Author: Alan

Change to telephone advice hours

/ Alan

From week beginning 28th September 2020, our evening telephone service will only be available on Tuesdays (until 7pm). This change will allow us to provide a better service during the daytime when the majority of calls come through, while still providing an evening service for those who need it.

You can still send us an online enquiry at any time and our telephone advice service is available every weekday. For full details of all services, see our ‘get advice‘ page.

Change to advice-line hours

/ Alan

Please note that the hours we are able to offer advice by telephone have changed. We are now offering an early evening service on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

You can telephone us for advice on 07923 126 426 or 07923 126 430 each weekday. Lines are now open:

  • Monday, Tuesday & Thursday – 9 am to 7 pm
  • Wednesday – 9 am to 1 pm
  • Friday – 9 am to 5 pm

You can also get advice online. Full details of all our services can be found on our advice page.

Diversity and inclusion

/ Alan

Our Trustee Board have agreed unanimously to sign up to eight leadership principles as part of our commitment to improve diversity and inclusion within our charity.

These principles, set out by ACEVO, are part of the Racial Diversity in the Charity Sector report, which was produced in collaboration with the Institute of Fundraising. 

As a Trustee Board, we will:

  1. Acknowledge that there is a problem with racial diversity in the charity sector and commit to working to change that.
  2. Recognise the important role leaders have in creating change by modelling positive behaviour and taking action.
  3. Learn about racial bias and how it impacts leadership decisions.
  4. Commit to setting permanent and minimum targets for diversity that reflects the participants, donors, beneficiaries and the population of the area that my charity operates in.
  5. Commit to action and invest resources, where necessary, in order to improve racial diversity in my charity.
  6. View staff as the sum of many parts rather than a single entity and recruit to build a diverse group of talented people collectively working towards a shared vision.
  7. Recruit for potential, not perfection.
  8. Value lived experience, the ability to draw from one’s lived experience and to bring insights to an organisation that can develop its work.

Our Trustees are now working alongside representatives from our staff and volunteer team to identify actions that can be taken in furtherance of these principles. We will publish details on our website as the work progresses.

Tax credits deadline: 31 July 2020

/ Alan

If you are getting Tax Credits, you have just one week left to tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about changes to your circumstances or income before the deadline on 31 July 2020.

If your circumstances have changed in the last year, or you have received a letter to reconfirm their income details, you must contact HMRC. Failure to respond by the deadline may mean you receive incorrect tax credits payments and you may end up having to pay money back.

If you have received an annual review pack or text, and have already made their declaration including confirming their income and circumstances, you don’t need to do anything else. However, you must contact HMRC straight away if you disagree with any of the information in the pack or letter or if you need to tell them about any changes.

You can get help and information on renewing tax credits in different ways:

  • On GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/manage-your-tax-credits. This lets you check the progress of your renewal and be reassured that it is being processed.
  • By using the webchat service – go to GOV.UK and search for ‘tax credits general enquiries’.
  • By tweeting @HMRCcustomers or visiting their Facebook page
  • By using the HMRC App, available via your phone’s app store
  • Using the online forum (click on Tax Credits and You)
  • By calling the tax credits helpline: 0345 300 3900

A word about scams

Customers should be aware that criminals could take advantage of tax credits renewals to text, email or phone the public, offering fake support. These scams mimic HMRC messages in an effort to look genuine. 

If someone texts, emails or calls claiming to be from HMRC, saying that a customer can renew a tax credits award or access financial help, and asks for credit card or bank details, it is likely to be a scam.