Charity

• Households owe £18.9bn on everyday bills

  Households owe nearly £19bn on essential bills such as council tax and utilities, Citizens Advice has warned today.

  

• Charities merge to improve support for ‘vulnerable children’

  More vulnerable children will be given specialist support as a result of a partnership between two leading charities.

  

• UC claimants lose ‘hundreds of pounds’ due to assessment timing

  Many Universal Credit claimants are losing hundreds of pounds each year because their payday falls too close to their assessment date, a charity has revealed.

  

• Universal Credit system ‘too complicated’, charity says

  Universal Credit claims ‘falter’ due to a complicated process and a lack of support, a charity which supports claimants has found.

  

• North Tyneside saves over £100,000 thanks to children’s charity

  A local authority has saved more than £100,000 and reduced the flow of children into care by 16% thanks to its partnership with an ‘innovative’ charity.

  

• Council response to Grenfell tragedy was 'weak' - report

  Damage caused by Kensington and Chelsea RLBC's ‘weak’ response in the immediate aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire will be ‘difficult to repair,’ a report has suggested.

  

• Councils failing to support thousands of young homeless people warns charity

  At least 86,000 young people in the UK are estimated to have sought help from their local council last year because they were homeless or at risk of homelessness, according to new research.

  

• Charity launches community-led services to tackle social care pressures

  More person and community-led approaches are needed to help tackle increasing pressures on health and social care services, charity says.

  

• Charity shops face business rates relief ‘postcode lottery’

  Charity shops are ‘falling victim’ to inconsistent and unfair policies on business rates relief and waste management, charity representatives say.

  

• Investigation launched into serious failures at specialist school

  An investigation has been launched into a charity for the blind following ‘serious concerns’ over the safeguarding of vulnerable children and young people.