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  1. Hello, I will be grateful if you can please help me if there is something I can do with this notice please. On 23/12 I went to Kensington high street, whilst looking for parking space I saw a sign (attached) and empty space saying No stopping at any time except 7 am - 4 pm, P for 30 minutes. I safely parked my car which was left there for about 15 minutes. I then returned and made way home. I am now in receipt of this notice (attached). I went back there and saw two conflicting signs and wonder if I could successfully challenge it or it was just my sheer stupidity :/ Thank you for your help in advance.
  2. When I was caught using my mom's freedom pass, 'the caution' was read to me AFTER I answered all the questions and was asked to sign the notes. I was NOT asked to review the notes just to sign. Is it how it is supposed to be done? After the questions and my signature the caution followed and I just felt sick. The officer offered free legal advice but I refused because I was mentally and physically unable to continue. Can I still request free legal advice should I go to court? I think I wasnÂ’t informed that I DID NOT have to answer the questions WITHOUT legal adviser. My mind is pretty fuzzy on the above but this is what I remember. In hindsight I would have answered everything with a free lawyer but to be honest I think I answered everything truthfully anyway... but: Was the caution read to me legally in this order? Should I mention it in my apology letter? With a case number saying to fill in the form on the reverse of the letter with plead guilty or not guilty within 10 days – no intention to prosecute yet. I intend to plead guilty because I did commit this offence. If I accept committing the offence I need to provide any exceptional reasons as to why they should not prosecute me. They stopped me just after I crossed the tube gates at Northolt station so I didn't have a chance to actually make any journey. After all the questioning they let me out and I went back in using my credit card. I only have 4 days to reply as I only received it today (I was checking the post ever since the incident – it took them only 4 days to write it to me – is it a bad sign?) so I only have a week to reply L. So please can you help me understand: What the legal consequences will be? I am talking about worst case scenario. I am pretty sure I will be prosecuted, will be given a criminal record, huge fine (how much do you think?) but will not be jailed as this is my first offence? Or am I wrong and can get to prison? Will my employer need to know? Will I get fired? If this happens can I appeal and how? [*]My exceptional reasons (I guess these are the mitigating circumstances) is my mental illness. I have suffered from depression, anxiety, associated disorders and side effects caused by being on antidepressants for about 10 years – all is GP documented. As a result I have suffered from frequent serious disorders – just imagine the worst for a depressed person as I donÂ’t feel like providing such details. In addition I recently started a therapy to stop smoking and the side effects of the medicine are severe and are not helping my mental state. Especially the last 2 years have been very hard for me, I lost my job, my person life crumbled, I had difficulty getting out of bed and so onÂ… and finally 3 weeks ago I found a job (which again added a lot of stress as I want to keep it at all costs) and I was caught only after 2 weeks of working. [*]I was asked if it was my first time: I honestly donÂ’t know and this is what I answered. My mom and I keep exchanging bags and stuff and I have been too stressed out to check which card I had in my bag – they have the same cases. So the worst case scenario is that I have been using it since January/February this year but irregularly like 1-3 times a week or weeks of not using it at all. [*]‘the cautionÂ’ Was read to me after I answered all the questions and was asked to sign the notes. I was not asked to review the notes just to sign. Later came the caution and I just felt sick. He offered free legal advice but I refused because I was mentally and physically unable to continue. I think I wasnÂ’t informed that I didnÂ’t have to answer the questions without legal adviser. My mind is pretty fuzzy on the above but this is what I remember. In hindsight I would have answered everything with a free lawyer but to be honest I think I answered everything truthfully anyway but: Was the caution read to me legally in this order? I.e. after I answered all the questions and was asked to sign the notes without reviewing them? ​ [*]Apology letter I intend to write everything that happened, the card/bag mix up, my mental issues, plead guilty, apologise, ask not to be prosecuted, not to get a criminal record, settle out of court, offer the payment of all the associated fees and penalty etc. Does it sound right? Should I add something about the caution that to me should have been read at the beginning? Should I add anything else to help my case? ​ Thank you very much for reading this! As you can imagine I am losing my mind, I am scared, terrified I overmedicate so that I donÂ’t have to thinkÂ… any words of wisdom will help so please, I am begging you help me if you can.
