Sheffield CAB Debt Support Unit

This April has seen the start of some social security benefits being claimed only through an online claim. We thought that we would take the opportunity of promoting UK Online centres that provide computers free for public use, and in many cases also offer free courses to improve computer skills.  You can find UK Online centres near to you on their website just by entering your post code. - UK Online website

Sheffield's Libraries also provide bookable free computer access to library members - see the Council website which also has library opening times.

You can obviously do other things with computer access, such as finding information that may help you sort out a query yourself without needing to see an adviser.  We recommend the Advice Sheffield website, and the CAB Advice Guide website.

There have been substantial changes in welfare benefits rates introduced this week, and we have published our new benefits rates sheets to coincide with this.

Download the benefits rates chart (385k, PDF).

For the first time we have the allowances for Universal Credit on the sheet, so Sir Ian Duncan Smith can work out what he would be living on if claiming.  Universal Credit is not scheduled for introduction in Sheffield until perhaps October.

However, other changes will affect many claimants in Sheffield:

- Council Tax Support replaces Council Tax benefit. All claimants of working age will have to pay at least 23% of their council tax, whether or not they are receiving the maximum benefit now;

- Local Assistance from the Council - instead of Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans from the Department of Work and Pensions.

 - Personal Independence Payments will eventually replace Disability Living Allowance for working age claimants.

- the rebate on Council Tax where you have a second adult (other than your partner) on certain benefits or a low income, will disappear for those below pension age(the single person discount remains).

- the 'bedroom tax' comes in for tenants of Sheffield Homes and housing associations - meaning you will get a 14% or 25% reduction in the rent eligble for housing benefit if the occupancy of bedrooms is below those set by Government.

The Annual Review of the DSU's activities for the financial year 2011-12 has now been published and you can download a copy from our annual reports page.

Staff from the DSU met with three Low Pay commissioners and their secretariat on 16th November to discuss issues connected to the minimum wage.

DSU staff raised a number of issues that are particularly affectingn its clients.  One of these was the increased use of ‘zero hours’ contracts where the employee does not know from one week to the next what work they will be offered.  In the worst scenarios, employees can travel to their workplace only to be told there is no work for them that day.  These contracts and variable hours can wreak havoc with benefit entitlements and drive employees into debt.