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JUNE- AUGUST 2013 POSTCARD FROM PARLIAMENT UPDATE FROM ROGER GODSIFF MP
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Roger opposes military intervention in Syria and calls for increased aid to Syrian refugees
A still from an amateur video shows a UN inspector examining a canister in the Damascus suburb hit by a suspected chemical attack. Photograph: AP
Roger voted against the Government motion to take military action in Syria, and he believes that the House of Commons made the right decision in refusing to authorise missing strikes. Roger said: “The priority must be to prevent further loss of life and protect the human rights of the people of Syria. I do not believe that the best way to do this is to launch missile attacks against a population which is already suffering the casualties and horrors of war.” Roger made the decision to vote against military action because he was concerned that strikes against Syria would only cause the conflict to escalate, possibly to the wider region, with the loss of yet more lives. Roger compared the rush to take a vote on military action against Syria to the run-up to the Iraq war, which lead to hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties. He said: “Have we learned nothing from the Iraq war, when the UK rushed into military action without waiting for a UN mandate? If the UK is to take any action it must follow the proper steps before doing so, and wait for a mandate from the UN Security Council.”
UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has called for more time to be allowed for peaceful and diplomatic methods, while the Arab League has opposed retaliatory strikes on Syria. There have already been reports of an increased flow of refugees leaving Syria, while Israel has started calling up reserve troops. Roger is concerned that missile strikes will worsen the
humanitarian crisis in Syria and threaten regional stability, and will fail to prevent further atrocities being committed against the people of Syria.
Roger is calling on the Government to take urgent action on humanitarian assistance, the provision of aid to refugees, and diplomatic pressure for a peaceful solution. He said: “The decision between doing nothing and firing missiles into Syria is a false one. We can and should act to help refugees, send aid to people who need it, and sanction a regime with no regard for the lives of its citizens.”
Roger condemns massacre of peaceful protesters in Egypt Roger has written to the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, to express his dismay at the ongoing carnage in Egypt, where hundreds of peaceful protestors have been killed since the military deposed then-President Morsi on 3 July. Roger urged the Government to use all the diplomatic means at its disposal to put pressure on the Egyptian military to end the violence against its own people, and restore civil liberties and democracy.
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Roger says: “While it is difficult for foreign countries to intervene in Egypt, there are steps the UK Government could take that would help to protect the lives of the Egyptian people. I have urged the Foreign Secretary to apply diplomatic pressure via the Egyptian embassy in the UK, to support the call by NGOs for the UN to be allowed access to Egypt, and to immediately cancel all arms export licenses to Egypt.” Roger has tabled a Parliamentary Question, asking the Government whether any of the UK arms export licenses to Egypt still stand and if they will provide a breakdown of the weapons and military equipment supplied to Egypt since the military dissolved the Egyptian Parliament in February 2011. Roger says: “I want to make sure that the UK is not helping to provide the Egyptian military with the equipment it is using against its own citizens.” You can read Roger’s letter to the Foreign Secretary here.
Go Home Advans repugnant and silly
Roger believes that the idea of putting offensive messages on the side of vehicles and then driving them around is both repugnant and silly and is nothing more than a gimmick to try and give the impression that the Government are seriously trying to deal with the issues of illegal immigration. He believes that this campaign should be ended. Asked to comment on ‘spot checks’, he believes that any such checks should be based upon reliable intelligence information and not carried out randomly.
He said: “There are unscrupulous organisations who make big profits out of hiring illegal immigrants on a pittance for a day’s work and if the Government was serious about addressing this issue then they would clamp down on the activities of such employers and, in doing so, they would be able to identify whether the persons being hired had an entitlement to be in the UK or not.” Roger says no to fracking and condemns tax breaks for shale gas drilling.
Roger has written to the Minister to protest against the Government’s plans to smooth the way for hydraulic fracturing for shale gas to take place commercially in the UK. Roger is concerned that fracking is unnecessary,potentially dangerous and will do nothing to cut
greenhouse gas emissions. He is also worried that the Government is rushing to implement fracking without taking the time to carry out a proper public consultation or risk assessment. The Treasury recently produced a consultation entitled A Fiscal Regime for Shale Gas, which slashes taxes on some fracking income by more than half. The Treasury itself admits that this tax regime as “generous”. Roger says: “Why has the Government decided to give tax breaks to this environmentally-destructive fossil fuel rather than invest in renewable energy sources?” As the UK’s shale gas reserves hold only the equivalent of two years’ supply, fracking is not a solution to the UK’s energy needs. Roger has written to the Minister, Nick Boles MP, urging him to ensure that a proper assessment is carried out, and people are given enough time to raise their concerns, before fracking is allowed to take place commercially in the UK. Roger says: “I have asked the Minister whether the Government will bring in a requirement for emergency shut-down plans for fracking, which is already in place for conventional hydrocarbon wells. I have also asked the Minister for an assurance that the Government will consider all possible risks before allowing fracking to take place, to ensure that the environment and public health are not put at risk.”
