advice. I was told to call another number. Calling these numbers cost me money as they are all 0845 numbers, however, I had no option but to keep calling and paying out on call costs. I spoke to a lady, who said that I had taken a Crisis Loan (the old name for the Social Fund) out on 1st July 2004. I informed her that this was not the case, but she was insistent. She said it was for food and rent bills. I told her again, this was not the case - as I don't get money for rent, as I live with my parents as their carer, in their private house. I also asked her that, if it was the case, then why this alleged loan was not talked about before? It is now the very end of 2011. Most legal situations say there is a limit of 6years to reclaim... this was 6yrs and 7 and half months later! She informed me abruptly that DWP company can re-claim the loan, once a new claim for Jobseekers Allowance is submitted. However, this too, does not make sense in any way. I had claimed a few times since 2004, in between various employments, and there has never been a mention of any Crisis Loan that I allegedly had taken out, and not repaid, which would have led me to address the matter sooner. I was told to send letters in (5 times in total, on Special Delivery at their instruction! - and have sent several emails too) to an office, then to be told on chasing that they had got the letters, and were looking into it, but in the next call, was told they had no letters, and could I resend. And then resend again, to a different address. All calls were made to their chargeable 0845 number. Eventually it was passed to the Fraud Team, who again were supposed to call back, but didn't, but when they did after another chase, I was told that the debt was on hold until they had investigated, and not to worry. I told them that the money was being taken from me already and had pulled me into the overdraft limit, and now I was getting bank fees charges because of it. They said they would freeze that - but they didn't, and went on to take the full amount in the end, leaving me with high bank charges, and the need to take a loan to pay them off, and then paying interest to pay off the loan. After much complaining it finally was sent to the Recoveries Team, who said they are investigating but I never heard back. Finally after several calls, and one telling me it can take months, and to wait for a callback - I got a landline number for a Supervisor - (lets call him Bob for ease - not his real name!) and have been chasing him since June 2013, and then from end August, Bob's Supervisor too. I got a call back 4 weeks ago (after another chase), to say in the next day or 2 Bob would send me copies of the original documents, for me to look over immediately. I heard nothing more. Finally today - after yet more chases, and through Bob's Supervisor, Bob calls back...remember he said he'd send me copies? He now says that they don't have the original documents (no date on when he allegedly got that confirmation either), as they were destroyed, and therefore on the "Balance of probability" they would uphold the debt - "especially as the debt had been recovered.". I told him again that the debt wasn't mine - it was a fraud case. He said that there was no point of Appeal on this. I asked him who made the decision, he said 'the office', it was a local decision - and that there was nothing obviously fraudulent about the case. I quoted ALL the reasons why it was fraudulent, and he began to stutter. I asked again for the name of the head of the Department, who had made the Decision - and he was very hesitant - so I asked again who made the Decision, and he eventually said, he did. I asked how he'd reached that decision, as the had that the paperwork was destroyed after 3 years in line with their policies? He said he made it in line with their policies. He couldn't tell me which Policies. I asked for a full breakdown, with copies of the Policies he used to come to a decision, to be sent to me by the end of the week. I pointed out that, that was not my fault the paperwork had been destroyed, and that it had taken so long to come to this stage. That I was disabled with mobility issues, and the post office the Giro had been cashed at, was a few miles away, that I couldn't have got to, and I had sent in medical evidence to prove it on several occasions - that had cost me money to obtain too. I asked about decision reversal, but Bob said that they don't reverse decisions. He said I could lodge an official complaint - in light of new evidence (he claims he didn't know about the Post Office, or my disability - all of which has been noted in letters I've sent, and calls I've made) - and that they would look at the case and get back to me! I have paid out so much on phone calls, and postage, and bank charges, that I want to pursue this further - even if I only get the original so called debt back. I wondered whether it would be worth filing a small claims court claim? - and try and recover some of this. I have no money currently as I am on a 6 month DWP sanction (awaiting appeal), after being fired from my last job, and I don't know about court costs and such, so I want to know the Pros and Cons of filing a case against the DWP. Sorry for the long post - I have Aspergers, and the complete inability to summerise.
  12. Hi all, Just a little advice needed. I lost my job on 5th December due to my fixed term contract ending. I have made claim for IS HB and CA which I am waiting to hear about (my 23 yr old daughter has cerebal palsy). Anyway I have no income at the moment all pay I was due has been recieved. My question is my current debt to DWP is 1500, for a bedgeting loan that was taken out when we moved into our adapted accomadation, this I understand is the maximum allowed so I am not entitled to a crisis loan until my benefit comes through. I dont have any family who can help and I am worried that I am going to be left with no money over xmas. Can anyone advise me on what to do or whether I can ask for a community care grant. Thanks in advance
  13. Hi everyone. I have been given 3 weeks notice where I liev at the moment and need to move ASAP. I have seen a place for rent that is suitable but I do not have the total bond plus one months advance rent. I need to raise £625 to cover the rent in advance basically. Could I get a crisis loan to do this? I work full time just don't have the full deposit. If I find nowhere to live I will be homeless. Any help appreciated.
  14. Just found a post on here that would suggest you have to wait 2 weeks after a sanction before you can apply for a crisis loan, my sanction ends tomorrow and i don't sign till next week hence i have a week to wait but looks like i won't be able to even apply for a loan, anybody know?
  15. Sanction finishes next week. But don't sign on again till week after so will be waiting 1.5 weeks(after the start of next week) to get any money. Just wondering though, as have been rejected for a crisis loan in the past, will they not say to you how have you survived during your sanction, which i used food banks and the very little food i had here, also my elec will run out next week. Will they not say well you lasted during your sanction so you can just wait a while longer, what's the best way of presenting your case? Technically i could keep using food banks but i will have no elec soon.
  16. Last year me and my partner had some issues (homeless twice! and jobless and JSA delaying payments) so we were forced to take some crisis loans. We started to pay them back in Jan when we signed onto JSA again after working and then losing our jobs. The payments stopped for reasons we still do not know. I found out I was pregnant in Decemeber so a few weeks ago we applied for income support as advised by jobcentre. The claim was taking so long to process that we had to get a crisis loan for food which was accepted. I have no qualms about paying back the money I owe (I borrowed it so I am more than willing to pay it back) I'm just wondering it it would be possible to delay the repayments until after the baby is born in a few weeks time? This is my first child and we have a million things to do and pay for. Does anyone know if this would be possible?
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