  3. Hi All, I have recently (in the last two days) been subject to a second hearing for possession of my home by Swift Advances. We've had two hearings. First hearing the CC judge ordered that we investigate the excessive interest on our account and get clear explanation from Swift as to why they have charged an account management fee every month since the year 2007 to date--totalling £5267.00. We investigated to the best of our affordability to no avail. However, Swift advances made a statement over the phone to me (i quote) "We at Swift will never charge you a fee as long as you make a payment on the account" this obviously is not the case. The judge at this first hearing was utterly confused how a £31000 loan can now be worth £52000 even after paying monthly for the best part of the last 10 years. She challenged Swift's Solicitor asking him how they can justify a loan that can never be paid back within the remaining terms...he had no comment. Hence her adjourning the case for 30 days to allow us to investigate. Second hearing the judge still not satisfied with our investigation into the charges and the lack of knowledge of the charges from Swifts solicitor...has DENIED their possession order against us. Stating it was unfair on their part. We have now contacted the FOS with the case and are seeking further legal advice to hopefully get all the charges rescinded. You never know they may even force the close of the loan due to swift advances treating us unfairly in accordance with COBS. Watch this space!!!!!!!!!
  4. I hope I can explain this so you understand, My mother past away on the 30th of January 2018. Pension was originally paid to my father until his death where a part pension was then paid to my mother. She was until 20 months ago receiving the pension payment that was stopped by Capita because they didn’t receive a response to a letter they sent her. I guess it was a prove your still alive letter but that’s just a guess on my part. County Council social services department contacted Capita to inquire as to the missing payments and they advised that a family member needed to send a change of address to capita which was done on a couple of occasions. No acknowledgement or response at all to these letters. Payments have not been made for 20 months despite no change in bank details. My mother was placed into a nursing home two years ago suffering from dementia and relied on that pension payment to pay her residential care needs and was assessed by social services using her pension payment from them included in that assessment. Not receiving payments resulted in financial hardship up to the day she died. I was not made aware of any of this until my mum passed away. I intend to claim back all money not paid to her until her death. Where it can at least go somewhere to paying some of the funeral costs. Any thoughts on this from my good friends here on CAG. Cheers.
  5. Sent my appeal off with some brief details of why i was appealing , Had a Letter from DWP confirming that they received my appeal, and about how much ESA i will get until it's heard, But so far over 1mth since requesting the full written statement of the Atos wca Form IB /ESA85, But so far i have not been sent it, The person that i recently spoke with from DWP ,Confirmed that they could see that i had previously requested it, but could not understand why i had not yet received it, What can be done to force them to supply this info,(assuming it actually exists) ?
  6. Hey guys...Happy belated Easter I need your help and advice. All your information is highly appreciated. I was driving in the morning(3rd of Feb) when I was suddenly pulled by police. Police stopped me because their system showed up that I did not have an insurance. I was trying to prove that I had an insurance but I could not. To make it short, they seized my car and took it to the compound which then I had to pay £150 to take it out. I had to provide Insurance Certificate in order to take the car. Nevertheless, in order to take the car of compound - the car must be insured for 28 days(e.g If I want to pick up the car from compound on 1st of Feb - I need to make sure I have insurance till 29th of Feb). Surprisingly, they released my car even though my insurance was only left for 23 days(which means less than required 28 days). For my insurance, I paid annually so I insured my car on 24 or 25 February 2016, however the car was Audi A3 S Line. After, when I bought BMW, which was in October 2016, I transferred the insurance from Audi to BMW. When I bought my car, BMW, it had the number plate [redacted]. I changed the number plate on [redacted] and I told to insurance that I will change the number plate but when I changed it I forgot to confirm to them. However, I told to DVLA straight after I changed my number plate and I received all the documentation V5C, etc. Also, I am the number plate owner. I am about to get 6 penalty points and £300 fine for 'no insurance' even though I had an isnurance, however if I provide Indemnity Letter my case/fine will be dropped. If I don’t pay fine I will have to go to court - which is due 30th of April:|. I contacted insurance company and they said that the mistake is from my side therefore they won’t provide an indemnity letter. Brokers called One Call Insurance, however the actual company is XS Direct - they are arrogant as hell. I contacted Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) for help, and they are investigating my case but the problem is that I even do not know what to expect from them. I have been waiting for investigations since Feb 4th(first waiting for the insurers and now FOS). I am very lost, please help! What shall I do? My court is due 30th of April 2017
  7. Hi To cut a long story short. I had a business that went bust. One supplier managed to gain a CCJ against me 4 years ago. The invoices were in my name and not the Ltd companies name, hence why i have the CCJ against me. My problem is how long can the HCE officers chase the debt for. I know that a CCJ lasts for 6 years after which it is removed from my credit file. But what about the debt. I have paid some monies towards it over the 4 year period, but havn't paid anything for the last 6 months. They don't know were i live as i moved from the property i was in. I have spoken to the solicitor for the supplier about the debt and explained that it wud b easier to go bankrupt than try and pay it back, as the interest and costs are adding more to the debt than what i can afford to pay back. The latest statement says they are charging me 29p per day for a walking possession, i find this hard to believe as they started this in August as this was the last visit. I wasnt even living at the property at the time. Quite happy to put the figures up as i do not trust what the costs are from the HCE firm. Any help would be appreciated.
