The next meetings scheduled to take place are the Annual Parish Meeting followed by the Annual Council Meeting. These will take place on Tuesday 10 May 2022 starting at 7.30pm in the Meeting Room of the Nigel Copping Community Building
About Citizen's Advice
This update provides an overview of:
- how Citizens Advice East Herts are helping the local East Herts community;
- key upcoming changes to support available for those affected by the pandemic; and
- opportunities to find out more about their latest research.
A reminder of who Citizens Advice East Herts are and what they do
Citizens Advice East Herts is a local charity providing free, independent and confidential advice to anyone who needs it. They’re there to help people find a way forward.
They can help by phone, email, video, online and in person. View all the info on their advice options.
Universal Credit cut – support available
The £20 uplift to Universal Credit ended on 6 October 2021, alongside the end of furlough and a rise in energy bills for many. This meant Universal Credit payments dropped by around £85 a month, pushing 2.3 million people into debt (Citizens Advice research). CA have been campaigning, along with many others, for the uplift to be made permanent but as this looks unlikely they’re now turning attention to promoting some of the support available for people affected:
- East Herts Council is offering some support for people affected by the pandemic – see the East Herts Council website
- Citizens Advice can refer people to their local foodbank for a food parcel – just contact Citizens Advice using these options
- They have an online benefits calculator that can help people check if they’re entitled to more support
- They can give advice on a range of topics, including what to do if you can’t pay your bills
How the pandemic is affecting people locally
They’ve published a number of research reports recently on the impact of the Covid pandemic in East Herts. You can find them on the Citizens Advice East Herts website.
Their latest research looks at the growing challenge of food poverty – an issue that they have sadly seen become more of a daily reality for many people post pandemic and which they expect to worsen as we head into winter. The held a webinar on the impact of the Universal Credit cut and the rise in food and fuel poverty on 12th October 2021 and gave an opportunity to hear from residents and local Foodbank representatives about some of the challenges facing the community and how they are helping, with space for discussion.
Online Referrals
Frontline, the new online referral tool for East Herts which was launched earlier this year, is helping to provide a “one front door” service for local residents to access advice and support — whatever their issue. If you’ve not yet done so why not take a look at the East Herts Frontline website– it’s free to join and has over 50 local services registered. If you would like to find out more about how it works please email Amy at info@frontlineuk.org.uk.