E
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Quids in!
INSIDE!
Advice on:
✔ Spending
✔ Saving
✔ Borrowing
✔ Earning
The UK’s Number 1 Money Magazine | ISSUE 27 Summer 2015
www.quidsinmagazine.com
TELLY GUIDE
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Get the TV deal
that suits you
MEET WIN
SOME
u can
And see if yossion’
‘find your pa
l
a
s
r
e
UnCiv
A
S
redit
E
L
MP
It will affect 5.4 million people.
Are you one of them?
YOUR MONEY
BE INFORMED
T H E C A R E AC T
Do the new rules
affect you?
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Welcome
By the time you
read this, the
election might
seem like a distant
memory. But one
thing’s for sure,
the public voted to continue
with some tough love until the
country’s back on its feet.
We weren’t sure, here at Quids
in!, what the future would hold
for Universal Credit but once we
knew the Tories had clinched it,
the writing was on the wall. The
new benefit system is here to stay.
That, and the small matter of
£12 billion of welfare cuts, means
we should all be watching the
news as closely as we watch the
pennies in the coming months.
Millions of people will be affected
– almost all will be working age
but not in full-time work. Our
reader survey told us this group
were already hurting most.
So, business or usual, or not,
the belt-tightening will have to go
on for longer yet.
shing
A sma telly!
D
Sony Hto p7
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BILLION
SECRET CUTS PLAN
Quids in! readers deserve to know who will lose out
Jeff Editor
@quidsinmagazine
[email protected]
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Jeff’s top tip…
People who remain loyal
to energy suppliers are
overpaying for their energy
by as much as £234 per year.
Switch if you can!
S
In this issue…
Protestors against government plans to
continue austerity measures took to the
streets the day after the election, where
15 people were arrested. The People’s
Assembly is calling for further action in the
city of London “on the doorstep of the very
people who created this crisis”.
Prior to the election, the Conservatives
had pledged to cut £12 billion from the
benefits budget but would not comment
on where it would come from. They, and
Labour, were both criticised by Alan
Milburn, the chair of the Commission on
Social Mobility and Child Poverty, for not
coming clean on their plans.
Documents leaked to the BBC, however,
revealed Tory plans to attack disability
benefits and introduce benefit caps that
would vary around the country, although
their manifesto had already said they
would reduce the overall benefit cap from
£26,000 per household to £23,000. In
March, the Supreme Court ruled against
a legal challenge that the cap harmed
children but acknowledged it did breach the
United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of
the Child.
Other possible cuts are thought to
include limiting child benefit to just two
children, reducing unemployment benefits,
and taxing disability benefits.
“Take a deep
breath, Universal
Credit is coming”
Feature page 4
Iain Duncan
Smith will
continue to be
in charge of
Welfare Reform
“What’s the
cheapest way
to do it?”
“There was
more month
than money”
Television page 6
Winsome page 8
Quids in! magazine
Address 3 Monmouth Place, Bath, BA1 2AT. Tel 08456 8049 06
Editor Jeff Mitchell Email [email protected]
Publisher Steve Faragher Email [email protected]
Comms Officer Dan Fineman Email dan@ socialpublishingproject.com
Advertising Opportunities Lisa Woodman Email lisa@ socialpublishingproject.com
Copy Sales Rhiannon McNamara, Debbie Colvill
Email [email protected], [email protected]
Quids in! makes every effort to ensure content is correct at the time of going to print. Readers should take specialist advice
where necessary. Quids in! has no political allegiances, and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher or
editor. Any relationship with advertisers or sponsors is always on the understanding that we retain our editorial independence.
2 | Quids in!
© Work and Pensions Office
Election gives green light to £12bn
cuts to welfare despite mystery
remaining over plans, if they exist,
on how to deliver them.
Quids in! magazine is designed
to help people understand and
manage their money better. It
is published quarterly by the
Social Publishing Project, a
social enterprise.
Quids in! magazine is
supported by Aon and
Aviva. Aon arranges
home contents
insurance with Aviva for
tenants of social and
council housing. Ask
your landlord if they
have a scheme in place.
BUZZ
The latest news
affecting you and
your finances
NEW CARE ACT
COMES INTO FORCE
Assessments
offer hope
of support
S
council’s social services department for an
assessment for you both. More information
can be found by visiting the Carers UK
website, www.carersuk.org, or calling them
on 0808 808 7777
What a tweet!