  8. My DLA was recently stopped (didn't even bother to try or PIP as I know I had no chance). Well today I got a "revised"calculation of my housing benefit due to my DLA being stopped, and it's gone down by over £30 a week? I'm confused by this. I didn't think DLA was means tested and I don't understand how I'm expecting to pay more now that I'm worse off? Does anybody have any knowledge on this that can help please?
  9. http://www.spanglefish.com/sugarandspicetheshop/index.asp?pageid=609834 I ordered wool from the above web site, have before and had no problems, contacted them via their FB page as I had not received the wool and got this reply...... Sugar & Spice Yarns Chat conversation start 09:41 Hi, I ordered some yarn from you on the 27th December can you please tell me if its been posted out please? Hi i don`t do the yarn anymore sorry and haven`t received any orders since last summer. O ordered from the website This person isn't receiving messages from you at the moment. They have also just closed the facebook page as well! I can not find any contact details other than via FB on the website
  10. " and i'll have one last drag, of one last cigarette. i don't want to die, no not just yet..." (song) had the 'last drag'. now i start (stop). on will power.
  11. You just couldn't make some of this stuff up, Why is this man who is also 60years old and registered Blind even being mandated to submit to the F2F farce WCA ? What is the point in it, He is extremely unlikely to ever regain his sight ,? So apart from it benefiting Maximus in another fee they can charge the DWP it's a waste of tax payers money this is an example of how flawed the system in place is http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/blind-man-benefits-axed-after-9380033
  12. Hello everyone. So, I had the dreaded WCA 'medical' 6 weeks ago and the brown envelope finally arrived yesterday giving me a grand total of ZERO points. Obviously annoyed with that, but I thought I'd read it all and came to the ESA65 which was a brief summary from the HCP's 'findings, thoughts, opinions' or something along those lines. All I can is wow. I mean, I've read around the forum, and was expecting there to be some sort of sillyness from the HCP, but I was gobsmacked with the bare faced lies that was written down. Things that didn't even happen were there, things that weren't even spoken about were there, things there were talked about weren't there. I've already contacted the BDC to inform them that I will be appealing. Was told to download the GL24 which I have done, and have also asked to be sent a copy of the ESA85. Hoping to get it by the end of the week or sometime next week at the latest (I can only hope). A couple of questions I have if anyone can help me. I would like to send the GL24 off tomorrow, does section 8 need to be have detailed reason(s) as to why I am appealing? Or would I short paragraph be enough to start the appeal process, whilst I gather further and supplementary evidence from GP and Consultants to be sent a little later. When I spoke to BDC on the phone, I informed them that my current MED3 certificate is still valid until mid July. They said that I don't need to send another MED3 certificate with the GL24 as long as before the current one expires that I send another one to cover the period after. Is this accurate? In regards to being put back onto the assessment rate whilst appealing, according to the BDC, it's an automatic process once they allow the appeal. Is it wise to still write that I wish to be put back onto the assessment rate on the GL24? Lastly (for now at least) when sending further/ supplementary evidence, does it all have to be sent within this one month period given for the appeal? Obviously, I can counter all the Lies and BS that the HCP spouted once I get the ESA85, which would be included as part of the evidence I expect to send them further down the line. Sorry if these questions are tedious ones, I just want to get things clear in my head, so I can get this process moving correctly without messing up. Thanks in advance for any and all help provided. Kind Regards
  13. The story comes from B&W, which I think the link is not allowed, so instead linking to the Welfare News Service report of it, hope that's ok, this is an important story: https://www.facebook.com/WelfareNewsServiceUK
  14. I signed on just this past Tuesday and today I checked my bank account and find that my JSA payment has not been issued. I am wondering as to why my work coach did not tell me at the time I signed on, as, surely there must have been some information on the system to say that it had been stopped ??? And why did he allow me to sign on if that is the case ???
