The Government’s spending review delivered some good news for hard-pressed families across Hastings with the announcement of an expansion of the free school meals and free breakfast clubs programmes. The plans will begin at the start of the school year in September 2026 when children whose parents earn over £7,400 but qualify for and claim Universal Credit will become eligible for free school meals. It is anticipated that as a direct result of covering the cost of school meals, parents will save up to £500 each year.

Helena Dollimore, the Labour MP for Hastings and Rye and the Villages, welcomed the announcement saying it would “benefit some 5,520 children across the town, who would now receive a free nutritious meal every school day”. She added it would set these children up to learn and help improve their levels of concentration and wellbeing.

I had been actively looking for work but encountered an overwhelming number of barriers – pre-employment checks, background criminal record scrutiny and reference requests from the last six years of employment. This caused delays in starting my new job and, without any income, I was forced to apply for Universal Credit.

As a single person, I was only entitled to the bare minimum – £393.45. Based on my area’s assessment, I qualified for a housing benefit of £595.00. However, with my rent at £800, I had to use my personal allowance to cover the shortfall – leaving a grand total of £188.45 to cover all my food and bills for the month.

However, my situation worsened when I received a backdated payment from my former employer which consequently affected my benefits. They deemed this as ‘income,’ which, of course, makes perfect sense in their world. But the significant reduction in my Universal Credit, left me unable to pay my rent and pushed me into arrears.

As I contested the issue over the phone with an advisor I remember burying my face in my hands as she – someone responsible for determining my financial fate – said she couldn’t help. How would I cover my rent or afford food for the month? The advisor suggested I seek financial help from friends or family – something I’d already exhausted. It was utterly exasperating. What happens when your loved ones are also facing financial difficulties, or worse, when you have no one to rely upon? This raises a crucial question: where do you turn for help when the system lets you down?

Always being self-sufficient and never needing benefits, I was shocked by the minimal support available. It’s truly disheartening to witness our economy in such dire straits while the government allocates £4 million for weapons to Israel. I recognise the concern over benefit fraud, estimated to cost £9.7 billion in overpayments. However, the response from the Department for Work and Pensions has been to demand direct access to Universal Credit claimants to reclaim funds they may have mistakenly issued. Which fails to consider individual circumstances like mine, where a backdated payment was not fraudulent at all.

It might appear to be a proactive measure against fraud but felt more like an additional barrier for someone earnestly trying to find work. In recent years, Universal Credit has become a cornerstone of the UK’s welfare system, designed to support those in need. Yet for many legitimate claimants the system is riddled with obstacles. The very thing meant to provide help often leaves people feeling isolated, overwhelmed and even suicidal. A report from The Lancet estimated that welfare ‘reforms’ could be linked to around 1,000 additional suicides in the UK between 2010 and 2015. Official figures from 2022 indicate that 1,154 individuals reported the system had pushed them to consider suicide, and more than two thousand said the system had led to suicidal thoughts.

The plight of older adults claiming Universal Credit is particularly alarming. In 2024, the Office for National Statistics highlighted that ind viduals over 55 faced severe challenges managing their finances, often withdrawing money from pension funds only to find it was effectively consumed by Universal Credit calculations. The stress of financial insecurity has tragically driven some to take their lives, while others have faced the dire choice between heating their homes and affording food. The heart- wrenching realities of hypothermia and starvation starkly illustrate the shortcomings of a system designed to assist those in need.

As a result of this systemic failure, countless individuals and families are navigating the treacherous waters of financial insecurity, revealing that the current welfare system is not just a safety net but rather a precarious tightrope that many are forced to traverse or, tragically, use to hang themselves. 

East Sussex County Council is providing information on how to cope with the cost-of-living crisis. The information in this article comes from one of their newsletters. 

The recent costs of living increases have led to tough decisions for many people on how to spend their money, and others need advice and financial support to afford rent, fuel bills and everyday items. To help with these issues, East Sussex County Council are continuing to collate local and national resources. 

• For full information go to www.eastsussex.gov.uk and search Support with cost of living

Benefits Calculators

Free on-line checkers can answer questions about savings, income and outgoings to get benefit advice for you, your family or someone you work with: www.entitledto.co.uk

Government Support 

The government has created a web area for families to find out what support they could be eligible for if in receipt of Universal Credit, Child Benefit, Working Tax Credit or Disability Benefit: helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk

Household Support Extended

In May, the government announced a further extension of the Household Support Fund which will run from October until the end of March 2023. ESCC will be working with schools, further education, and early years providers to issue food vouchers to all families with eligible children/students for the school holidays.

Eligible school pupils should automatically receive HUGGG food vouchers ahead of each holiday. Eligible children with early years providers will also receive vouchers to cover this period. 

• For more information on the HUGGG voucher system and how it works, follow the link

• For any other query contact: freeschoolmeals@eastsussex.gov.uk or sles.projects@eastsussex.gov.uk

Help to Keep Warm 

• For advice on how to keep your house warm, go to warmeastsussex.org.uk and click on DIY hints or www.moneysavingexpert.com and search for Heat the human not the home.

• For help, advice, and financial support: East Sussex Warm Home Check service offers
free advice, along with home energy efficiency visits for eligible households: warmeastsussex.org.uk or
0800 464 7307 or text WARM to 80011.