Video of the issue
Quids in!
@quidsinmagazine
I’m disgusted that you used “White Dee”
as a representative of the genuinely
unemployed. I watched all of Benefits
Street and I’m surprised you used this
woman as an example. Name supplied
Jeff says… We hoped White Dee would
be controversial, to stir up much-needed
debate about the stigma faced by people
on benefits. We try to include people
from different communities.
£663M
Amount of money spent on
failed computer systems for
Universal Credit that will be
written off
SPOTTED OUR
QIMAG.UK LINKS?
You can follow up what you read in
Quids in! by turning to the internet.
Simply type the qimag.uk/link (as
it appears in the story) into the web
address bar on your browser and press
'enter'. For example visit qimag.uk/
qipop1 for our free music playlists
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Barclays’ video tips include one
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JOIN THE CONVERSATION…
WHITE DEE DISGUST
52,630
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We hit the headlines with the results
of our survey – making your voices
heard. See qimag.uk/inthemirror1
5.4M
Number of benefit claimants
in the UK
Number of people now on
Universal Credit
People who look after a relative or loved
one could benefit from new rules brought
in by the government. From April 2015
every carer and person being cared for has
the right to an assessment of their needs,
with councils legally obliged to support the
outcome. This could mean more money and
support, even if you have been turned down
before. If your assessment finds that your
wellbeing is affected, you will get support.
If you look after someone, ask your local
MAKING THE NEWS
2014
Original target for Universal
Credit to be in place for all
benefit claimants
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#careact Carers are set to get a
better deal as new act comes into
force @quidsinmagazine
Sunday People and Mirror
pick up on Quids in! campaign
on our readers’ health hit
hard by cuts...
NUMBER
CRUNCHED
UNIVERSAL
CREDIT
WIN
£50
POST The Editor, Quids In!
3 Monmouth Place, Bath BA1 2AT
EMAIL [email protected]
TWEET @quidsinmagazine.com
Have you got something you want to tell
us, or a money-saving hint or tip to share?
Each issue we’ll send £50 to our best
letter writer, emailer or tweeter! Don’t
forget to include your name and address.
Quids in! | 3
UNIVERSAL CREDIT
R
E
H
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A
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W
O
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G
IN
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PRE
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S
E
H
T AMPLE
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claims of Housing Benefit
Despite falling jobless numbers,
so millions of working
have nearly doubled since 2009,
es for the biggest shake
households must brace themselv
s first introduced…
up of the welfare state since it wa
I
f you’re drawing a pension, breathe
a sigh of relief. If you’re not, take a
deep breath. Like it or not, Universal
Credit is coming.
Taking over from Housing Benefit,
Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit,
Universal Credit (UC) is not a reform
that is meant to make life harder for
unemployed people. Millions of working
households will be affected too. And while
UC is not about cutting welfare, it is about
dealing with benefits differently.
Those drawing Income Support,
Employment and Support Allowance and
Jobseekers Allowance will migrate to UC.
The good news is that UC promises to
ensure people in work are always better
off than if they were on benefits. This
should mean that even a few hours work
a month will not be deducted pound for
pound from out-of-work payments.
UC has been in place in some areas
Universal
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CASE STUDY: KERRY
Kerry helps long-term unemployed
jobseekers in one of UC's pilot areas.
She's unimpressed: "I've seen a few
people really messed about. One woman
struggled because the only computer
she could access was so old, the system
timed out on her before she completed
the form. She wasn't able to save what
she'd input, so had to start over again.
4 | Quids in!
since 2013 but it is now rolling out across
the UK and the Government says pretty
much every working age claimant will be
on it by the end of 2017.
Landlords are worried. Housing Benefit
often used to be paid directly to them
and now it will go instead to hard-pressed
claimants who might be tempted to spend
it on other things. Because of that fear,
landlords are toughening up. Many of them
now ask for rent in advance, (despite UC
being paid in arrears), and a zero tolerance
policy is in place for non-payment.
Evictions are expected to increase and
most local councils will have no duty to
re-house them because people not paying
their rent will be deemed ‘intentionally
homeless’, except for vulnerable families.
¬ The Money Advice Service has released
a video explaining how Universal Credit
may affect you. See qimag.uk/qi27uc
“It took one person about ten weeks
to get his UC claim sorted"
You have to have all the information
you'll need to hand or you have the same
problem of not being able to save it and
come back later.