  15. Hi everyone, Any help or advise on where to go on this would be most welcome please as it's a battle I've been fighting for just over 6 years, without a break, and I NEED to get the Pension Service to put right the ultra vires decision (on the wrong legislation) and recieve the back pay owed. I am 110% correct in my findings from both DMG and legislation, the Pension Service are completely wrong and no-one will look at it. I list below a copy of the letter I have last sent, a brief outline of events leading to the wrongful withdrawal, by the Pension Service (PS), of allowable housing costs, with evidence. Brief Background History As a result of a divorce and Court proceedings an order was issued for me to acquire my ex-husband’s share in the house within a specified time limit of the Divorce. We had a joint mortgage for £30000 on our home. I had to remortgage (i) to redeem the original mortgage balance of £27108 and (ii) add £22500 equity acquisition to be paid to my ex-husband’s solicitors within a Court-specified time limit and (iii) to cover legal aid and other acquisition costs involved. However the costs amount was not only unknown but unexpectedly delayed until late 2008 because of solicitor errors. There was absolutely no problem with IS and they let me know that acquiring my ex-husband’s equity share in the house was an allowable housing cost. I received housing costs as Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI), paid direct to lender, as part of IS. The relevant letter from Wendy Steele, IS Decision Maker dated 02.06.06 quoted: “The Income Support (General) Regulations 1987, No. 1967, Sch 3, para 4(6)(a), 15(1), 16(2), DMG 29825”. After my having to involve the Law Society regarding solicitor error and resulting Legal Services Commission (LSC) error, they were resolved in my favour and as a result the LSC wrote and apologised for their error and issued the amount of legal costs to be paid back for legal aid of £5875. There was also a £500 arrangement fee and £350 broker’s fee which had to be added to the legal aid bill of £5875 making basic acquisition costs of £6725. In August 2007, on reaching age 60, I was transferred from Income Support to Pension Credit and housing costs, including the equity acquisition of my ex-husband’s share of the home, remained the same without question, as confirmed in writing by the Pension Service (PS) State Pension Credit Regs, Schedule 2, para 11, DMG 78407 – 78410. However they failed to allow the full original mortgage redemption of £27,108 because evidence had been burned by my ex-husband so I had no proof of full allowable costs, e.g. conservatory (est) £4200). Only £17776.66 was allowed as per receipt evidence. Since the beginning of the re-mortgage IS (and later the PS) were advised of the delay in submitting legal costs because of solicitor and LSC errors but after the acquisition costs were established, late 2008, I requested that the PS added these costs to my SMI now that the matter was resolved and the amount was known. I repeated the request for acquisition costs to be added several times between late 2008 and July 2009 because each request was ignored. In response to yet another request to add costs, in July 2009 “Abdul” (no surname given), instead of adding acquisition costs to SMI, informed me that I was not allowed to acquire an interest in my home and that SMI for it was stopped! The reason given was that the PS had made a mistake. This error of one lone PS employee caused the whole fiasco from which I have suffered very badly. His error opposed all correctly decided housing costs by IS and PS Decision Makers and all other current Government information whether written or online and Case Law and this miscarriage of justice to my very great detriment has not been addressed or corrected! I appealed which was denied. I telephoned IS who were at a loss as to know why the PS had stopped SMI because acquiring an interest in my home was an allowable housing cost. Buying out an ex-partner (my case) is even exampled in detail in Decision Makers Guides (DMGs) (78405, 78407, 78409) and clearly specified in other Government information and Case law. I have struggled without ceasing to get this miscarriage of justice corrected whilst my financial situation has become more and more extremely serious. This goes against the very reason for the legislation being passed in the first place. I repeatedly requested specific responses to the following because these were all correctly applicable to my case as initially determined by both IS and the PS: (i) the relevant legislation (SPC Regs 2002, Schedule 2, para 11), (ii) the relevant DMGs 78405, 78407, 78409, (iii) all current online and documented Government information and (iv) all relevant Case Law The specific responses were not addressed and, because of my persistence in trying to get the PS unlawful disallowance of legislated housing costs reversed, I was told by the PS that I would no longer be responded to except by way of acknowledgement of my correspondence. I have been disgracefully treated, dismissed and ignored over a long period of time. I have been denied any opportunity to represent myself at any interview, local or otherwise despite repeatedly explaining the extremely severe financial difficulties and anxiety/distress caused to me by the