• Citizens Advice offers energy advice, financial support and fuel vouchers: www.citizensadvice1066.co.uk or 01424 869 352.

Household Support Fund

Families facing hardship can get help with essential household costs. Support is also available via local district and borough councils for emergency help with bills and other items; the local authority will decide eligibility and arrange a payment if the applicant is entitled:
www.hastings.gov.uk search Household Support Fund

Help with Utility Bills

British Gas Energy Trust (not just for British Gas customers): follow link

Southern Water Hardship Fund to provide additional assistance to individuals who are experiencing financial difficulty: follow link

Debt support

Advice on dealing with debt is available from a number of online sources:

• Step Change debt charity: www.stepchange.org 

• Hastings branch of Citizens Advice: www.citizensadvice1066.co.uk

• Government website: www.gov.uk search Options for paying off your debts

• Debt Advice Foundation: call their debt advisers free on 0800 043 40 50

• National Debtline: www.nationaldebtline.org

• East Sussex County Council have a network of community groups, charities and other local organisations that offer a wide range of support. If you have any content either local or national, send it to family.focus@eastsussex.gov.uk

CREDIT: Dave Young

• A £400 cash grant towards each household’s domestic energy bill to be delivered by energy suppliers from October, with payments spread over the following six months;

• A £150 council tax rebate for households in council tax bands A-D (not second homes): those who pay the tax by direct debit will be automatically re-credited; others should have received a letter from their local council (Hastings Borough or Rother District) that invited them to make a claim at the Post Office – the Hastings Online website indicates that claims must have been made by 31 August, and that later applications will be rejected;

• A one-off £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment to those who already receive the Winter Fuel Payment;

• A one-off £650 cost of living payment to households on means-tested benefits, including Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Tax Credits, to be made automatically in two instalments;

• A further one-off £150 Disability cost of living payment to disabled people who also receive means-tested benefits.

In addition, both Hastings and Rother have been operating Household Support Funds with funding from the Department of Work and Pensions aimed at assisting “vulnerable households”, allocated “on a first come, first served basis”, 50% to working age households, 50% to pensioners. 

Hastings Borough Council described the amount available to it as “very limited”, and has already closed the fund for applications from the former category, with the whole of their allocation spent. Eligible households in the latter category can claim up to £150 for utilities and £100 per adult for food. 

Rother’s website suggests that both categories are still currently open to application, but states that the fund will close on 30 September or when it has been exhausted, “whichever is sooner”.

Hastings also offers further discretionary support for households that may not qualify for the £150 council tax rebate, including people on low incomes in council tax bands E-H.

• For further details of all financial support in Hastings and Rother, see hastings.gov.uk/benefits/support and rother.gov.uk/business/financial-support-for-residents

Emmaus attends royal garden party

On 11 May, Emmaus Hastings & Rother trustee David Cooper attended a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. Every year, three garden parties are given at Buckingham Palace and one at Holyrood to acknowledge the positive contributions the guests have made to their communities

across the United Kingdom. The parties have been cancelled for the last two years due to Covid-19, but now return, although without the Queen in attendance.

Emmaus Hastings & Rother provides a home and meaningful work experience for up to 23 people who have been homeless. Residents have a home for as long as they need it, giving them the opportunity to regain stability in their lives and eventually move beyond homelessness. Emmaus Hastings & Rother is one of 29 Emmaus communities around the UK.

David said: “It was an honour to represent Emmaus at the event, and, despite the rain we had a fascinating day. I am very proud to be a part of the international Emmaus movement, and look forward to many more years of supporting Emmaus in the UK.”

Household Support Fund open for applications

Vulnerable households in Hastings can now apply for the Household Support Fund. The funding has been provided to Hastings Borough Council through East Sussex County Council from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Half of the additional funding will be spent supporting pensioners, and the other half will be allocated to working age households.

Claimants must be over 18, living in Hastings borough, and claiming one of the following benefits: Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Pension Credit, Council Tax Reduction, Working Tax Credit, Income Support, Income Based Job-Seeker’s Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.

There are two schemes within the fund – support for energy and water costs of up to £50 per household, and for food of £30 per child and £50 per adult in the household.

Cllr Simon Willis (Lab), lead councillor for finance in the new Labour Green Cabinet, said: “We are pleased this scheme has been reopened to help some of our most vulnerable households. The increased cost of living is having a huge impact on many people who were already struggling to make ends meet.

“I’d encourage anyone who has friends or family who may be eligible for this scheme to let them know about it. If you’re able to help them apply, please do so as soon as possible, the limited funding will be allocated quickly.”

• Application form: www.hastings.gov.uk/benefits/hsf

The team at Energise Sussex Coast answer your home energy-related questions to help everyone to save money and keep warm as sustainably as possible.

Is the Green Home Grant a good deal? Colin, St Leonards

The Green Home Grant is a new government grant to provide funding towards making your home more energy efficient. The scheme – recently extended by a year and ending in March 2022 – is primarily aimed at helping people to insulate their homes or get a renewable heat system, such as solar thermal or an air source heat pump. 

