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Publication date:- 2017-17-08

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"So much easier than filling in forms" - Tax Credit customers praise HMRC's digital services

MORE than 1 million Tax Credit customers completed their renewal using the new online tools ahead of the 31 July 2017 deadline, for the 1st time, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) revealed. Proving increasingly popular with its handy tips and helpful advice, the department's online services handled 43% of all renewals by supporting 170,000 customers through the process via webchat, and saw more than 35,000 customers choose to submit their return through the new Tax Credit renewals app. Here's what other Tax Credit renewal customers had to say:-

► "I have never used this before and found it very easy. Great way to renew."

► "It's less stress for everyone, especially when you have children at home."

► "This service is quick, efficient and effective! Well done HMRC."

The services are so intuitive they even helped bring down demand on the phone lines by around 20% in the run up to deadline day, with only 180,000 renewal related calls received in the last week of July 2017, compared to 222,000 the previous year. A new trial SMS service, messaging customers to reassure them their renewal had been received and was being progressed, also proved to be a success, with 85% of recipients saying it gave them reassurance their renewal was being handled and stopped them calling the Helplines.

Angela MacDonald, HMRC's Director General for Customers Services, said:- "It's fantastic to see how many enthusiastic and positive responses our online Tax Credit renewal services have received. We know renewing can be a chore and no two lives are the same, that's why we're dedicated to transforming HMRC into an organisation fit for the future, by developing new ways for our customers to do this that suit them and their lifestyles."

Anyone who has not renewed will have their payments stopped and may have to pay back any payments they've received since April 2017. They must contact HMRC immediately, either online at:- GOV.UK or over the phone:- 0345 300 3900.

Rail fares rising almost twice as fast as wages

RAIL fares have increased at twice the speed of wages since 2010, according to new analysis released today by the RMT on the eve of the Government announcement on the latest fare hike. The analysis shows that rail fares have risen by around 32% in 8 years, while average weekly earnings have only grown by 16%. The rises mean for example that a new Nurse or Police Officer, commuting from Chelmsford to London, where annual season ticket would cost ₤4000, after the latest rise, would pay twenty% of their salary on an annual season ticket. The findings come as the Government is set to announce another round of regulated rail fare hikes for the coming year. They will be warning that passengers are paying:- "more for less" because even as fares rise rail engineering work is being delayed or cancelled, skilled railway jobs are being lost and staff are being cut on trains, stations and ticket offices. RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said:- "Government policy of suppressing workers' wages while at the same time presiding over corporate welfare on our privatized railway has resulted in a toxic combination of fare rises easily outstripping wages. The private operators and Government say the rises are necessary to fund investment, but the reality is that they are pocketing the profits while passengers are paying more for less with rail engineering work being delayed or cancelled, skilled railway jobs being lost and staff cut on trains, stations and at ticket offices."

Merseyside to benefit from funding to stop violence against sex workers

AN innovative project aimed at better protecting street sex workers from sexual and domestic violence, exploitation and trafficking will be launched on Merseyside and South Wales after receiving ₤650,000 of Home Office funding. The Umbrella Project was awarded a share of the ₤17m Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) Service Transformation Fund after a successful collaborative bid led by Merseyside's Police Commissioner, Jane Kennedy, and Merseyside Police, in partnership with South Wales Police. The 3 year project will put in place victim focused processes to better support sex workers who have already been victims of violence and those who are at risk, both on the streets and online.

The funding, ₤463,000 of which will be used in Merseyside and ₤187,000 going to South Wales, will enable the Police and partners to increase and improve the support they can offer to street sex workers in light of a recent influx of overseas sex workers and a shift which has seen more women take up the work online.

The funding will also be used to improve the gathering of intelligence on those who inflict violence on the women, while simultaneously encouraging victims to report offences, so that more perpetrators can be brought to justice. This will also prevent further offences from taking place. To support this work in Merseyside, the grant will be used to find an appropriate venue to act as a 1 stop shop of support, where women can access help and services, give statements and even give evidence in Court via video link.

Merseyside's Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy said:- "Merseyside has the largest street beat of sex workers outside of London. Many of these women are extremely vulnerable and are forced into this work because of difficult life circumstances. This bid is designed to better support these women to ensure they get the help they need, ideally so they can get off the streets, but for those who remain, to ensure they are better protected and are able work free from violence, abuse and exploitation. Merseyside Police has led the way for many years in prosecuting and securing convictions against those who commit crimes against sex workers, in large part by being the 1st Force in the country to recognise these offences as hate crime. Merseyside also has a dedicated Independent Sexual Violence Advocate for sex workers. By successfully applying for this funding, Merseyside Police in conjunction with South Wales Police, will be able to take this work to the next level; keeping more vulnerable women safe and doing everything possible to end the stigma and marginalisation they face."

Assistant Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said:- "Sex work is an issue that can be challenging for some communities however, as a Police service it is our duty to seek to protect everybody, especially those who are the most vulnerable within our communities, and this extends to all citizens including sex workers. Merseyside Police force will not tolerate violence against sex workers and we will make every effort to ensure that offenders are tracked down and face the full force of the law and that victims receive the justice they so rightly deserve. As a Force we have already taken a progressive stance, which has influenced national policy. We treat attacks on sex workers as hate crimes, because they a vulnerable targeted group. This money allows us to provide support for the work around that vulnerable group of women and look towards targeting violent and sexual offenders, as we know their crimes are not limited solely towards targeting sex workers."

A total of 41 projects, including a bid by Liverpool City Council to provide multi agency Early Help hubs, have been awarded a share of the VAWG Service Transformation Fund, which aims to help prevent violence and increase early intervention so that fewer women reach crisis point. 'The Umbrella Project' received the ⅛ largest amount of funding, after a bid from South Wales Police Commissioner and the Mayor of London.

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Deceased estates notice - Lilian May Jackam

Pursuant to the Trustee Act 1925, any persons having a claim against or an interest in the Estate of Lilian May Jackam (also known as Lillian May) Jackam (Deceased), late of Birch Abbey Rest Home, 55 Alexandra Road, Southport, Merseyside, PR9 9HD, UK, who died on 04/10/2018, are required to send particulars thereof in writing, to the undersigned Solicitors, on or before 24/05/2019, after which date the Estate will be distributed having regard only to claims and interests of which they have had notice. Churches Solicitors, 12 High Street, Fareham, Hampshire, PO16 7BL, UK. Ref:- 'T553015.'

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