"It took one person about ten weeks
to get his UC claim sorted because they
kept coming back with queries. He told
me it was the hardest thing he'd ever
done – and this is someone who had run
businesses in the city centre. Then he
decided to go self-employed and that
has thrown up loads more problems
because he was told the system would
assume he was earning minimum wage,
35 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. That
doesn't even allow for holidays!"
UC KEY FACTS
der UC
nefits will come un
The following be
t
✔ Housing Benefi
edit
Cr
x
Ta
g
in
rk
✔ Wo
✔ Child Tax Credit
t
✔ Income Suppor
ce
d Support Allowan
an
t
en
ym
plo
✔ Em
ance
✔ Jobseekers Allow
GETTIN G READY
Even if you won’t move to UC for a
year or more, the changes are so big
you might want to start thinking about
making small changes now.
E
L
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e system
Key changes to th
ts in arrears
¬ Monthly paymen
s are
couple, if partner
r
¬ One payment pe
claiming
d
or similar is require
¬ A bank account
t
no
t,
paid to claiman
¬ Housing Benefit
landlord
ent of claim
¬ Online managem
S
Credit
The new system assumes claimants will be willing and able
to make and manage their claim online. Each month a ‘return’
will need to be made over the internet, declaring any earnings.
This will be tricky for many. Ask your Job Centre or local
library if there are computers available and help to use them,
if needed. If you’re not online already but claiming benefits,
start learning now. (Ask someone to help you find a UK Online
Centre near you at qimag.uk/qi27online)
If you have a partner, one payment will be made to cover
you both. This may mean changes in some people’s relationship
and it may be time to consider a joint account.
DEBT
It’s paid monthly, so even once a UC claim is in place, budgeting
will be vital to avoid debt. You’ll need to know how much is
coming in and what must be set aside for essential payments
like rent and bills. Visit www.quidsinmagazine.com for tips
on budgeting or go straight to the online budget planner at
qimag.uk/masbudget
People who have moved from current benefits to UC have
reported the process taking 6-7 weeks or more. Once in place,
they then only received one month’s payments. By then, they
owed money and many say they were behind with their rent.
Jobseekers have said they were too broke to look for work as
they couldn’t afford the travel to a library or job support.
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WHERE TO GO:
CLAIMING IT
¬ If you’re worried about UC, speak to your
landlord or Housing Benefit office at the council
¬ The Money Advice Service has clear information
about the changes, especially on YouTube.
Search for ‘universal credit youtube’
¬ Turn2us have a good guide, including how to
challenge a decision. qimag.uk/qi27uc2
¬ Citizens Advice has an online guide but local
offices are also likely to be the first port of call
for many struggling with UC. qimag.uk/qi27uc3
¬ See www.quidsinmagazine.com for tips and
links to specialist advice
BANKING ON IT
UC assumes you have a bank or building society account but
some credit union accounts will also be fine. Your best option
is to have an account that can make automatic payments of
rent and bills through direct debits and standing orders but
you’ll need to ensure there is enough money in the account the
day they go out. You could set up a second account just for
bills and organise for payments to go in the day UC is paid, so
you never touch that money. Talk to your bank and if they can’t
help, switch to one that can – your new bank will do all the hard
work for you.
Many Quids in! readers don’t use a bank account. If you
claim benefits, you will need to. If you don’t use your bank
account because you’re in debt, speak to a debt advice charity
(see p7). If you don’t have an account at all, talk to a number
of banks to see which ones will give you one that helps you
manage bills. See qimag.uk/qi27bank
Quids in! | 5
TV or not TV
Today there are thousands of channels and lots
of different ways for us to watch. But which is
the best? And what’s the cheapest way to do it?
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THE BIG BUNDLES
ON DEMAND
The outlay is high, but the savings can be good too. If you need
TV, a phone line and broadband it’s worth checking out the
packages from the big three providers, Sky, BT and Virgin. Use a
comparison website to get the best deal.
For just £35 the Amazon Fire Stick plugs into an hdmi socket
on your telly (so hi-def only) and gives you access to lots of box
sets and movies to buy straight from the Amazon store as well
as Netflix, iPlayer and other on-demand services. You have to
have broadband though. Really makes sense if you’re already
an Amazon Prime customer as you get lots of free box sets and
kids movies too. There are other similar devices too like the
Google Chromecast and the Roku streaming stick all of which
let you access tons of films and box sets as well as Youtube.