PSby the refusal to address the specific issues raised which would have resulted in reinstatement of my housing costs. Would you very kindly urgently look at the simple and uncomplicated facts relevant to my claimant category (residential homeowner acquiring an interest in my home) and the applicable legislation relevant to it, SPC Regs 2002, Schedule 2, para 11, the DMGs that apply to Schedule 2, para 11, 78405, 78407, 78409 and if necessary confirmatory Government information and Case Law and reinstate my housing costs from the unlawful disallowance. I am happy to supply any information and/or documents should they be required. To avoid any complication in looking at the above request, I would add that I am not and never have been a renter and therefore I have never been in receipt of housing benefit via the local council. I have only re-mortgaged once to acquire my ex-husband’s share in my home by Court Order. My case is very simple and straightforward: I am a residential homeowner acquiring an interest in my home which is an allowable housing cost as per: State Pension Credit Regs 2002, Schedule 2, para 11: Loans on residential property 11.—(1) A loan qualifies under this paragraph where the loan was taken out to defray monies applied for any of the following purposes— (a)acquiring an interest in the dwelling occupied as the home; or (b)paying off another loan to the extent that the other loan would have qualified under head (a) above had the loan not been paid off. (2) For the purposes of this paragraph, references to a loan include also a reference to money borrowed under a hire purchase agreement for any purpose specified in heads (a) and (b) of sub-paragraph (l). (3) Where a loan is applied only in part for the purposes specified in heads (a) and (b) of sub-paragraph (1), only that portion of the loan which is applied for that purpose shall qualify under this paragraph. The mandatory guidance referenced to the legislation above and which Decision Makers are obliged to follow is DMGs, 78405 – 78409 as copied below. Note: The suspension of IS from 6th March 2006 to 10th May 2006 referred to above (on the screenshot from the Pension Service dated 2010) was due to the remortgage funds being released through my bank to pay my ex-husbands solicitors for the acquisition. This is normal banking procedure and the money was paid out immediately. A decision maker decided that the remortgage funds constituted savings and therefore I wasn’t entitled to any Income Support or housing costs. This inappropriate decision was readily acknowledged by the people I spoke to at the IS department but I still had to go through the process of Tribunal to get this folly reversed by 10th May. None of the above circumstances (screen-shot) relates to a residential homeowner acquiring an interest in the home. That legislation is found in SPC Regs 2002, Schedule 2, para 11 and DMGs 78405, 78407, 78409. None of the DMG in the PS screenshot refer to acquiring an interest in the home or to Schedule 2, para 11. The DMGs which reference para 11 have been omitted by the PS and the PS Decision Maker has justified his error with irrelevant and unreferenced DMGs and faulty reasoning based on legislation totally inapplicable and irrelevant to my case. This Decision Maker’s faulty reasoning can be seen on examination. He stated above that increases are only allowable in points 1-5 listed. This is an error and the descriptions of points 1 and 2 above especially shows no understanding of the legislation. In point 1 above there is no increase in housing costs in a relevant period (1994/5 legislation brought in to prevent up-marketing by a full homeowner taking out a loan (e.g. change of lender, equity release) to either stay in the same home or move to a different one. The housing costs payable currently will not be increased. There is no relevance to acquiring an interest in the home in this provision of Schedule 2, para 5(7)(a)(b). This legislation is not interchangeable with Schedule 2, para 11 and cannot be applied to para 11. DMGs clearly reference each one and neither is interchangeable. In point 2 above there is no increase in housing costs in a relevant period (1994/5 legislation brought in to prevent up-marketing by changing from renting to buying in a relevant period. If a renter acquires an interest (becomes owner/co-owner Rent to Buy Scheme especially) then he must qualify by being in receipt of housing benefit payable to renters via the local council the week before the acquisition and the amount of SMI payable direct to lender will not exceed the amount of housing benefit previously paid via the local council. There will not be an increase in housing costs allowable. This legislation is not interchangeable with Schedule 2, para 11 and cannot be applied to para 11. DMGs clearly reference each one and neither is interchangeable. In points 3 and 4 above the circumstances have to be individually determined by the Decision Makers and some increase in housing costs can be allowable. In point 5 above other housing costs specifically exclude involvement of para 11 (residential homeowners acquiring an interest in the home) and there is no reference to para 11 in the relevant DMG. Many thanks and I would be so grateful for any help on how to get this sorted as I'm just hitting my head on a brick wall with every letter written. TPP x
