Winter (Quarter 2) Partners’ Briefing:
Quarter 2 Analysis:
Client numbers are up on the last quarter, at 4,103 – an increase of 2.5%. This is entirely consistent with the usual cycle.
These clients presented with 16,213 issues, which is down some 12% on the last quarter, but 5% on the same quarter this time last year. There will have also been a modest impact because of the timing of Easter this year.
Client survey work continues to show a high level of adverse cost of living, and generally high household and life stresses.
There was a notable change in which wards our highest client counts come from for the quarter. With Broughton moving to a clear lead, as opposed to being a three-way draw with Pendleton & Charlestown and Weaste & Seedley.
Benefit issues in total have remained stable. We saw a modest rise (39%) in Pension Credit – in September, following the government’s change to eligibility to the Winter Fuel Payment rules, and the subsequent take up work and media interest in Pension Credit.
Universal Credit (which we measure separately) saw a steady rise, as the managed migration programme continues to build. The quarter saw an 8% increase, to some 2,331 clients.
Employment enquires remained stable – which maintains the medium-term trend for what seems to be a stability in the local employment marketplace.
There was also a downturn in the number of housing enquires, some 11% down on the previous quarter, 8% on the same quarter this time last year. This may indicate a slightly more stable housing market.
Immigration enquiries are beginning to build (up 9%) as the new e-visa system is rolled out.
Income gains (£2.02M) for the last quarter was stable, that said, within this figure there is a noticeable dip in the amount of Pension Credit gains (£0.24M). This is probably due to the significant delays in benefit processing times currently.
Referrals from the council, and in particular Salford Assist remain high – more than two thirds of all referrals. External referrals made up 8% of the total number of clients.
Volunteering remains stable, representing over 6,000 hours volunteered over the quarter.
Meeting with the new Secretary of State for the DWP:
We were pleased to join a small group of local charities in meeting the new government’s secretary of state for the DWP, and to discuss the ways that DWP services might be improved, as well as the local push to devolve some DWP functions to the regional mayor and combined authority. It was gratifying to hear from the minster herself of the value that she placed on the Citizens Advice service and the voluntary sector as a whole. The meeting was held at Salford Loaves and Fishes, and it gave a valuable opportunity for national, regional and local politicians and civil servants to see the value of the voluntary sector, to hear it from service users, as well as to see how we as community assets can play a role in the delivery of state services.
Working with the Elevate Programme:
We are delighted to be working with colleagues at Salford CVS to help support the delivery of the Elevate Programme. “The Elevate Salford programme provides a range of services to support, train and prepare people furthest from the labour market, to gain skills, training and employment via the strong charity sector in Salford
The programme is funded by the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation Trust (AGCF) with an additional AGCF grant, Salford City Council is funding the coordination of the programme by Salford CVS.” Salford CVS.
Renewal of funding (and partnership) to provide a service to the Charedi community:
We have been providing a special dedicated service to Salford’s Charedi community for over twenty years, and we are delighted to announce that funding for this small project has been renewed for another five years.
Developing a new model for financial skills training in Schools:
Following the recent Seldom Heard Voices event – to make statutory and voluntary sector providers listen better to young people, we have agreed to work with our CVS colleagues and others in Salford’s voluntary sector to explore how we might better address the area of financial and money skills for young people, and how we might work better with schools. The CVS will be ‘convening’ the next stages of the conversation.
Advice First Aid:
We have begun discussions with our colleagues in Salford’s Public Health service to look at how advice services can work better with smaller community groups working with specific marginalised communities. Even though we do well in this respect – with broadly speaking higher use of our services by marginalised people than the numbers living in the city, it’s clear that there is always more work to be done.
We have been discussing with Citizens Advice services in other parts of the country how we might set up (and to win funding for) a new Advice First Aid Programme for Salford. The aim of which would be to help partner organisations understand what they can do to meet advice needs of the people they serve as well as to be supported in making referrals for more expert advice.
Celebrating our 85th Anniversary:
It was our 85th birthday at the beginning of September, and we marked it by holding a special celebration at Salford Lads and Girls club. Here’s to the next 85th years of Citizens Advice service in Salford!
Tom Togher
November 23, 2024.