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You can read Roger’s letter to the Minister here.
Roger condemns Royal Mail sell-off
He said: “I believe that the sale will lead to worse and more expensive post services and a closure of the post Roger is totally opposed to the privatisation of the Royal Mail and the Post Office. He said: “I believe that the sale will lead to worse and more expensive post services and a closure of the post offices that rural areas rely on, along with fat profits for the banks which are orchestrating the sale.” Roger has written to the Minister responsible for the UK’s post services, Michael Fallon MP, expressing his concerns about the effects of the sale and his belief that this vital part of the nation’s heritage should not be flogged off to make money for the private sector. In his letter, Roger wrote: “My constituents and I are opposed to the sell-off because it will result in price increases and a decrease in rural services, as well as a possible loss of Post Offices. This will have severe consequences for businesses whose survival depends on Royal Mail, as well as rural or isolated areas which rely on their local Post Office. It will also mean the loss of a treasured part of our national heritage. People value the Royal Mail’s public-service tradition, and do not want to see this destroyed and their local Post Office closed down to make yet more cash for Goldman Sachs and UBS. I noted with interest that these two banks are expected to collect fees of £30m from the £3bn sell-off, and I do not feel that this is remotely justifiable.” Roger calls on the Government to end incompetent and unfair Atos assessments Roger was unsurprised by this week’s announcement by the Department for Work and Pensions that disability
benefit assessments carried out by Atos are of “unacceptably poor quality”.
Roger has previously called for a complete suspension of Atos assessments, which he described as “a benefits grab that destroys lives” back in November 2012. Roger says: "The announcement that the quality of the Work Capability Assessment is well below standard will come as a bitter-sweet acknowledgment to all those claimants who have suffered ignominiously at the hands of this organization. The whole point of organizations such as Atos is not to make a fair assessment in the best interests of the individual involved but to cut the benefits bill, for which they are paid handsomely.” Roger continued: “The mentally ill and those affected by intermittent conditions, with ‘good days and bad days’, have had a particularly rough time with Atos, adding further unnecessary stress and strain to those who have enough to cope with already. Over a long period of time disability groups have repeatedly brought these issues to the attention of both the previous Labour government and the Coalition. The lights have been on but nobody has been at home”. Last year Roger tabled Early Day Motion 714, which called for an immediate cessation of Atos work capability assessments following the death of a man who suffered a heart attack the day after his benefits were stopped, and called on the Government to overhaul the system before more people lost their lives. Roger says: “I urge the Government to act now to put disabled people’s lives before this company’s profits.” It has long been obvious that Atos assessments are unfit for purpose. Around 30% of those who are refused employment support allowance go on to appeal and are then granted the benefit. There have been more than 600,000 appeals since the WCA started, costing about £60m a year. This is a ridiculous waste of taxpayers’
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money, which would be much better spent on improving the lives of disabled people. Mark Hoban MP, the Minister of State for Work and Pensions, is planning to allow more companies to carry out assessments to “increase capacity”. However, Roger does not believe that allowing more profit-driven private companies to have a slice of the disability assessment pie will do anything at all to improve standards, or ensure disabled people are able to access the benefits to which they are entitled. Dr Mark Porter, chair of the British Medical Association, has the same opinion. He wrote to the Government saying that GPs should be asked to provide factual information for every assessment. Dr Porter also described the current process as “insufficiently rigorous and consistent” and the cause of “avoidable harm to some of the weakest and most vulnerable in society.” Roger says: “When will the Government start listening to doctors, disabled people and the taxpayer, and stop throwing money at a company which is incompetent at best?”
Credit Unions - an alternative to payday loans, says Roger Roger is concerned that people in Birmingham are turning to payday lenders for help when they run into financial difficulty or have a sudden expense, with the risk of running up massive fines and charges which can eclipse the size of the original loan. Roger would like to see an improved range of financial services become available, so people can access loans and other financial services from responsible providers whose business model is not based on exploitation.