  16. I have a query relating to a situation my partner finds herself in. This is happening in Scotland if it makes a difference. A little background first to let you know why we find ourselves in this position: My partner rents a house at the moment and the tenancy is managed by a letting agency. She has lived in the property for around 6 years, slightly more, and in January this year renewed her tenancy for a further 6 months. She did this knowing we were about to begin looking for our first home together, however we both felt it was a good idea to give ourselves some time without having to worry about a roof over her head. At the time of renewing she inquired with the letting agency whether a shorter-term lease might be available but was told 6 months was the minimum they would offer. She agreed to that, however she was told that at any time she could pay them £180 to readvertise the house. If they found another suitable tenant the tenancy would transfer and she would no longer be liable for the remaining rental period. We thought that seemed a bit steep but agreed. Move forward a month and we have quite unexpectedly found a house we love, we've bought it and get the keys in a few weeks time. As a consequence my partner popped into the letting agency, paid the £180 and they readvertised the house. Within a day they found someone who wanted the house and paid a holding deposit. As far as we know they haven't signed any formal agreement yet, however the letting agency are no longer advertising the house. I'm finally getting to my question you'll be delighted to hear. We checked with the letting agency about what would happen if this new tenant pulled out. We were more than a little shocked to hear that they plan to hold my partner liable for the rent up to the end of the 6 month period. That probably seems quite reasonable, except that she paid her £180, they readvertised for less than 24 hours and found a new tenant. Can they really take her money, essentially not readvertise the house, yet continue to hold her liable?
  17. Hello, I went to sign at the Job Centre last Friday 8th April 2016 and was told that my claim had been ended. The adviser said that they had sent me a letter out on 23rd February 2016 requiring me to attend the Job Centre on the 31st March 2016. I told them that I had not received such letter and so was not aware of the request. The adviser suggested I do a rapid reclaim. I tried to do a rapid reclaim at on the internet and the DWP indicated that my area code requires me to claim Universal Credit now. So it looks like I will lose 8 days of my JSA plus a weeks 'waiting' for the Universal Credit as they don't pay for the first 7 days! Therefore I stand to lose at best 15 days of benefit. Do You think they are trying it on? I would greatly appreciate any advice you could give on this matter. Thank you, Nigel
  18. I was in receipt of E.S.A and was attending back-to -work interviews. during the interview I was pressurised to apply for voluntary work as part of my entitlement. I informed the person interviewing me that I was already doing voluntary work at the church on a Tuesday lunchtime, where I clear tables etc. Shortly thereafter, I was sent for a medical, during which I was asked about my work capabilities. I explained that my condition was stress-related and went into some detail about how it affects my ability to work on any given day.This has never been a problem previously, and my E.S.A claim has continued. I was informed that since I hadn't scored a record 15 points, the level needed in order for the claim to continue, the decision was taken to stop it. I was told to apply for J.S.A, which at £146.20 per fortnight, is a lot less than I was previously getting on E.S.A, where I was receiving £214.70 per fortnight. I still believe my claim should not have been stopped, as I am almost certain that the reason is because I informed them, albeit unwittingly, about the voluntary work I was doing at the church, for which I received a free lunch. Any advice much appreciated
  19. Hi all, I just heard this from my friend and I would be greatly appreciated if anyone could offer some suggestions of what other supports she could claim please. My friend was made redundant last year Sept, after spent months of searching for another job but to no avail, she started to claim for JSA in last year Nov. She has then tried very hard to cope with the demands from the JSA advisers in order to make sure that she received the basic fund supports from the gov. In Dec she was suddenly asked to sign on every week then every day instead every fortnight which she raised no objections. She was asked to attend various training & meetings which she did & on time & prepared, although she hardly found any of them really help. She has phone calls from the agencies all the time and had 4 interviews last year, 2 of which she reached the final stage. She really just needs an opportunity. Anyway around last year Christmas time, she went to the JC and prepared to sign on again. Everything was alright in the morning. However in the late afternoon she suddenly received a phone call from the adviser asking her to return to the JC because she had "some questions" about her claim and needed to see her again. Then when she got back to