To qualify for fully funded support up to £10,000 you must receive qualifying benefits such as Universal Credit. Everyone else can apply for a voucher to cover two thirds of the cost up to £5,000. In theory the Green Home Grant is a great idea and exactly what many homeowners need to help them with the cost of becoming energy efficient. In practice though, the scheme has already run into significant problems, as the industry was
not given enough time to go through the accreditation process needed to take part. For many small suppliers, the cost of accreditation and the short time line of the scheme meant local contractors haven’t signed up. 

Our clients report it is very difficult to get quotes and, on top of this, some companies stopped coming out during lockdown. Energise East Sussex is keeping fingers crossed that the scheme extension will give the incentive for more installers to come on board and increased time for people to get quotes and work done. It’s a great opportunity to transform your home’s energy efficiency. Measures such as external wall insulation and air source heat pumps which often cost around £9,000 can be done free for those eligible for a full cost grant, or £4,000 for people receiving the capped £5,000 funding (above). 

• If you’d like to talk through the Green Home Grant then please book an energy advice appointment with Energise. To submit a question or book an appointment: 01424 390062 or hello@energisesussexcoast.co.uk 

The situation is particularly acute in Hastings and St Leonard’s with 40% of its residents in private rented accommodation. Since the outbreak of the pandemic many have fallen into rental arrears as the recession deepens and unemployment continues. As winter cold sets in Unite is campaigning to get more help for tenants who find themselves and their families becoming increasingly exposed and vulnerable.

Unite south-east has coordinated a letter to housing minister, Robert Jenrick, warning that, unless the government acts, the worst is yet to come in terms of evictions, with very large numbers of tenants falling into arrears. It urges the government to immediately extend the ban on residential evictions until 30th April 2021, to increase Local Housing Allowance for a period of 12 months and to scrap the punitive
five week wait for first time Universal Credit claimants. The letter was signed by local councillors together with MPs, and housing charity workers. 

Unite says a home is a human right: everyone should have a decent, warm place they can afford with security for the future. Yet in C21 Britain this is becoming an ever more precious commodity.  Gill Knight, Unite the Community Hastings officer, said, “People are facing huge levels of uncertainty and many will be worried about how they will be able to keep a roof over their heads. The government must get a grip of the situation and act fast to keep people in their homes. People are facing real hardship. It is vital the government acts swiftly.”

Staff who have been furloughed are able to access a range of online learning courses from home. There are 21 courses already available online that are included in the pledge, and the College is working with partners to develop new programmes over the weeks and months to come.

East Sussex College at Hastings Plaza
PICTURE: Wikimedia commons

Adults claiming Universal Credit will have access to pre-employment training programmes that are directly linked to job opportunities, studying intensively to achieve certificates and skills over a one-to-three week period.

College leavers and university graduates can benefit from employability training programmes to better equip them for the challenging labour market following their studies.

The fund will also be used to support the upskilling of existing workers and volunteers across the county with digital skills and business start-up training.

Face-to-face provision

As to social distancing, Daniel Shelley, ESC’s Executive Director, explains that the College authorities are working within government guidance and thus opening their campuses to a limited number of students. “Once the lockdown eases further we will be able to start providing face-to-face provision,” he says, “but this is likely to be a blended approach, with theory being delivered online and practical sessions at campuses or at partner sites such as Jobcentre-Plus sites and employer premises.”

The courses will be delivered and supported entirely by College staff – those employed currently as far as possible. However, for any provision that is “very specific”, or which requires expertise that the College doesn’t already have, it would look to secure tutors from outside.

Courses will be available at no cost to businesses, their staff, and people looking for work

“We are currently working with the Chambers of Commerce and FSB [Federation of Small Businesses] to discuss and develop programmes initially,” says Mr Shelley. “This will include sessions at their virtual business breakfasts, and we will be launching a short survey for any business to share their needs. We would also welcome conversations with local recruitment companies and other agencies that support individuals into work, as we would specifically like to develop programmes that provide the bridge between unemployment and work. Overall, we want to develop the programmes over the next 12 months to help at different points of the recovery, and would welcome any discussions about how that could be achieved.”

In the meantime the College still has its general adult provision, and the prospectus for this will be launched shortly, including a range of skills and leisure programmes of longer duration.

• For further details of courses at East Sussex College, see escg.ac.uk/million-pound-pledge

On Thursday 26th March, every council leader in England received a letter from Luke Hall MP, the Under Secretary of State for Local Government and Homelessness. It asked their councils to house all rough sleepers “by the end of the week” to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Before that, the deadline was 2025 – which shows what can be done when there’s a bit of urgency and money is deployed to help local councils to get on with the job.

So what’s happening in Hastings? At the end of February, comparative figures for rough sleeping were issued by central government: it turned out that Hastings was already doing well with a 56% reduction since 2018 (one of the top ten reductions in the country). As Cllr Andy Batsford said at the time: “Against the background of short term funding for rough sleeping from central government, the disaster of Universal Credit for the vulnerable, and cuts to mental health and welfare services, the officers at Hastings Borough Council [HBC] and our voluntary partners have done an incredible job in supporting and addressing the biggest homelessness crisis we have seen in generations.”

The government edict less than a month later was therefore less of a shock to HBC than it might have been, although the extra funding was very welcome.

