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1
Newcastle
2014/15 Report
2
Newcastle
Contents 1. About Citizens Advice Newcastle ................................................................................................... 3
1.1 About ‘Advice Trends Report .................................................................................................. 3
1.2 Understanding Advice Statistics.................................................................................................... 4
2. National Statistics 2014-15 ................................................................................................................. 5
2.1 Top 5 Advice Areas Nationally 2014-15 ........................................................................................ 5
2.2 AIC Part 1 Breakdown 2014-15 (National) .................................................................................... 6
2.3 Advice Issues Summary (National) ................................................................................................ 7
2.4 Top 10 National Benefit Issues...................................................................................................... 7
2.5 Top 10 National Debt Issues ......................................................................................................... 8
2.6 National Client Demographics 2014-15 ........................................................................................ 8
3. Regional Statistics 2014-15 ........................................................................................................... 10
3.1 Top 5 Advice Areas: North East 2014-15 .............................................................................. 10
3.2 AIC Part 1 Breakdown (Regional) 2014-15 ............................................................................ 11
3.3 AIC Key Advice Areas Quarterly Breakdown Comparison, 2013-14/2014-15 ...................... 12
3.4 Regional Financial Outcomes 2014-15, North East ..................................................................... 12
4. Local Statistics, Citizens Advice Newcastle, 2014-15 .................................................................... 13
4.1 Top 5 Advice Areas: Newcastle 2014-15 ............................................................................... 13
4.2 AIC Part 1 Breakdown, Newcastle 2014-15 ................................................................................ 14
4.3 Advice Issues Summary (Newcastle) 2014-15 ............................................................................ 15
4.4 Top 10 Debt Issues (Newcastle) 2014-15 .................................................................................... 15
4.5 Top 10 Welfare Benefit Issues (Newcastle) 2014-15 .................................................................. 16
4.6 Enquiries by Level of Assistance ................................................................................................. 16
4.7 Client Numbers and Indices of Multiple Deprivation Maps: Newcastle upon Tyne, 2014-15 .... 17
4.8 Client Demographics Newcastle 2014-15 ................................................................................... 18
5. Impact of Advice ........................................................................................................................... 20
6. Comment ...................................................................................................................................... 21
3
Newcastle
1. About Citizens Advice Newcastle 1
Since our inception in 1939 Citizens Advice Newcastle has had two core objectives:
To provide the advice people need for the problems they face.
To improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives. Our service provides free, impartial and confidential advice on anything and everything to all
in our city. Advice, information and support are delivered by a team of over 80 volunteers
and 23 paid staff. Key advice areas include including money, benefits, housing, immigration,
employment, consumer issues, family problems, social care and health services and much
more.
We are based in the heart of Newcastle city centre at 35 Nelson Street, St Cuthbert
Chambers, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5AN. Also we operate advice sessions from various
outreach locations across the city.
1.1 About ‘Advice Trends Report
The purpose of this report is to examine the key issues and problems why people present to
our service for assistance. Monitoring our information and data in this way allows us to
identify trends and to understand how and why people access our service so that we can
respond to that demand. We use our data, experience and networks in combination with
our clients to get their voices heard and campaign on important issues.
1 As part of a national brand update Newcastle upon Tyne Citizens Advice Bureau is now known as Citizens
Advice Newcastle.
4
Newcastle
1.2 Understanding Advice Statistics
All clients are recorded on a single database, Petra. We maintain a single record for clients,
however often they return to the bureau.
A client record contains a range of demographic data from age, gender, ethnicity to
local authority and ward. In addition we log each interaction with the client and the nature
of work undertaken, eg telephone call, letter, face-to-face advice etc. A new enquiry
(advice area) within an existing client record is opened each time a client presents
with a fresh issue requiring advice.
When we have diagnosed a client’s problem and provide advice we attach an AIC (Advice
Issue Code) to the client record, reflecting all the problems/areas a client has been advised
upon within an enquiry. In light of this it is common for a single enquiry to have multiple
AICs attached to it.
Issues are coded on a three tier system:
Tier 1: broad category of problem (benefit, debt etc)
Tier 2: a more detailed breakdown, such as the nature of debt and the type of advice
given.
Tier 3: more precise description of the advice/support given, such as
negotiating repayments with creditor.
5
Newcastle
2. National Statistics 2014-15
Nationally, England & Wales, the Citizens Advice service dealt with over 2million enquiries
and helped people with more than 5.5million different problems.
