Last week, The FIC and CHASM travelled the UK gathering evidence on financial exclusion.

Thank you to those that shared their stories and expertise. Findings will feature in an upcoming report, so stay tuned!

Find out more👉 bit.ly/3UmmaOd

Along with funded partners Personal Finance Research Centre and Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RiDC) we contributed to a submission to the Work & Pensions Committee Disability Employment Enquiry, based on findings from an earlier research project on the financial wellbeing of disable people in the UK.

Read more: financialfairness.org.uk/en/our-work/pu…

🧵📢 Carer’s Allowance is failing unpaid carers.

📈 Nearly ¼ of carers are already having to skip meals or go without food.

And now the UK government is choosing to punish carers for its own mistakes, letting overpayments build up, then demanding unaffordable repayments.

On behalf of Elizabeth and I, thank you Kate Garraway Richard Smith and all at Good Morning Britain for giving UK carers a voice. It’s essential we simplify and transform carer support plus that Department for Work and Pensions vulnerable customer policy is at least as good as that in UK regulated sectors, if not better.

To inform people, PIP is not an ‘out of work’ benefit. I work, I pay tax, I receive PIP. It helps me to live and work. Absolutely employment support required but also, more workplaces and employers to rethink, improve every element and process for recruitment and retention

FCA research suggests that nearly 13mn UK adults have low financial resilience, with a lack of financial capability being the key driver for a fifth of people showing signs of financial vulnerability, which ultimately puts the brakes on social mobility.

ftadviser.com/opinion/2024/0…

Watch FF's James Daley talking about our campaign to support funeral plan customers who lost their money in ITV's Tonight programme at 830pm

Good stuff here. Leaseholders should be seeing what insurances they are paying for and with the biggest 6 insurers paying less in commissions to brokers, premiums should be coming down. Tell me what's happening with yours.

Yet to hear any evidence Government proposals will benefit disabled people….

P.S.. PIP is NOT an out of work benefit

Unpaid carers are crucial to social care in the UK. Powerful testimony from Elizabeth and Johnny Timpson about the harsh realties of navigating an unreasonably complex system.
The people who run these systems need to focus on helping people like Elizabeth, not hounding them.

Pleased to hear that 888 are withdrawing these aggressive ads - sensible, proportionate decision. 🙏
And well done to Henrietta Bowden-Jones for her campaign on this. I agree. A train carriage is not a casino.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has been in the news so I thought I’d put together a short guide.

PIP is such an important benefit - a real financial lifeline - for adults aged 16 or over with disabilities and health issues, which affects daily living and / or mobility…

I really hope this is the FCA 'mispeaking' on this. It is bad enough that there is an advice/ guidance 'boundary' review for asset accumulation. A redrawing of the boundary is deregulation. Simple as that. To apply it to the post retirement decumulation market is even more risky.

How can social prescribing help tackle health inequalities at the local level? Join us at our Community-led and person-centred approaches to health and wellbeing conference to find out:
kingsfund.org.uk/events/communi… #KFCommunity

Please feel free to share this with anyone worried right now...

📣 Sign our petition 📣

Carer’s Allowance must be urgently reformed. The low level of the benefit and eligibility criteria, which excludes many carers, must be changed to better support unpaid carers and systems put in place to prevent overpayments.

go.carersuk.org/4aNVUU3?utm_so…

Financial services and third sector colleagues plus x friends, please sign and share👇

Thank you.
J

We are desperately short of Special Educational Needs placements in Shropshire.

One constituent of mine waited ten weeks for her son with SEND to be placed in a school, which then couldn't provide the necessary support.

Ministers need to take action.

Devastatingly accurate thread of the Green Paper on PIP.

This ⬇️ an uninformed debate that continues to say PIP is an out of work benefit