CONTENT:
PRICE:
★★★★★
££££
S
MORE AT YOUR COMMAND
Now TV is actually from Sky. You pay for a box and then have
access to Sky packages on a month-by-month basis with no
contract to buy in to - you choose when you want to watch. The
entertainment monthly packages are good value, but watching
sport is still expensive at £9.99 for a 24-hour pass.
CONTENT:
PRICE:
★★★★★
££
DOES WHAT IT SAYS
Freeview is an amazing service. 60 digital channels, with loads
of top-quality entertainment and it’s often built-in to your telly
already. All for the price of the TV licence. No Sky channels,
and little sport is the downside.
CONTENT:
PRICE:
★★★★★
£
! says…
Quids in ou could do a
6 | Quids in!
★★★★★
££
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Possibly the easiest and best solution for watching TV today
is a computer. Together with a broadband connection a
cheap PC can do everything the on demand devices can, and
sometimes more.
CONTENT:
PRICE:
★★★★★
£
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ty
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the expe nd
If mone
it
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and you
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with on
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manage
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lu
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a
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devices
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a PC. Yo
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just with dmittedly, but n r that!
da
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And bein
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CONTENT:
PRICE:
TV Licence required?
For now you only
need to buy a TV
licence if you wa
(or record) live br
tch
oadcast TV. It is
a
myth that if you
have the equipm
ent to watch live
broadcast TV yo
must pay the licen
u
ce. You only do so
if you actually
do watch live TV.
So it is possible
to just use service
such as BBC iPla
s
yer, Netflix and ot
hers and not need
to buy a TV licen
ce, or get it refund
ed. Visit the TV
licensing website
for more qimag.uk
/tvlicence
Odds & Ends
The page that has all the bits that don’t fit anywhere else!
PRIZE CROSSWORD
Win a 32” TV worth £320!
WIN!
S
ACROSS
1 Van Gogh painted lots of these blooms (10)
6 Come in (5)
7 Synthetic fibre associated with stockings (5)
9 Golf club used on greens (6)
11 Irish ____ is made with lamb or mutton (4)
13 They grow from acorns (4)
14 The start of the working week (6)
BENEFITS
• For unemployment and
work-related benefits talk
to Jobcentre Plus.
• People with disabilities or
carers should contact the
4
8
11
12
14
15
16
17
18
19
DOWN
1 They are often border collies (5,4)
2 Almond, for example (3)
3 Cool room for storing food (6)
Disabilit y Benefits Centre
(✆ 0345 605 6055) and
for Child Benefit and tax
credits call Inland Revenue
(✆ 0845 300 3900).
• Council Tax and Housing
Benefit is dealt with by
your local council.
• Pensioners should call
the Pensions Service
(✆ 0800 99 12340).
5
7
10
13
16 Excalibur, for example (5)
17 Gun fired from the shoulder (5)
19 At a later time (10)
✆ QUIDS IN! USEFUL NUMBERS
CREDIT UNIONS
Credit unions are not-forprofit organisations that
provide bank accounts,
loans and savings. They
may help people the banks
won’t. To find your local
credit union call ✆ 0161
832 3694 or visit www.
findyourcreditunion.co.uk.
3
6
9
To enter the draw simply
complete the crossword and
pop it in the post to us. Don’t forget to include
your name and address. Send your completed
crossword to Sony Telly, Quids in!, 3 Monmouth
Place, Bath BA1 2AT. Or you can enter by taking
a pic of your completed crossword and sending it to
[email protected].. Closing Date 31st August 2015.
See our website for our standard terms and conditions.
LOAN SHARKS
The National Illegal Money
Lending Team tackles
loan sharks. To report a
loan shark anonymously
you can call them 365
days a year on ✆ 0300
555 2222, text LOAN
SHARK and your details
to 60003 or email them
at reportaloanshark@
stoploansharks.gov.uk.
In Wales call ✆ 0300 123
3311or send an email to
[email protected]
2
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This great Sony KDL32R433ABU Black 32Inch HD Ready LED TV
comes with Built-in Freeview HD, 2x HDMI and 1x USB
HOW TO ENTER
1
4
5
8
10
12
15
18
Briefly close one eye (4)
Belonging to the same family (7)
People recently married (5-4)
Remove; leave the ground (4,3)
Sadness (6)
Lazy or inactive (4)
Animal pelt, such as mink (3)
THE QUIDS IN!