According to Cllr Batsford there are now only two known rough sleepers – who are both refusing to be housed. 

As there is a lot of talk about rough sleeping being far worse than the official figures, how can we know there are currently only two rough sleepers in this area? According to Cllr Batsford, the council has a good handle on the ever-changing situation. Not only are there four council officers out every day checking on numbers, and on the wellbeing of rough sleepers, they also receive information from their voluntary partners, particularly Seaview Project, who are commissioned by the council to give regular updates. However, there may always be some off the radar – in woods or otherwise well hidden – who don’t access services. Self-isolation is their life, and they are unlikely to accept the restrictions inherent in the provision of formal temporary accommodation.

The public perception of rough sleeping is coloured by the fact that there are many more people without income who beg on the streets or gather for companionship. These are part of what is termed ‘the street community’. Although some might be homeless, most are not, technically. On the other hand, there is a far greater invisible army of those who sofa-surf around and those already housed in temporary accommodation waiting to move on to somewhere permanent.

As Cllr Batsford says, it hasn’t been an easy predicament to deal with: “Traditionally Hastings is a low-wage economy and there have always been mental health issues. But at least there was cheap housing.”

Unfortunately, that started changing 20 years ago, and rental values have jumped within the last five to ten years. The rental on a one-bed flat used to be just over the housing benefit rate, but now it is 40% higher. “The numbers of homeless took off after austerity started to bite”, Cllr Batsford confirms. “But once Universal Credit kicked in there was an explosion. It’s all about breakdowns, and money being stopped. Before, someone could help, but no longer: it’s a draconian regime.”

People often give to the street community thinking they are homeless. But having somewhere to live is only the start. Being without a proper income is a problem even when housed and, for those used to living on the streets, even being housed can create its own issues of loneliness. We are in a new landscape which affects us all. Compassion for others is perhaps one of the few gifts this new reality brings.  

Asked to explain the criteria for selection of future residential tenants at the OB, White Rock Neighbourhood Ventures director James Leathers told HIP that design plans are far from finalised and that the company’s policy “may evolve”. However, at this stage they envisage applying the same principles as used at Rock House residential flats and 39 Cambridge Road as follows: 

“Our applications request evidence of a required local connection to Hastings Borough and of housing need, to which we apply a rank. We also ask for people to support a co-housing ethos and to illustrate how they might contribute to that ethos.

“On top of this we consider what scope there is to target property at a particular need. The constraints of space may in fact be an opportunity to provide flats that accommodate a live-in carer for someone with this need, who wants to live integrated with their neighbours rather than in isolating, and hence unsuitable, accommodation.

“Through our partnership with Project Art Works, who champion the integration of the neuro-diverse and neuro-typical, we have become aware of this often over-looked need. If developers were compelled to provide 2% of such accommodation, then the need in East Sussex to renew suitable accommodation could be met. We planned for more in Ore Valley and if we achieved 1/16 at the OB this would be 6.25%. But we are still designing and considering.”

With regard to capping of rents Mr Leathers says that two measures are applied:

“1) Living Rent, where rent is set to a third of the Hastings median wage and rises thereafter by inflation only;

2) Local Housing Allowance, where rent is set to the Hastings LHA with the effect that should someone become dependent on Housing Benefit/Universal Credit because that person has particular circumstances or needs (disability, mental health issue, recovering from dependency) or is likely to experience intermittent employment – perhaps the single most influential barrier to stable tenure in Hastings – the benefit will cover the rent and there is no shortfall.”

Simon Finlay, Project Co-ordinator of the Syrian Resettlement Programme at Hastings Borough Council, seems a happy man these days. He has spent half a lifetime working for organisations that have endeavoured, on a shoestring, to assist refugees to negotiate the tortuous and frustrating process of gaining asylum in the UK through a bureaucratic system designed to make life hard for them. But since 2016 he has been directing a refugee project which is well-funded and designed to succeed – all the more so in Hastings, he says, being the parliamentary constituency of the Home Secretary who set it up: a certain Amber Rudd MP.

It was David Cameron who in 2015 pledged to welcome to Britain 20,000 refugees from camps on the borders of Syria over a five-year period, offering them immediate rights to welfare benefits but also the right to work and receive appropriate education. Many liberal critics have complained, both at the time and subsequently, that this was a shamefully low figure in proportion to the total numbers of war-fleeing refugees. But to the credit of those implementing the policy, a proper level of funding (raised from the budget of the Department for International Development, not from cash-strapped local authorities) is, according to Simon, enabling a good service to be delivered to those that are selected to come.

The deal is as follows. Simon seeks properties offered for let by private landlords in the local area – not confined to Hastings and St Leonards, at least one of them is in Herstmonceaux – where the letting is likely to be available relatively longterm. Social landlords are excluded. He assesses each in terms of geographical location – is it urban or rural, is there a serviceable bus route, does it have access to health and education facilities; and physical condition – is it in good repair, how many bedrooms, is it suitable for the physically disabled – and sends his report in. Then he waits for the UNHCR (the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) to select an appropriate family from one of the refugee camps to which Syrians have fled – could be from Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya or Iraq. 