Roger believes that credit unions, which are not motivated by profit alone, are an underused resource and a realistic alternative to payday loans and loan sharks. Roger says: “I am keen to promote access to local financial services, so that people are able to get help when they need it without having to pay astronomical interest rates. I support local credit unions and small banks, which invest local people’s savings back into Birmingham.”
Roger is hopeful that the Birmingham Fair Money campaign, which is part of Birmingham City Council’s Fair Brum campaign, will help to give people more credit and banking options. The campaign brings together organisations including Moneyline, a not-for-profit social enterprise that aims to provide access to affordable financial products for low-income families around the UK; local credit unions such as Citysave; and local not-for profit-finance companies including Aston Reinvestment Trust. From 1 October, Birmingham Council will provide Citysave with a pop up Birmingham Fair Money shop opposite branches of Money Shop and Cash Generators in a key location on the high street. This shop will give financial advice to people in Birmingham in the run-up to Christmas, and will direct people who need loans to responsible local lenders such as Moneyline or Citysave. It will also direct people for whom a loan would not be a good idea to debt advice charities such as StepChange. Roger says: “I hope that this pilot scheme is successful, and helps to steer customers away from predatory high-cost lenders”.
Find your local credit union at: http://www.findyourcreditunion.co.uk/home http://www.abcul.org/credit-unions
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There is also a helpline on 0161 832 3694, but you still need to check the rules to make sure you are eligible to be a member.
Payday Loans Advice: Govan Law Centre Payday Loan Survival Guide StepChange debt advice Govan Law Centre Office of Fair Trading Payday Lending Compliance Review Citizen’s Advice on payday lenders
Trident Replacement: " A complete waste of money" says Roger
Roger has made it clear that he does not believe there is a need for the British Government to replace its Trident missile system.
He said: “The situation in the world now is very different to what it was when there was a heavily armed Soviet Union in existence and the Cold War was at its height. The Soviet Union no longer exists and, indeed, many of its satellite countries, such as Poland and the Czech Republic, are now part of the collective mutual defence alliance within NATO. The threat to Western Europe and the United Kingdom is, therefore, an entirely different one today and this threat comes from indiscriminate terrorism and not from a battery of nuclear weapons aimed at the United Kingdom and Western Europe.”
He continued: “I believe Britain needs to maintain flexible armed forces in order to respond to these
different threats and to emergencies that occur and I am not convinced that there is a need for Britain to update its nuclear weapons capability not least because NATO, of which Britain is a long standing member, has the ‘nuclear shield’ of America which is also part of the NATO alliance.”
“It beggars belief that we can be slashing defence expenditure and armed services personnel at the same time as contemplating a replacement for Trident and other multi-billion pound projects such as HS2. The failure of the latter go ahead, we are led to believe, will single- handedly lead to economic decline because we won’t be able to get to Birmingham 30mins earlier.
What we should be addressing in the chronic shortage of housing in the country which would give the economy a welcome boost and stimulate employment. Instead of that we are getting all excited about carving up the English countryside at an ever increasing cost to the taxpayer whilst fuelling the next property bubble” he commented.
Roger has tabled and signed other Early Day Motions in the Commons opposing any proposal to replace Trident. He has also consistently voted against the proposal whenever it has been debated in the House.
EDM’s on Trident signed by Roger:
http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2008-09/1422
http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2009-10/380
http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2013-14/150
Roger disappointed by High Court bedroom tax ruling
Roger is worried about the effects of the bedroom tax on his constituents. He was disappointed by the 30th July High Court ruling which found that the bedroom tax does not unlawfully discriminate against disabled people. Roger does not believe that it is fair to make disabled people suffer the brunt of the cuts while the richest in society enjoy their most recent tax cut.
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Roger says: “My constituents have contacted me because they are so anxious about how the bedroom tax is affecting their families. A single mother with two young children, one of them with severe behavioural problems, was beginning to build up substantial rent arrears because of cuts in housing benefit resulting from both children needing a bedroom of their own. Birmingham Council eventually relented and agreed that the children needed separate rooms and full housing benefit was restored with arrears.”
The problems caused by the bedroom tax are not limited to disabled people. Roger is also concerned about the effects of the tax on people who are willing to move into a smaller property, but cannot because there are none available. These people may already be living
on very tight budgets, and cannot afford to pay the under-occupation charge. There have already been reports of parents skipping meals to try to make ends meet.
