In September 2017 Lambeth County Court will close its doors forever. It is one of 86 courts and tribunals across England and Wales – 10 in London alone – that the Ministry of Justice is shutting as part of the Government’s programme of austerity. I wanted to understand what Lambeth was losing, so I spent … Continue reading A day in the death of Lambeth County Court: How austerity is eroding access to justice
Homelessness and the housing crisis in Lambeth
People in Lambeth, and in boroughs across the capital, are being made homeless through a combination of changes to the benefits system, delays caused by staff shortages and a housing loophole which means that people judged to have made themselves “intentionally homeless” are no longer the responsibility of the overstretched local authority…. There are currently … Continue reading Homelessness and the housing crisis in Lambeth
Rue’s story: Jobseeker’s Allowance and a bureaucratic black hole
Jobseeker’s Allowance is supposed to help people on low incomes survive gaps in their employment as they seek new work. One construction worker explains how a glitch in the benefits system left him unable to work, unable to claim JSA and unable to attend his own mother’s funeral… Rue was born on the Portuguese island … Continue reading Rue’s story: Jobseeker’s Allowance and a bureaucratic black hole
Trace’s story: Facing the threat of eviction
Trace has been battling the bureaucracy of both Lambeth Council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for many years now. We met to talk about her struggle with the benefits system, but in the process I heard about what she’s experienced at the hands of Lambeth Council’s housing department over the last 20 … Continue reading Trace’s story: Facing the threat of eviction
Debt – guilty until proven innocent
Benefits “overpayments” and why you should keep paperwork for the rest of your life… Pete Woan is Brixton Advice Centre’s Specialist Money Adviser. He helps people with a whole range of debt problems, from credit cards and loans to utilities, council tax and benefits overpayments. He’s been at BAC for 10 years. Two of the … Continue reading Debt – guilty until proven innocent
Eaves for Women: The end of a Lambeth lifeline
Eaves was a Lambeth-based charity that had been helping victims of sexual and domestic violence in London and around the UK since 1977. More recently, in 2003, it launched The Poppy Project, fighting to enforce the rights of women smuggled into the UK by sex traffickers. It was so successful in its first twelve months … Continue reading Eaves for Women: The end of a Lambeth lifeline
Toni’s story: Chaos and cruelty at the Department for Work and Pensions
A few weeks ago, I met Toni. She contacted me after reading one of my posts on the Brixton Advice Centre blog because she’s angry about the way people claiming disability benefits are perceived and treated, and wanted to share some of her own experiences of the system. Toni has a complex medical history that … Continue reading Toni’s story: Chaos and cruelty at the Department for Work and Pensions
South London Stories: blog 