The UNHCR is supposed to select on grounds of vulnerability. But, in circumstances where everyone has lost their homes and their livelihoods, most have suffered bereavements of one kind or another, many have suffered torture or other severe physical injury and may have been waiting in camps for five years or more, it is probably difficult to assess one set of needs against another. The important task is to identify a family whose future needs will match the property on offer. I ask Simon how many selections he has turned down or found inappropriate. “None”, he says, “I’ve taken them all”.

His next task is to ensure that the families not only take up the housing offered but also receive, as soon as practicable, other ‘statutory’ services: English language tuition, schooling for children, establishment of benefits provision (Universal Credit if they are within Hastings borough) and access to health provision, including mental health counselling where their previous experiences have caused breakdown or other trauma. They get a minimum of eight hours per week language tuition at East Sussex College, and school enrolment has not been a problem. But Simon says he has to “manage expectations” in respect of health services: the system in Syria may have been less universal but those who were accustomed to getting what they needed there (prior to the war, at least) seem surprised by the waiting lists and other rationed provision they now experience in the hands of the NHS.

Equally important, from Simon’s point of view, is the integration process, the ‘soft’ inputs which the families need to rebuild their lives. He has high praise for the buddy hub being administered by Rossana Leal at Open on St Leonards seafront, where refugees can find a sociable space and make English language contacts. But he also describes the town and surroundings of Hastings as being “universally welcoming” to the families who have arrived, with none of the displays of xenophobia or other hostility reported (or sometimes just imagined) elsewhere in the country. “There are no issues”, he says. “It’s working brilliantly”.

In five out of the 20 refugee families, at least one member has so far found a job, appropriate, says Simon, to his or her qualifications and attributes. People who have the skills that once maintained a professional career should not be required to work as potato-pickers in his view.

What are the longer-term prospects? Most say they once enjoyed a pretty good life in Syria and hope to go back there if and when the military and political conditions allow it. In the meantime, most will be hoping to contribute positively to the society they find themselves exiled in. 

And what about the future of the scheme itself? The border camps are still full; the war grinds on. Will the UK agree to take more needy families after May 2020? That should be an urgent item on the incoming Prime Minister’s agenda.  

After efforts by the local community to keep it open after its initial closure order in May 2018, Ore public library will now close and will be “disposed of” by East Sussex County Council (ESCC), according to this statement issued on June 26th 2019:  

“A year ago we agreed in principle to lease the former Ore library building on a peppercorn rent to the Ore Community Association for a community library to be provided at the site. We have been working hard together for the past year to make this work, but reluctantly we have come to the view that we are not able to progress with the proposal any further. As no other proposals to run a community library at the site have been received, we will now seek approval to dispose of the site.”

“We would like to remind local residents that there are 2 libraries in Hastings, Hollington Library and the Hastings Library, which offers all the facilities of a modern library building after a £9.5 million refurbishment, completed last year. The County Council also provides a comprehensive e-Library which can be accessed at home or on the go.”

We spoke to former town councillor Richard Street, whose Facebook group has been at the forefront of the campaign to save this important public asset. He stressed that a branch library like the one at Ore is a long way from Hastings town centre or Hollington, and that its situation, between the Downs Farm and Broomsgrove housing estates, is in one of the most socially deprived areas in the country. “For people living there, the suggestion that the nearest library is going to require an £8.50 bus ride is clearly a financial bar,” he told us, adding that if you are elderly and isolated, a visit to the library adds up to a lot more, socially speaking, than merely borrowing a book. “The other thing is, of course, the access to a computer, which not everyone has. You may have a mobile phone, but if you want to do something like claim Universal Credit, you need an actual computer.”

Mr. Street replied to the July 26th ESCC statement as follows: 

“The statement says that no other proposals have been received but when we spoke, you said you would be happy to talk with anybody who might have a proposal. There has been no opportunity for anybody to put forward an alternative proposal as this is the first official statement of your decision. Since I posted the news on Facebook at the weekend, more than a dozen people have put themselves forward to form a group to look into preparing a proposal led by Ore Ward HBC councillor Heather Bishop. I hope you will give them the serious support and consideration you suggested last week.”

A meeting attended by Hastings Voluntary Action director Steve Manwaring and co-ordinated by HBC councillor Heather Bishop will take place later today (Monday July 8th, after we go to press), in an attempt to rescue the situation. It is thought that one of the suggestions may be to register the branch library as an asset of community value, which allows six months “breathing space” to allow the community to come up with a more viable proposition. Mr. Street retained some degree of optimism: “I don’t really see why there should be any problem, assuming they can get a reasonable group of serious people…who are prepared to do the leg-work and get some kind of business plan together,” noting that branch libraries at Pevensey and Ringmer are now being run successfully by volunteers after being shut down by ESCC.

Hastings & Rother Credit Union volunteers at Thriftfest 2018

Hastings & Rother Credit Union (HRCU) was originally established 20 years ago this summer. When it was first set up, funding was provided by Hastings Borough Council and 1066 Housing Association. In this early period HRCU was also provided with rent-free accommodation and staff support. It has grown since then to a current membership of 1300-1400 people. These members are predominantly drawn from two groups, those who wish to support the local community and those with low incomes. The council no longer simply provides funds, but HRCU does provide paid-for services to them that bring money in. Otherwise it is funded from the £4 annual member fee, grants and a modest amount of interest on loans. 