Roger says: “No one should be forced into homelessness just to prove an ideological point. Of course, in theory the taxpayer should not pay for unoccupied rooms in social housing. But in practice, either these rooms are being used to provide essential living space for disabled people or their carers or there are simply no smaller properties available for people to downsize into.”
Marketing on Maternity Wards
Roger is calling on the Government to take action to stop sales representatives from operating on NHS maternity wards, and has roundly condemned the commercialisation of NHS maternity wards and the invasion of families' privacy. He has also written to NHS trusts in Birmingham, asking them to review contracts with Bounty to protect the privacy of their patients.
At the moment, the Government permit private companies to use the public health service to target marketing at new mothers. He is particularly concerned that Bounty, a private company, is paying the NHS for access to wards and then selling on the data it has obtained. Roger believes that it is unacceptable for new mothers to be taken advantage of in this way. He has heard from his constituents who work for the NHS in Birmingham that their patients' privacy has been violated by Bounty sales staff during their stay in hospital, causing them distress at a crucial time. Roger has signed Early Day Motion 319, which calls on the Government to ensure that sales representatives are not allowed on to maternity wards, and that materials given to new parents by the NHS are not adverts in disguise. He has also tabled a question to the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, asking if the rules governing data protection have been contravened. “To ask the Secretary of State of Health if supplying personal contact data on new mothers on hospital wards to a private company such as Bounty contravenes the data protection act and should be referred to the Information Commissioner”. Roger is supporting Women-on-Boards “It is wrong that only 16% of board members of large publicly quoted companies are women, and I fully support the proposals by the European Commission”, says Roger.
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“There are more than enough high quality female candidates to fill these roles, if the right recruitment and promotion policies were in place.” The European Commission’s proposals, which are currently before the UK Parliament, would make it legally binding for there to be a quota of 40% of women on the boards of larger European companies.
Roger supports campaign to increase cycling
Roger has welcomed the recent news that the Dept of Transport has today approved a proposal by Birmingham City Council to deliver major improvements to cycling in the city. DfT has committed £17m towards this scheme, and expect a further £7.3m of local investment to be provided.
The proposals will provide improvements to 95-kilometres of existing routes and 115-kilometres of new routes for everyday cycling. Measures include segregated facilities, lower speed limits, off-road routes using canals/green spaces, bicycles and secure cycle parking. Roger said: “The Get Britain Cycling campaign received a welcome boost from Chris Froome’s win in the 100th Tour de France and I am delighted with this recent announcement of greater cycling provision in Birmingham”. The campaign endorses the target of 10 per cent of all journeys being by bike by 2025 and 25 per cent by 2050. It calls on the Government to introduce an annual Cycling Action Plan and sustained funding for cycling as part of an integrated transport plan.
Chris Froome crossed the Champs Elysees in Paris to claim the yellow jersey and the biggest prize in cycling.
Youth
services should be protected, says Roger
Roger has signed a petition calling for the cuts to the national youth service to be reversed. He said: “Youth services across the UK have been disproportionately cut as a result of the austerity measures introduced by the current coalition government. By 2015, youth service provision may have disappeared entirely in many parts of the country, and could certainly be the first public service to disappear.”
Roger believes that a well funded youth service is massively cost effective and beneficial, particularly when its cost is compared to the funding required to keep a young person in the criminal justice system, which amounts to more than £200,000 by the age of 16. It costs £35,000 per year to keep one young person in a young offender institution and £9,000 for the average resettlement package per young person after custody.
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Time to end the scandal of cold homes that damage health, says Roger.
Roger has signed a petition which calls on the Government to use the money it gets from our carbon taxes to make our homes super-energy efficient, driving down our energy bills forever.
He said: “Families are suffering huge financial hardship, and one in five households can’t afford to heat their homes. Cold homes are damaging the health of our most vulnerable citizens, including children and older people.”
“I want to see an end to the scandal of cold, inefficient homes and the harm they cause. Over 4.5 million UK households are now in fuel poverty, and I am happy to sign this petition which calls for an Energy Bill Revolution”. You can view the petition online at www.energybillrevolution.org.
Roger backs the ‘baby boomer generation’ to get the economy moving. Speaking to a group of retired people in his constituency in July, Roger Godsiff paid tribute to the contribution that over-50s were making to the UK economy. In particular he praised the over-50s, the “baby boomer generation”, for the contribution they have made since the financial crises took hold in 2007, and the fact that the spending power of the over-50s now accounts for almost half of UK household income and expenditure. Without this the UK economy would most certainly be sliding back into recession.