the JC she was told that they think "she did not do enough to look for a job" and decided to sanction her for that. She of course disagreed with the decision and raised an appeal immediately and submitted all the job searches proof to support her claim. - So far still waiting for an result for that. In January, although she received no funds from the gov she still went & signed on with JC on time, with the expectation that they would refund the money to her once her appeal won. However thing is actually getting worse. She now stops claiming the JSA because she could not cope with the pressure from the JC adviser anymore. When she went to JC the adviser always said that they did not think that she was actively looking for a job and asking her to fill out some forms to prove that she did (-they never really tell her why they think so, but just told her to fill out the forms). She did it in the very first instances and then finally she reached the point- Instead of filling out the forms provided by the JC she wrote on the form that she requested a written explanation of why she was given the forms, she also described what she did to look for a job and explained why she think she has tried her best to look for a job. Sadly the outcome for this was quite ..... The JC adviser after a quick read of what she'd wrote, she went& showed it to her manager(?), she then returned to her saying that it was rubbish, and then showed her some forms saying that either to fill out those forms again or sign the forms on the desk to confirm that she would like to stop her JSA claim (?!). She was so angry & sad for all of these, she refused to sign on the forms and since then she never return to the JC. She is a very lovely lady and to be honest I never saw her having any arguments with anybody. After I heard this I decided to type it up here & hopefully some of you could kindly offer some suggestions of what other supports she could possibly get without the JSA. Would she still able to claim help on rent etc? Thank you really much for your help on this in advance!
  20. Hello everyone, I recently stopped my claim for JSA, I am still unemployed and my wife works part time. However, my father died in July last year and between my brother and I we received inheritance from the house and savings etc. This money took my savings over the threshold for benefits. So, I stopped my claim as I wasn't receiving any money and it hardly seemed worth going through the Jobcentre motions to claim nothing! Now, my question is, (and I can't seem to get through on any number for the NI or Pensions that the JCP gave me) would my leaving the JSA stop or change my pension? I worked for 20 years paying Income based contributions and then signed on for the last 6 or 7. The JCP advisor said if there was a problem I could sign on for "credit only" JSA? Would I need to do this, or can I just pay NI contributions myself while I'm looking for work? Any advice and help appreciated, thanks in advance! Andy
  21. Could I ask please. I bought a tumble dryer online from Co Op electrical 4 months ago. A week and a half a go it just stopped working. I called AEG the manufacturer, the chap got me to press several buttons in sequence so he could see what the fault was. Seemed to think circuit board had gone. I called Co op, they said I have to have an engineer sent out to fix it. They were supposed to show today but called to cancel saying the part had not arrived and don't know when it will. I called Co Op again and told someone would call me back, but that did not happen as promised. I tried quoting them the under 6 months old and deemed to have the fault from new and would like it replaced, but they said no has to have an engineer to fix it. So I've waited a week and a half already and no idea how many more weeks before an engineer can visit. I've got wet washing hanging everywhere! Any pointers to how I should proceed with this appreciated. Ideally I just want a new one, if its gone wrong in 4 months it does not bode well. Many thanks
  22. Landowner defending their agent because it's all about the money.... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3284772/Driver-gets-100-fine-stopped-double-yellow-lines-just-23-seconds-ask-directions.html
  23. Hi guys, Was/Am on ESA income related, Support Group AND DLA Middle care component. Recieved a letter today from my council advising me that my housing benefit was suspended coz of my ESA claim had been terminated. I started full time college in Aug; and took out a student loan. I was advised by the student loan company that they had informed the DWP that there was a change in my circumstances. I noticed a couple of weeks ago I was being overpaid ESA. I contacted them, informed them again that I was at college, full time and had taken a student loan out. I went to my local jobcentre and provided relevant details, including my fees; my loan payment schedule etc. I have heard nothing from the DWP, I have not been advised of a fraud investigation, asked to attend a medical. So what the hell is going on? Surely if they have terminated my ESA on the basis Im fit for work.....then my DLA would be terminated as well? I have not an assessment, a medical or any other contact with the ESA; nor have I had any correspondance from them, no phone calls, emails, letters or texts.