Paying the £4 fee entitles anyone to become a member, able to have a say at the Annual General Meeting on how HRCU is run. Whilst HRCU is required to undertake similar identity checks to banks, they can be more flexible for those without all the standard ID documents. Before applying for a loan, a member must save for a minimum of three months, saving at least £100 in that time. The loans provided tend to be in the £100s instead of £1000s. Whilst some are taken out to cover emergencies, others aid people in starting their own business. One member initially took out a small loan to start a cleaning business, then came back for a larger loan when the success of this business led to them needing a van. Because the money comes from local people, the loans are perceived as more personal in nature, resulting in a low default rate.

The introduction of Universal Credit also saw a significant increase in membership. This new benefit system required that the money be paid into an account. Many of those in a position to need Universal Credit were not easily able to get an account from the conventional banks. HRCU allows those affected to have an account, with a new pre-paid debit card giving individuals access to those funds promptly. 

Whilst HRCU has two part-time staff, most work is done by volunteers. A board of 8 oversees the day to day running of HRCU, and 2 regular information points are also manned by volunteers. They are always looking for new people to get involved, especially those with skills related to the work of HRCU. A recent addition to the board has experience of fundraising, hopefully bringing in further funds to expand the service and more people will be needed too.

Two information points are provided by HRCU to provide information and assistance at the following locations.

• Advice Hub, Renaissance House, Old Christchurch School, London Road, St Leonards. Wednesdays 2pm to 3pm

• Community Contact Centre, Town Hall, Queen’s Square Fridays 2pm to 4pm

• If you want to find out more about HRCU, whether to consider membership or volunteer, further information can be found at hrcu.org.uk/info

Situated at King’s Church on The Ridge, it is one of 428 food banks across the country run by The Trussell Trust – a charity dedicated to helping people in crisis.

From January to October this year in Hastings, which has seen one of the biggest increases in food bank use in the country, it received 3,123 referrals and provided 68,697 meals. Of these, 28,226 were for children.

While this staggering escalation – which rose again by eight per cent this year – corresponds directly with the introduction of Universal Credit in Hastings in December 2016, the charity also reports an enormous increase in the numbers of poverty-stricken people in work needing to rely on food parcels to feed themselves and their families.

Foodbank figures also show a rise in the number of people referred to the charity who are suicidal, or suffering from mental health problems such as anxiety, stress and depression, due to their financial difficulties.

Although there are other charities and organisations in Hastings helping to tackle food poverty, such as Dom’s Food Mission  and Hastings Food Pantry, by either distributing food or offering low prices on essential food items to the hungry, the Trussell Trust food bank is the only one which keeps strict records of referrals, which could suggest there may be many more people going hungry in the town who are not accounted for in these statistics.

Shortly before she returned to the cabinet in November as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye, Amber Rudd championed an initiative launched in October by the Citizens Advice Bureau and the bus company Stagecoach, offering those with food bank meal vouchers a free return bus ride from the town up to the The Ridge to retrieve their food parcels – a move which would save them the £4.80 return fare.

She called the initiative a ”fantastic new incentive” adding: ” It is great to see Citizens Advice and Stagecoach working together to provide free bus travel to the Hastings food bank. I believe this is a great service for those most in need.”

But the irony of her own comments appears to have been lost on the former Home Secretary, whose government’s dogged austerity measures, have, among other things, resulted in cuts to council funding of vital support and welfare services and are now seeing their full impact in deprived towns such as Hastings.

Back in July, this newspaper highlighted a report by the Hastings Advice and Representation Centre (HARC), a charity which offers benefits advice, support and representation to the most vulnerable, showing that flaws in the new Universal Credit System and its draconian means -testing process had driven people to the brink of suicide and were having a devastating impact on their lives.

Natalie Williams, the Communications and Community Engagement Manager at King’s Church said that, in the four years prior to the ‘roll-out’ of UC in December 2016, food bank use had remained static, before drastically increasing in 2017 and 2018.

“What was formerly our ceiling has now become our floor,” she said.

“We’re seeing an increasing number of people in poverty with nowhere to turn, with lots of people in work being referred to us, who just can’t make ends meet.

“Others are struggling with Universal Credit – either the gap while they await their first payment, or when a mistake is made by their employer or the Jobcentre that means they go without money they were expecting.

“For example, we’ve seen people who have picked up a shift or two at work, but when they’ve declared it, instead of their claim being adjusted, it’s been accidentally closed. This means they’ve had to wait another five weeks with no money coming in.

“We’re also seeing a huge increase in people who are coming to us with mental health issues, increased stress, anxiety and depression, and even suicidal. It really is true that this could happen to any of us.”

Items particularly needed are tinned vegetables, tomatoes, meat, fish and soup, rice pudding, custard, long-life milk and juice, teabags, cereal, pasta, pasta sauce and rice. Residents are also welcome to donate Christmas treats.

Donations can be made at King’s Church on The Ridge, 9am-5pm Mondays to Fridays, and during Sunday services as well as at Sainsbury’s, Asda, Tesco, NatWest and Nationwide.