Enquiries 2, 218, 406
Advice Issues 5, 579, 743
2.1 Top 5 Advice Areas Nationally 2014-15
Benefits & Tax Credits
33%
Debt 28%
Housing 8%
Employment 7%
Relationships & Family 5%
All other 19%
6
Newcastle
2.2 AIC Part 1 Breakdown 2014-15 (National)
Benefits & Tax Credits
Debt Consumer
(non-financial)
Employment
Financial products/ services
Health & community
care Housing
Immigration & asylum
Legal Other
Relationships & family Discrimination
Benefits & tax credits
Debt
Consumer (non-financial)
Employment
Financial products/servicesHealth & communitycareHousing
Immigration & asylum
Legal
Other
Relationships & family
Discrimination
AIC Part 1 Number of Advice Events
% Issues
Benefits & tax credits 1,816,902 33%
Consumer goods & services 147,020 3%
Debt 1,584,504 28%
Education 23,917 0%
Employment 381,705 7%
Financial services & capability 142,522 3%
Health & community care 86,110 2%
Housing 440,966 8%
Immigration & asylum 69,516 1%
Legal 199,456 4%
Other 190,337 3%
Relationships & family 285,272 5%
Tax 47,238 1%
Travel & transport 49,892 1%
Utilities & communications 94,453 2%
Discrimination 19,933 0%
Grand Total 5,579,743 100%
7
Newcastle
2.3 Advice Issues Summary (National)
2.4 Top 10 National Benefit Issues
Top 10 Benefit Issues 2014/15 Full Year
No of Issues
% of all benefit
Employment Support Allowance 294,789 16%
Housing Benefit 219,094 12%
Personal independence payment 211,938 12%
Working & Child Tax Credits 176,921 10%
Jobseekers Allowance 109,677 6%
Localised support for council tax 101,565 6%
DLA - Care Component 91,809 5%
Attendance Allowance 58,004 3%
Pension Credit 57,244 3%
Carers Allowance 50,788 3%
0 400,000 800,000 1,200,000 1,600,000 2,000,000
Benefits & tax credits
Debt
Housing
Employment
Consumer (non-financial)
Relationships & family
Other
Legal
Financial products/ services
Health & community care
Immigration & asylum
Discrimination
2014/15Full Year
8
Newcastle
2.5 Top 10 National Debt Issues
Top 10 Debt Issues 2014/15 Full Year
No of Issues
% of all debt
Council tax arrears 193,287 12%
Credit, store & charge card 157,191 10%
Unsecured personal loan debts 146,877 9%
Rent arrears (social housing) 96,022 6%
Fuel debts 76,511 5%
Water supply & sewerage debts 73,558 5%
Bank & building society overdrafts 65,123 4%
Telephone debts - landline & mobile 59,893 4%
Catalogue & mail order debts 54,232 3%
Magistrate Court fines & compensation order arrears 46,538 3%
2.6 National Client Demographics 2014-15
0% 50% 100%
Female
Male
Female Male
Percentage 56% 44%
Gender
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Newcastle
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
0 – 16 17 – 24 25 – 34 35 – 49 50 – 64 65 – 74 75 – 84 85 +
Ethnicity Disability
Client with a disability (not including a long-term
health problem) 20.8%
Client with a long-term health problem (excluding
disability) 13.9%
Type of disability (Excluding long-term health problems)
Disabled - type of condition (where known)
Percentage
Disabled - cognitive impairment 1.2%
Disabled - hearing impairment 3.7%
Disabled - learning difficulty 3.7%
Disabled - mental health 40.7%
Disabled - multiple impairments 10.4%
Disabled - physical impairment (non sensory)
37.5%
Disabled - visual impairment 2.9%
Total disabled with known disability type
100.0%
Age
0 – 16 0.10%
17 – 24 8.80%
25 – 34 21.50%
35 – 49 31.40%
50 – 64 25.40%
65 – 74 8.00%
75 – 84 3.80%
85 + 0.90%
Total 100.00%
Age range of clients
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Newcastle
3. Regional Statistics 2014-15
North East.2
In 2014-15 local Citizens Advice in the North East dealt with 119, 784 enquiries and helped
people with 405, 912 different problems.
Enquiries 119, 784
Advice Issues 405,912
3.1 Top 5 Advice Areas: North East 2014-15
2 North East member CABx are: Alnwick, Blyth Valley, County Durham, Darlington, Dawn, Gateshead,
Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumbrian, Redcar & Cleveland, Sedgefield & district, South Tyneside, Stockton & District, Sunderland, Teesdale, Wansbeck, West Northumberland.
