Rising fuel bills are stretching household finances and people are looking for ways to save money on their energy bills.

Kingston Citizens Advice Bureau will give practical advice and help throughout Big Energy Week (16-21 January 2012) to help people cut their fuel bills and get all the financial support they are entitled to. Big Energy Week is an advice campaign coordinated by Citizens Advice to help consumers spend less on heating their home. 

Kingston CAB staff will be at the RBK Information & Advice Centre in Guildhall 2 providing information to local residents about how to cut their energy bills on Monday 16^th January & Tuesday 17^th January from 11am – 2pm so do pop in to see us if you are around.

 Leaflets with tips and advice on cutting fuel bills will also be available at Kingston Citizens Advice Bureau, Neville House, 55 Eden Street, Kingston.

 A new website – www.bigenergyweek.org.uk – being launched for Big Energy Week will be full of tips on how to cut your energy bills.

Consumer Focus and Citizens Advice offer the following 5 top tips to help if you are falling behind with your energy bills:

1) Contact your energy company as soon as you realise you might have trouble paying your bill – debts will be harder to pay off if they grow.

2) Tell your supplier what you can afford to pay – they have to take this into account in agreeing your repayments.

3) Ask your energy firm, your local Citizens Advice Bureau or the Home Heat Helpline 0800 33 66 99 to find out about other free energy help available.

4) Even if you are in debt you may be able to switch to a cheaper deal with your
current supplier, especially if you pay by cash, cheque or pre-payment meter.

5) Find out if you are missing out on financial help that could make it easier
to pay your bills by contacting your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

Kingston has now signed up to allow a national team of investigators to operate as & when necessary in Kingston to identify and investigate instances of ‘loan sharks’ operating.  The team relies on intelligence and anything that you can pass on to the team would be welcome.  They can be contacted via the Directgov website at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ManagingDebt/DebtsAndArrears/DG_10035958

Spot the Scam!

Scams and frauds cost people millions every year, causing misery and distress. People can lose their life savings, find themselves with crippling debts and experience mental health problems.  Citizens Advice is working with Trading Standards and other organisations to combat scams.

You can help us to campaign by telling us which scams you are most worried about by completing our survey at http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/campaigns/current_campaigns/spotthescam.htm

 It’s easier than you think. Please check out the Money Advice Service website https://healthcheck.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/? and answer some straightforward questions about you and your money and their free confidential health check will set out what you can do in easy steps. It takes just 5-10 minutes, doesn’t involve any paperwork and your answers are confidential.

As part of the Energy Best Deal scheme, Citizens Advice and Ofgem have been working together to help consumers with energy advice.

Citizens Advice have produced a series of videos which show how you can reduce your energy costs and what help is available from both suppliers and Government if you are struggling to pay your energy bills.

You may also want to download our helpful leaflet on avoiding fuel poverty, or  you can drop into the bureau to collect one.

Important information about our services

We wanted to let you know that our specialist legal aid funded services,  are under serious threat and may no longer be available to you and other citizens of Kingston

A current consultation proposes that in 2012 legal aid work will be removed for anyone who needs specialist assistance with any problems at all to do with welfare benefits (e.g. Income Support, JSA, Housing Benefit and the whole range of disability benefits). In addition, most debt issues, many housing problems and, anything to do with any problems you might be having at work will also be ruled out. These are just a few of the cuts proposed

If the plans are implemented as they stand, most if not all of our specialist legal aid funded work will have to stop entirely.

You can find out more and you can help us

If you want to find out a bit more about what’s happening and show some support for Kingston CAB and help us to show how important these services are, then take 1 minute and register for free at mylegal.proboards.com. Please pass this on to anyone else you think might be interested.

myLegal is a new and independent free online forum to help raise awareness of the proposals and give people a chance to say how the advice they got helped. Even just registering will help. Got Internet access? All it takes is a minute.