• For more information about Hastings Foodbank, visit:  www.hastings.foodbank.org.uk

Universal Credit (UC), administered by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), is a key element in this Government’s welfare benefits regime. It merges six working age benefits into a single household benefit claimable both by low paid workers and the unemployed.

The types of benefit replaced by UC were:
• Jobseekers Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Income Support
• Employment and Support Allowance.

Since December 2016, if you live within the borough of Hastings and are of working age (generally 18 or over, though in some circumstances 16- or 17-year-olds may become eligible) you will not have been able to make a new claim for Housing Benefit. Instead, if you require help to pay rent/housing costs, you have to make an online claim for UC. Furthermore, if you are of working age and already receiving Housing Benefit, it may be replaced by UC if your circumstances change.

Free online facilities to make the claim can be accessed at the Job Centre in London Road, Hastings Works in Robertson Street, Hastings Town Hall, and a number of libraries and community centres.

If you are of pensionable age, however, you will not be affected by the DWP’s UC roll out. Even if you become entitled to make a new claim for Housing Benefit, the application is made to Hastings Borough Council and not to the DWP.

Statistics gathered by East Sussex County Council indicate that in September this year there were 6,054 claimants for UC within the borough of Hastings.

By Lindsey Williams

At the beginning of June this year I returned to Hastings from a working trip abroad – I had been teaching English as a foreign language in Indonesia and Malaysia. In hindsight, and on my part carelessly, I had no job lined up, nor many savings, believing with my current experience it would not to be too difficult to secure a job within the British summer months. I managed to secure an apartment through an old acquaintance, and applied for what used to be Jobseekers’ Allowance and Housing Benefit to enable me to get back on my feet, only to find out it is now subsumed in Universal Credit (UC).

I made an initial application online on Friday 8th June, which required me to show my last three years residency, give details of my last job, of any savings (none), and of any dependants (none) etc. I was contacted the following Tuesday and given an appointment three days later at the DWP office in London Road, St Leonards to bring in my documents to prove identity, residential address and corroborate my online representations. Early the next week I attended a meeting with a ‘work coach’, Lucy, who explained to me that receipt of UC would be dependent on me making a full-time commitment to look for work for 35 hours every week: trawling through ads, browsing the internet, sending out CVs etc. Then on 22nd June I was told that my application had been rejected (the computer says no) because I had been classed as not ‘habitually resident’ on the date I made it – even though I might be now. Moreover, since my claim had been rejected, I was not entitled to make a fresh claim for one month, i.e. until 22nd July.

At this point I thought I was going to crumble to the floor and wither away. No money coming in, no rent, no food, nothing. As I wandered disconsolately out of the DWP office I looked up into the sky and said ‘so what now?’ Taking an alternative route I happened to pass by the Holy Child English Language School in Magdalen Road. My eyes lit up.
I called in on the off-chance that they might have a teaching vacancy. Well, I found that six other teachers had walked out on that day and they were desperate. Thank God, I thought to myself. I secured an immediate four-week assignment starting on 25th June. Manna from heaven? It seemed so, at the time.

On 23rd July, with the assignment at an end, I made a fresh online claim for UC, went through the same identification process and was awarded a new ‘work coach’, Lorraine (who was very helpful). The job at Holy Child had established that I was a ‘habitual resident’. On 29th August I received £717.28  (£317.28 ‘standard allowance’ plus £400 ‘housing allowance’) to cover the four week period in arrears since 23rd July. I was told to expect the next monthly payment on 29th September.

Claim Rejected
No payment arrived on this date, however, so on the following Monday I attempted to chase it by phone. Surprisingly perhaps, my call got through to the DWP call centre in Northern Ireland. My claim had been rejected, I was told: Holy Child had submitted their PAYE returns to HMRC, which for UC purposes has a direct link with the DWP, naming me as an employee during the period between 23rd August and 22nd September. I was shown to be working whilst claiming, hence no benefit.

I wrote immediately to Holy Child asking them to provide the correct information to HMRC. A week later, having received no response despite being told by the DWP that HMRC were pressing for the documentation, I wrote a more plaintive e-mail – “It’s not very nice having to rely on other folk to help you when you’re out of work. It’s quite simple what you need to do and I can’t eat until you do so.”

As a result perhaps of this pressure, the Academic Manager at Holy Child sent me a PDF of the P45s of myself and all their other employees. It turned out that each had been submitted to HMRC showing final dates of employment  as 5th September. Not only was this date wrong by six weeks in my case, resulting in the unjust rejection of my benefits claim; I believe that most, if not all, of the other named employees had also left on 20th July, as the school had closed its term on 28th July and the majority had left the week before.  I sent further e-mails to Holy Child. No reply. No offer of responsibility, despite their errors not just in my case but several others too.

Involving my MP
I submitted the information to my local MP Amber Rudd and to the governmental department for fraudulent tax claims. Louise Sargent, Ms Rudd’s office manager, agreed to help, pointing out to me that it was a serious breach of data protection to send me other people’s records with my own. She wrote direct to Holy Child asking that they provide the corrected forms and figures to HMRC on my behalf. They responded instantly, denying that they had made any error and insisting that the company’s administrative system automatically generated the date entered on the P45 when it was sent off, though the fact that the form has a specific box entry for ‘leaving date’ indicates otherwise. Principal Ana Goicolea wrote: “All procedures with the Inland Revenue and the British Company we have are run by our accountants in London, Wellers, and they have been done in that way for the last 23 years.”