Debt 41%
Benefits & tax credits
31%
Financial services & capability
5%
Employment 5%
Housing 4%
all other 14%
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Newcastle
3.2 AIC Part 1 Breakdown (Regional) 2014-15
AIC Part 1 Number of Advice Events
% Issues
Benefits & tax credits 125,636 31%
Consumer goods & services 7,489 2%
Debt 166,914 41%
Education 906 0%
Employment 18,656 5%
Financial services & capability 21,179 5%
Health & community care 4,453 1%
Housing 15,606 4%
Immigration & asylum 2,511 1%
Legal 8,689 2%
Other 9,688 2%
Relationships & family 11,561 3%
Tax 2,523 1%
Travel & transport 2,705 1%
Utilities & communications 6,672 2%
Discrimination 724 0%
Grand Total 405,912 100%
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Newcastle
3.3 AIC Key Advice Areas Quarterly Breakdown Comparison, 2013-
14/2014-15
North East 2013/14 2013/14 2013/14 2013/14 2014/15 2014/15 2014/15 2014/15
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Benefits & Tax Credits 34963 32322 31339 33393 30188 31658 30655 33037
Consumer Goods & Services 1514 1811 1710 1917 1827 1846 1847 1964
Debt 48509 45759 43026 49329 40283 41638 40022 44917
Discrimination 407 422 373 438 99 230 194 204
Education 195 269 192 190 197 319 197 190
Employment 4568 4545 4237 4753 4579 4731 4393 4931
Financial Products & Services 1411 1471 1442 2255 3311 4622 6445 6795
Health & Community Care 776 833 772 834 937 1154 1117 1243
Housing 4501 4650 3934 4603 4034 4113 3526 3916
Immigration, Asylum & Nationality 660 668 612 598 549 643 555 759
Legal 1955 1821 1763 2035 1848 2098 2097 2632
Other 1572 1972 2173 2643 2061 2546 2644 2423
Relationships & Family 2900 3048 2448 3088 2879 3052 2539 3079
Tax 695 684 460 677 653 623 550 697
Travel, Transport & Holidays 561 502 555 614 674 672 665 692
Utilities & Communications 1249 1092 1614 1593 1513 1707 1782 1666
Total 106436 101869 96650 108960 95632 101652 99228 109145
3.4 Regional Financial Outcomes 2014-15, North East
Income gain £35, 320, 414
Debts written off £25, 369, 895
Repayments rescheduled £7, 807, 551
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Newcastle
4. Local Statistics, Citizens Advice Newcastle, 2014-15
In 2014-15 Citizens Advice Newcastle dealt with 9,087 enquiries regarding 24, 251 different
problems.
Enquiries 9,087
Advice Issues 24, 251
4.1 Top 5 Advice Areas: Newcastle 2014-15
Debt 43%
Benefits & tax credits
27%
Housing 5%
Employment 5%
Relationships & family
3%
All other 17%
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Newcastle
4.2 AIC Part 1 Breakdown, Newcastle 2014-15
Part 1 Number of Advice Events
% Issues
Benefits & tax credits 6,567 27%
Consumer goods & services 505 2%
Debt 10,423 43%
Education 111 0%
Employment 1,114 5%
Financial services & capability 580 2%
Health & community care 193 1%
Housing 1,137 5%
Immigration & asylum 473 2%
Legal 667 3%
Other 669 3%
Relationships & family 772 3%
Tax 233 1%
Travel & transport 166 1%
Utilities & communications 597 2%
Discrimination 44 0%
Grand Total 24,251 100%
Benefits & tax credits
Debt
Consumer (non-financial)
Employment
Financial products/ services
Health & community
care Housing
Immigration & asylum
Legal Other
Relationships & family Discrimination
Benefits & tax credits
Debt
Consumer (non-financial)
Employment
Financial products/services
Health & community care
Housing
Immigration & asylum
Legal
Other
Relationships & family
Discrimination
15
Newcastle
4.3 Advice Issues Summary (Newcastle) 2014-15
4.4 Top 10 Debt Issues (Newcastle) 2014-15
Top 10 Debt Issues 2014/15 Full Year
No of Issues
% of all debt
Council tax arrears 1,315 13%
Unsecured personal loan debts 835 8%
Fuel debts 776 7%
Credit, store & charge card 773 7%
Rent arrears (social housing) 627 6%
Water supply & sewerage debts 535 5%
Telephone debts - landline & mobile 449 4%
Magistrate Court fines & compensation order arrears 416 4%
Bank & building society overdrafts 349 3%
Catalogue & mail order debts 298 3%
0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000
Debt
Benefits & tax credits
Consumer (non-financial)
Housing
Employment
Other
Relationships & family
Legal
Financial products/ services
Immigration & asylum
Health & community care
Discrimination
2014/15Full Year
16
Newcastle
4.5 Top 10 Welfare Benefit Issues (Newcastle) 2014-15
Top 10 Benefit Issues 2014/15 Full Year
No of Issues
% of all benefit
Employment Support Allowance 1,386 21%
Working & Child Tax Credits 961 15%
Housing Benefit 854 13%
Jobseekers Allowance 721 11%
Personal independence payment 525 8%
Localised support for council tax 292 4%
Income Support 273 4%
DLA - Care Component 264 4%
Child Benefit 237 4%
Pension Credit 208 3%
4.6 Enquiries by Level of Assistance
Adviceline and face-to-face ‘gateway’ triage is the bulk of our workload as we look to
diagnose and resolve problems for clients as swiftly as possible without the delay of waiting
for a full advice appointment. This allows us to prioritise our resources effectively and
ensure that we keep pace with the demand for the service.