You can find out more about myLegal, and help us fight for our right to provide legal aid services to you and other citizens of Kingston here:
www.mylegal.proboards.com

VAT is a mystery to one in six in London

-      Lack of awareness over VAT and Christmas spending threaten New Year debt hangover -

A sixth of Londoners (18 per cent) don’t know what VAT stands for, let alone understand how to budget for the forthcoming VAT rise this January, according to a survey conducted by Citizens Advice.

The VAT rate is set to increase from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent on New Year’s Day  but, alarmingly,  one in eight Brits (13 per cent) are not aware that the rate of VAT will rise, and that this could increase the pain of any debt hangover after Christmas. 13 per cent of Londoners surveyed could not identify the current rate of VAT.

Kingston Citizens Advice Bureau says, “Christmas is a time of giving and it’s all too easy to overspend. There are enticing offers and pressures to buy and it can be tempting to ignore how much you are spending, but this may lead to problems in the New Year. Planning, budgeting and organisation are key to avoid getting into debt at Christmas and beyond.  This is why we are issuing a ‘Top tips for Christmas’ leaflet in association with Barclaycard.

“This January could be worse than most for those who are not planning ahead as the 20 per cent VAT increase will put more pressure on budgets. At this time of year we urge people to consider their spending carefully. If you do get into difficulties, get advice as soon as you can from your local Citizens Advice Bureau or visit www.adviceguide.org.uk.”

Luckily the majority of Londoners (62 per cent) say that they do budget for Christmas to make sure they don’t overspend.  The savviest budgeters are younger than people might think with those aged 24-35 the most likely age group to keep on top of their Yuletide spend.  However, it is women who will be worrying about their cash more than their male counterparts, 44 per cent of whom claim they will not be cutting back at all this Christmas.

Citizens Advice, supported by Barclaycard, has produced a leaflet which outlines ten top tips to help people prevent their festive finances getting out of control:

1

Plan early for Christmas

Be realistic and budget accordingly. Work out how much you are going to spend on each person– and stick to it. Manage expectations as to what you or Santa can give!

2

Don’t forget the everyday bills

Remember that rent, the mortgage, utility bills, food bills and other existing debts still have to be paid– and the consequences can be severe if they’re not.  Even though it’s Christmas, get your priorities right.

3

Don’t bank on an overdraft

If you do need more money, don’t just run up an overdraft without talking to your bank first – it will work out much more expensive.

4

Keep things simple

If you can afford to pay for your goods outright by cash, cheque, or debit card, don’t be persuaded to takeout extended credit agreements unless they really do workout cheaper.

5

Shop around

Try as many different places as possible to find the best price. Buy what you want and not what other people say you need. Be wary of extended warranties; the cost of a repair could be less than the cost of the warranty.

6

Buy safe to be safe

Whatever the deal, whatever the temptation, don’t buy from unauthorised traders and don’t borrow from unauthorised lenders.  The initial savings and convenience may prove to be a false economy.

7

Read the small print

Check for hidden extras in any credit agreement.  Workout the total amount payable. Ensure that the monthly instalments are within your budget before signing. Interest free credit can seem attractive, but if you don’t pay on time, or miss a payment, you could have to pay a lot more.

8

Do your own credit checks

If you are going to use a credit card, shop around and compare terms. Some cards charge high interest rates, but provide interest free periods or discounts.  Budget for all these costs and put the payment dates in your diary.

9

Be organised

There’s a lot to remember at Christmas. If you’ve borrowed money don’t forget that it won’t be long before you have to make a payment.  Make sure you pay on time, even if it is only the minimum, or you will be faced with additional charges.

10

Start planning and saving for next Christmas

Once Christmas is over, it’s worth looking at what you did well and what you didn’t. Learn from your mistakes and start planning how you will do things differently next year. This might also be a good time to start saving for next Christmas.

If you want to find out more information about these tips or further money management advice this Christmas, please visit www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/top_tips_for_christmas or visit your local Citizens Advice Bureau.