In the meantime I had obtained work at the Cooden Beach Hotel from 11th October, but was still due another UC payment on 29th October covering the three week period from 23rd September to that date. Then it turned out that Holy Child had once AGAIN submitted a tax form to HMRC reporting me as still being their employee. Hence again, according to the HMRC and the DWP, I was claiming benefits whilst being employed.

Livid and frustrated I again wrote to Holy Child, imploring them to amend their records so that I could buy food and live without the fear of being thrown out of my apartment. No reply. Again I wrote to Amber Rudd’s office, and Louise Sargent sent out further e-mails both to Holy Child and the DWP in an attempt to move the process on and get it sorted. Holy Child again replied instantly, this time informing me that their accountants, Wellers, have now recalled both payslips completed in error, and the correct one had been sent.

The outcome
It seems probable that, in week or months to come, the HMRC will eventually accept that what I have told them from the beginning is correct and that my employers either made a mistake or have been perpetrating something murkier; they will then inform the DWP, who will drop their claim for repayment, re-calculate, and pay me what I am entitled to.  Probably. At present I’m clinging on to my apartment after explaining my situation to my landlord. I’ve also had to sell several possessions just to survive pending my first paycheck from my new job, but at least I haven’t starved.

It’s not a happy tale, though, when you multiply this kind of case up and down the country. The Universal Credit system has made qualification for benefits much tougher than under previous schemes, with claimants required to document every piece of information they rely upon.  Much of this documentation has in practice been generated and will still be controlled  by former employers. What if I hadn’t kept records? What if I hadn’t had the sense to actually query my previous bosses? What are the state’s sanctions against those employers who don’t bother to provide returns promptly, or who are careless with the facts and figures when they do? When
the computer says no, it seems to be the poor claimants wot gets the blame.

Survey reveals evidence of ‘systemic dishonesty’ in Universal Credit benefits means testing by Emma Harwood

“Draconian” reforms to the welfare system introduced by the Conservative government are failing those who need it and driving some to the brink of suicide, a survey by a local benefits advice agency has revealed.

The survey – carried out on behalf of Hastings Advice and Representation Centre (HARC) by an independent consultancy – revealed ‘systemic dishonesty’ in health assessments carried out by the Department for Work and Pensions to determine eligibility for benefits.

Assessors working for the DWP were shown to have lied and purposely downplayed or omitted the health problems claimants described when making their final reports, often ignoring doctors’ and claimants’ evidence of ill health.

The survey also reveals that routinely, where this had been the case, claimants had challenged their decisions and subsequently won their appeals.

However, the appeals process – which typically takes up to a year – has meant that people who have received inaccurate assessments of their eligibility to work have been forced to live on drastically reduced incomes while their appeals progressed. One such claimant, whose inaccurate health report showed his assessor had lied nine times, won his appeal because he had taped his assessment interview.

More disturbingly, seven of the 100 people interviewed told the survey that without support from HARC they would have committed suicide, and a further nine said they believed they would have had a breakdown or ended up in hospital.

The survey was conducted by independent East Sussex consultant, Julie Eason, who interviewed HARC clients from across the county.

“I initially thought there were just one or two rogue advisers, but once we started asking clients about the assessments it became clear to me that there was systemic dishonesty in the assessment process”, she said.

“People who had been dropped outside the centres because of mobility issues were described in reports as having walked in from elsewhere.

“GP and clinical evidence was typically not making it into  reports and what clients told the assessors was often twisted and inaccurately described in order to show they had made miraculous recoveries.

“Clients typically had a number of serious and complex health issues which were trivialised and understated, and the evidence they provided was inaccurately reported.”

Hastings Advice and Representation Centre is now advising anyone who needs to undertake a health assessment to insist that the session is taped, so they can prove the inaccuracies should they need to appeal.

The Health and Welfare Reform Act came into effect in March 2016 and included the introduction of Universal Credit (UC), a new single system of means-tested support for people of working age who are either in or out of work. As it has been rolled out to gradually replace Employment and Support Allowance it has come under criticism for pushing the poorest and most vulnerable deeper into poverty.

Jackie Everard, Chief Executive Officer of HARC, which provides free confidential advice, support and representation to over 10,000 people, said: “We are not an emergency service, yet on best estimates, we believe we saved at least nine times as many lives as the local RNLI last year. Our welfare system is supposed to be a safety net for people in desperate times, yet instead it is pushing people to
the brink.

“This is not right and we call on all politicians locally to stand up for the people they represent and to take action on behalf of their poorest residents.

“We ask them to advocate for an end to these draconian welfare reforms and to challenge the DWP who have created what is clearly a failing system of health assessments.”

The survey also showed that 51 percent of people receiving benefits under the new Universal Credit system are unable to make their money last the month. 21 percent of people have been unable to turn on their gas and electricity due to financial hardship. 50 percent of  parents surveyed described sending their children to school in shoes that were too small or had holes in, while 44 percent of parents said they were unable to afford basic Christmas or birthday presents for their children.

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