Roger said: “While the over-50s have, like everybody else, been hit by the financial crisis, their role in the economy is growing. They accounted for almost half of all UK household income and expenditure in 2012. “Without the “silver pound” spending power of the over-50s, which accounts for over half of UK household expenditure on food, health and recreation and culture, the economy would most definitely be back in recession. We should recognise the massive contribution that this group are making towards keeping the economy afloat during this extremely difficult time.”
Roger backs education to increase opportunity Roger is backing the Knowledge Economy and has signed Early Day Motion 413, Knowledge Economy, which calls for an increase in the proportion of national income we invest in colleges and universities. He said: “Fair access to education and training throughout life is an essential basis for a strong economy and a healthy society”. The cost of educational underachievement in the UK has been estimated by the Princes Trust at £22bn per generation, yet the UK spends less on education than many of its competitors. http://www.knowledgeeconomy.org.uk
Roger calls for quick roll-out of new Meningitis vaccine to avoid preventable deaths Roger is supporting the campaign to beat Meningitis B, the most common form of the disease in the UK. The campaign calls on the Government to act quickly to introduce the newly-licensed vaccine for this disease, which can have devastating consequences or even kill,
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and is particularly likely to affect children under five. The Meningitis Trust has called the new vaccine “the most significant step forward in the fight against
meningitis in recent years”. Roger has signed EDM 408, which calls on the Government to recognise that the vaccine’s effect would be optimised by its inclusion in the Routine Child Immunisation Schedule carried out by the NHS, and
to implement this as quickly as possible to help save lives. Roger said: “I am concerned about the impact of any unnecessary delay in the national roll-out of this vaccine. The last vaccine against a different type of meningitis was not introduced for more than five years, and the preventable meningitis cases which occurred during this time resulted in deaths and disabilities. I want to make sure that the Government do not allow this to happen again.”
Provide free school meals for more children living in poverty, says Roger
Roger is worried about the wellbeing of children in Birmingham Hall Green who are living in poverty but are not eligible for free school meals. Research by the Children’s Society found that 3,800 children in poverty are missing out on a free, nutritious meal each day, or 43% of the children in poverty in the constituency.
It was also reported last week that demand at food banks has soared across the country as families struggle
to feed their children during the long summer holidays when free school meals are not available.
Not all children from poor families are entitled to free school meals. If a parent who receives working tax credit works more than 16 hours per week (or 24 hours between both parents) their children are not allowed free school meals, even if they are living in poverty and struggle to provide their children with a nutritious lunch. Department for Education data shows that Birmingham is one of sixteen local authorities with full take-up of free school meals by those pupils who are eligible for them.
Roger says: “When children eat better, they do better in class. How can children who are hungry at school or have a poor diet reach their full potential? I am concerned that children in poverty in Birmingham are being denied a free school meal because their parents work. I am also worried that the criteria for entitlement create a perverse disincentive, penalising parents for finding work or increasing their hours.”
Although the Government plan to start rolling out Universal Credit in just two months, they have not yet decided who will be eligible for free school meals under the new system. However, they have stated that they do not plan to make free school meals available for all families receiving Universal Credit. It is expected that eligibility will be defined according to a certain income threshold.
Roger says: “I am anxious that entitlement to free school meals will not be significantly widened under universal credit, leaving some children in poverty hungry at lunchtime. I am also concerned that entitlement will be stopped completely at a certain income level, rather than tapered off.” Each child’s school meals cost around £370 per year. Unless entitlement is cut gradually rather than allowed to fall off a cliff-edge, a parent of two children on the minimum wage would have to work for an extra 120 hours, or nearly three and a half weeks, just to make up for the lost school meals.
Roger says: “Some countries, such as Sweden and Finland, provide free school meals for all children in compulsory education, not just those in poverty. Why can’t we make sure that no child goes hungry at
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lunchtime because their working parents can’t afford to buy them a nutritious lunch?”
The cost of extending free school meals to all children living in poverty in Birmingham would be around £1.4 million per year, a fraction of the current subsidy of more than £5m for restaurants in Parliament.