60%
25%
15%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Casework
Advice
Gateway
17
Newcastle
4.7 Client Numbers and Indices of Multiple Deprivation Maps: Newcastle
upon Tyne, 2014-15
18
Newcastle
4.8 Client Demographics Newcastle 2014-15
0% 50% 100%
Female
Male
Female Male
Percentage 52% 48%
Gender
Ethnicity
83%
17% White
BAME
Disability
Client with a disability (excluding long-
term health conditions), 24.7%.
Client with a long-term health problem
(excluding disability), 14.7%.
Disability - type of condition (where known)
Percentage
Disabled - cognitive impairment
0.5%
Disabled - hearing impairment
2.5%
Disabled - learning difficulty 2.4%
Disabled - mental health 41.2%
Disabled - multiple impairments
13.9%
Disabled - physical impairment (non sensory)
36.9%
Disabled - visual impairment 2.5%
Total disabled with known disability type
100.0%
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Newcastle
Household Type Percentage
Couple 13.2%
Couple with dependent children 16.2%
Couple with non-dependent children
3.1%
Single person 41.4%
Single person with dependent children
15.8%
Single person with non-dependent children
3.2%
Other adult only 6.5%
Other with dependent children 0.5%
Total 100.0%
All households with dependent children
32.5%
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
10
-14
15
-19
20
-24
25
-29
30
-34
35
-39
40
-44
45
-49
50
-54
55
-59
60
-64
65
-69
70
-74
75
-79
80
-84
85
-89
90
-94
95
-99
Age Percentage
17 – 24 9.9%
25 – 34 24.0%
35 – 49 34.2%
50 – 64 24.5%
Over 65 7.4%
Total 100.0%
Age Range of Clients
Household Type
Housing Tenure Percentage
Buying Home (Mortgage, etc) 10.2%
Own Outright 6.5%
Private Tenant 23.7%
Social Tenant 46.5%
Staying with relatives/friends 2.2%
Homeless/Hostel 8.3%
Shared Ownership 0.2%
Rent-Free Housing 0.6%
Prison 0.0%
Other 1.9%
Total 100.0%
Household Tenure
20
Newcastle
5. Impact of Advice
For many of the clients we see seeking help
is a big step and having someone to turn to
in a time of need cannot be understated.
As a result of help from Citizens Advice 4 in
5 clients report they feel less stressed,
depressed or anxious and 1 in 2 said their
physical health improved.3 78% of clients
say that they would not have been able to
resolve their problem without help and
support from us.4
Our advice, support and down-to-earth
knowledge and experience help some of the
most disadvantaged people in our society.
The multiple deprivation and client count
map at 4.7 of this report demonstrates that
we reach some of the most deprived areas
in our locality to deliver advice.
Newcastle is in the bottom 20% of the most
deprived districts in the UK5 and the child
poverty rate is 33%6. We provide a service
that is free and open to everyone on just
about any matter that presents itself, but
we pride ourselves of helping some of the
most in need and vulnerable within our
society and that is a cornerstone of our
service.
3 Citizens Advice National Impact Research 2014.
4 Ibid.
5 Local Authority summary of Multiple Deprivation Indices 2010.
6 https://www.barnardos.org.uk/130212_ecp_local_report_final__2_.pdf The child poverty map of the UK
2013.
21
Newcastle
6. Comment
Nationally, regionally and locally debt and welfare benefits are by some distance the two
key areas we advise upon. This is unsurprising given the cost of living crisis and radical
reforms and cuts to welfare.
Many of our clients face the day-to-day reality of poverty, leaving many seeking our help as
they struggle to pay essential bills such as rent, council tax and fuel/utilities. Further cuts
and overhauls to the benefit system will see those in and out of work continue to seek our
help. In addition low pay, low hours and job insecurity will make it difficult for people to
plan their lives, respond to changing circumstances and afford to live. It is therefore
expected that debt and welfare benefits will persist as the main issues we are called upon to
deal with.
Dealing with the two big issues of debt and benefits alongside a broad and varied gamut of
other matters is a necessary challenge Citizens Advice will have to address on 2015-16 on
behalf of 2.5 million clients nationally and the thousands we help locally.
Citizens Advice Newcastle Andrew P Young (Research & Campaigns Officer) St Cuthbert Chambers Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 5AN [email protected] 0191 229 2750