  24. Hi Quick bit of advice. Earlier this year I was awarded 3 year ESA in support group due to Fibromyalgia and Functional Neurological disorder along with severe depression. I have been on every antidepressant my dr with prescribe and i'm being seen by mental health services, im also on Butrans patches for pain. Anyway been paid fine every since the award until 13th August when the payments just stopped, no letter, no phone calls nothing just no money. I have phoned the hotline a few times and they always say I can't see any reason on my system for not paying, i'll email another department and they will call back later the same day. Of course i've never had a phone call back. In the meantime the local job centre wrote to my wife inviting her in for a work related interview which is odd because she's self employed and does a little work here and there when it comes in makes no more than £500 a year after expenses. Anyway I wrote back to the job centre explaining she can't get there because we haven't had any money and the job centre is a 25 mile round trip, I made it quite clear it was not a refusal to attend but just not right whilst they are in breach of their side of the "contract". JCP have written back putting the appointments on hold indefinitely until they start paying me again, still no explanation why they are not paying. I've written a complaint and sent that in asking what is going on that was nearly 3 weeks ago, heard nothing. My MP has written to them again nothing. Am at my wits end over it, i'm not good on the phone when dealing with things like this because I am easily confused due to the neurological issues and I have a phobia of the damn thing so I rarely answer it unless I know who is calling. On top of the ESA problem, I returned our child tax credit renewal to HMRC and they have ignored it and rolled salaries over from last year meaning they have invented a £25,000 income we don't have slashing our tax credits down to £79 a month. So at the moment all we're getting is £79 ctc and £137 child benefit to pay for 2 adults and 2 young children. My wife and I visit the community cafe every thursday for a free hot meal to save a bit of money that way but to be honest i'm just getting to the point of snapping over all of this along with the car problems (posted in garage area) and these 2 problems (i'm hoping HMRC screw up is what has stuffed up my ESA but I have no idea on that!) Permanently on the brink of tears and feel so depressed. On top of my usual pains and problems im now losing a lot of weight because I am vomiting several times a week for now apparent reason when it happens sickness lasts 24-48 hours where I can't keep anything down, drs don't know whats causing that either/ Really feel like it's not worth bothering anymore just feel so under someones boot. We're only just managing to put food on the table at the moment let alone paying any bills. Does anyone have any advice on where I go from here i've written to everyone giving them the correct info but no one seems to be listening. I can prove that the DWP have never called back because I have extensive phone call logs showing they haven't called (no withheld numbers called either)
  25. Hi All, My head is all of the place at the moment due to letters from HMRC's Tax Credit Office. I will give you some background info. I have been claiming WTC, CTC and Housing Benefit since 2012 due to low income. I had been working just a few hours here and there. TBH, I deliberately kept the hours down as the total benefits outweighed any potential income. The " Benefit Trap" so to speak. Last year, I decided to go down the Self - Assessment route and contacted HMRC and was issued with an UTR. I have kept my official earnings at around 10K,so not to earn too much. In June this year, I received a letter stating that according to the WTC people my working hours were ' zero' and had been since May 2014.This is when I became "Self - employed". I requested a Mandatory Reconsideration. I received a reply about 7 weeks later saying I was not entitled to WTC because they have no record of my hours worked since becoming self- employed. They have requested further info 1. Copies of advertisements placed ( I have never placed any!) 2. A breakdown of the hours you worked in a week. ( I have a breakdown of the amount worked,but not the hours. Should I break this down to say an average of 27 hours a week over a month? ) 3.Invoices for any work you have done. ( haven't got any,but could work on that.) To add further woe, I was given until 14 August to provide this, but I only opened the letter last Friday as I had been out of the country for 5 weeks.... As I am sure some of you know for the Mandatory Reconsideration the HMRC give two options? 1. Choose this option if you DON'T want to proceed and withdraw the request and repay any over payments ... or 2. Choose this option ... and supply the requested information. I am tempted to go with option 1 as it seems like a lot of hassle,but have not decided yet. I want to call them tomorrow,but am seeking some advice here first. However, I think my biggest worry is potentially losing my HB. I live in London with my wife and child and this would be life changing. If I did choose Option 1 and ended my request for a Mandatory Reconsideration, would this affect my HB?? I know I am supposed to inform my local housing authority of any changed,but haven't. I seemed to have spun a right web for myself,however, writing this feels like the first step. Hopefully, some of you can advise? Thank you, Bothered One
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