FCO’s condemnation of new Israeli settlements is welcome but ineffective says Roger.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office in Whitehall, London
Roger has welcomed the recent announcement by Foreign Office Minister, Alistair Burt, to condemn the recent decision by the Israeli authorities to advance plans for 1096 settlement units in the West Bank, and to approve the construction of 63 new units in East Jerusalem. “Actions do however speak louder than words” said Roger and the “growing closeness and collaboration of UK and Israeli defence establishments particularly in respect of the development of pilotless aircraft or ‘drone’ technology tells a different story”. “How can you realistically talk about statehood for the Palestinians” he said “when you have just illegally annexed another chunk of somebody else’s land and you show every sign of repeating the process again and again”. The Minister said: “Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, undermine trust and threaten the viability of the two-state solution. The UK urges the Israeli authorities to reverse these decisions.” Roger agrees with the FCO’s view that: “The focus now must be on resumed negotiating efforts between the parties towards a two-state solution, starting with
negotiations on 14 August. We urge both parties to continue to show the bold and decisive”. He does however believe that these recent settlement announcements are just another example of classic Israeli negotiation designed to undermine the process before it’s even gets off the ground. Roger concluded: “What policy makers consistently fail to appreciate or find in more convenient and easier to ignore is that empty rhetoric of condemnation combined with issues of illegal settlements, opaque trading and technology sharing arrangements with Israel, drone attacks and the collateral damage that ensues in the form of innocent civilian deaths and failed promises by President Obama to close Guantanamo Bay all act as a recruiting sergeant for terrorists.
HELP LINE LIBRARY BELOW See Roger’s Website for full listing of help line numbers. http://rogergodsiffmp.co.uk/helplineAdvice.php
Birmingham Local Welfare Provision
The Local Welfare Provision scheme is a form of assistance for vulnerable people who are in short term crisis, to meet their needs for food and essential items or to assist them to maintain their independence within the community. The scheme is not intended to replace the council’s statutory obligations in any way. To apply, follow this link.
Payday Loans Advice: Govan Law Centre Payday Loan Survival Guide Step Change debt advice Govan Law Centre Office of Fair Trading Payday Lending Compliance Review
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Advice on what to do if you are receiving nuisance calls
Ofcom have produced a guide in conjunction with other regulators and consumer groups with advice on what to do to prevent nuisance calls and how to complain. This is available on their website at: http://tinyurl.com/99n5qm7
If you are having problems with nuisance calls and would like to complain, you can also use the online portal on the Ofcom website at http://tinyurl.com/qbzoaa5 to be directed to the appropriate regulator.
Benefit cap helpline number: 0845 6057064 or Textphone 0845 6088551 (for people with hearing or speech impairments) www.gov.uk/benefit-cap
http://www.affordablewarmthapply.co.uk/
http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/how_we_can_help/housing_advice_helpline
Shelter provides a free, national telephone advice line staffed by trained housing advisers. We have helped thousands of people, from finding them a place to sleep to suggesting how to handle mortgage arrears.
Ring 0808 800 4444
8am-8pm Monday-Friday 8am-5pm Saturday-Sunday
Helpline: 0845 608 4455 Email: [email protected]
The Patients Association, PO Box 935, Harrow, Middlesex HA1 3YJ
T: 020 8423 9111 F: 020 8423 9119 E: [email protected]
Benefit Enquiry Line (BEL)
0800 882200 Lines are open 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM Monday to Friday. From a landline your call is free. This is a confidential telephone advice and information line for peole with disabilities, carers and representatives. It covers England, Scotland and Wales. BEL can provide general benefits advice and
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information, but staff do not have access to any claimant records and are therefore unable to give information on the progress of a claim or benefits you are already receiving. It is a confidential service and nothing you ask or say will go on your file.
Financial advice Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06
Consumer Credit Counselling Service Our
FREEPHONE helpline is open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to
3pm on Saturday.
0800 138 1111
http://www.cccs.co.uk/Contact.aspx
National Debt Line 0808 808 4000
Office of Fair Trading - Enquiries and Reporting Centre on 0845 7 22 44 99 [email protected]
Free legal advice
Birmingham Law Society
http://www.lawworksclinics.org.uk/bflag/index.phphttp://www.lawworks.org.uk/list-of-lawworks-member-clinics
Children, families and disabilities
Get in touch with the helpline of Contact a Family who work with young children. They may be able to refer you to a local
network of refer you to a local network of trained advocates. Free helpline on 0808 808 3555
Other organisations that may be able to help are:
Every Disabled Child Matters
Norfolk Coalition Of Disabled People
Norfolk Disabled Person’s Alliance
The Council for Disabled Children
Independent Living Advice Line
Provides advice to disabled people and their carers:
Tel: 0845 026 4748 or email:
BIRMINGHAM CONSTITUENCY OFFICE
Tel: 07889 650544 0121 603 2299 [email protected]