SIMPLE COOKING COURSE
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DEBT ADVICE
Get in touch with any of the
organisations below to get
free advice and help.
• National Debtline
✆ 0808 808 4000
www.nationaldebtline.
co.uk
• StepChange Debt Charity
✆ 0800 138 1111
www.stepchange.org
Offers free debt
management plans, debt
advice and more.
• Citizens Advice
www.citizensadvice.org.
uk. In Wales call ✆ 08444
77 20 20 England call ✆
08444 111 444
2. Simple White Sauce
A white sauce can be the start of
some magical food, especially when
combined with our tomato sauce
from last issue! Or add cheese for
a cheese sauce, freshly-chopped
parsley for a parsley sauce or fried
mushrooms for a mushroom sauce
INGREDIENTS
• 500 ml whole milk
SERVES
• 1 small carrot
2
• 1 medium onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves
COSTS
• 50g butter
85p
• 50g flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
1. Put the milk in a saucepan and
add the carrot, bay leaf and onion
studded with the cloves. Bring
nearly to the boil and then leave to
rest for 20 minutes or more.
2. In another saucepan heat the
butter gently. When it’s melted add
the flour and mix the paste well.
Continue to cook gently for another
couple of minutes to stop the final
sauce tasting too much of flour.
3. Remove the bay leaf, carrot and
onion from the milk. Slowly add the
milk to the flour and butter mixture
over a medium heat, stirring all the
time. The sauce will thicken. Stop
when it’s just about to boil. Season.
Visit www.quidsinmagazine.com
for more recipes and cooking ideas
Quids in! | 7
IN THE KNOW…
E
M
O
S
N
I
W
DUNCAN E
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P
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After years scraping by in
temp jobs, and battling onoff unemployment, debt
and depression, Winsome
Duncan has become
an author and awardwinning businesswoman
on a mission to help
unemployed people and
those struggling to make
ends meet.
Q How did you come to set up a
business on your own?
A I worked part-time in my first
business, The Healing Factory,
from 2006 and never had the
courage to go full-time. I was
also temping as a Learning
Support Assistant and was let
go four days before Easter,
which is one of the dangers
of temporary work. I was
devastated and frightened
about not having enough money
to live on. In that moment I
vowed that I would never put
myself in a position where a
manager would tell me when I
could have my holidays or say
‘we no longer need your services’
again. Through a networking
event I found a corporate
Business Mentor Lorna Stewart
and through the stress and tears
I started to build my second
business MPLOYME.
pay cheque to pay cheque and
continually struggled to pay
bills on time. I used to get loads
of red letters and threats to
be taken to court. I was in a
constant state of paranoia,
depression and was budgeting
on a weekly basis. I had a poor
quality of life and could only
afford to buy junk food because
it was so cheap. My life was a
constant debt headache.
8 | Quids in!
on saving money, what do you
think is the number one piece
of advice in there?
A If you are in fuel poverty
and have 10 per cent or more
of your earnings being spent
on energy bills, you can get
financial support. Contact your
supplier’s charitable trust and
ask for an application form.
EDF Trust helped to pay my
quarterly winter bill when I was
unemployed. I owed over £350.
Knowledge is power.
E
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P
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Q What was life like before?
A To be honest I had more
month than money. I lived from
and Awards For All Big Lottery.
I have hired several staff to
spread the message of hope.
I pay my bills on time and I am
now driving after not being able
to afford the luxury of a car for
eight years. I believe if you find
your passion, you will never have
to work another day in your life.
I wake up every morning looking
forward to going to work.
Q How has it changed since?
A My life has done a complete
360 degree turn around.
I used the job centre New
Enterprise Allowance scheme
and their £1,000 loan to set
up MPLOYME. It is a social
enterprise and I was able to win
support from funders UnLtd,
United St Saviour’s Charity
“I had more
month than
money”
Q You now help unemployed
people think about working
for themselves, what is the
most important message you
give them?
A We offer business start-up
advice and business templates
to the long term unemployed,
low income earners and exoffenders. Each candidate must
know that there is greatness
within them. They do not
need to be a product of their
environment. Change your mind,
change your mind-set.
Q You have also written a book
Q What do you hope the
future holds for you?
A We would like to roll out
our Proactive Employment
Workshops nationally and
assist more jobseekers.
Winning more awards and
becoming a household brand
would be fantastic.
MPLOYME
For more information, visit
www.mployme.org