Supporting our customers
We know the last 12 months have been one of the most challenging periods some of our customers will have ever faced.
Throughout 2019/20, through our Money Advice and Employment and Skills services, we supported more than 1,000 customers, launched our Customer Wellbeing Hub and announced further improvements to the support we offer to customers who are in financial difficulty.
Employment and Skills
A key element in the delivery of our Improving Lives strategy is our Employment and Skills Support offering to our customers and the wider community.
We offer a range of services, including our Skills and Development Centres, which deliver accredited qualifications in Maths, English and ICT.
This year, more than 100 accredited qualifications were successfully delivered.
Our Skills and Development Centres also supported 48 people with a range of issues, such as applying for or managing Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, CV writing, job searches and applications, applying for college, bidding for properties, assistance with applying for a driving licence and reading skills.
A total of 59 learners were also enrolled onto New Horizons, our bespoke financial inclusion project that assists people in the Peterborough area with budgeting, getting online and into employment and training.
In addition, a further 42 people were supported through our in-house Employment and Training Service.
Of these, three people were supported into full-time employment, five into part-time work and four into volunteering positions, while a further seven were helped to find training opportunities.
If you think you could benefit from any of these services, please visit the Longhurst Group Employment and Skills hub.
Customers provided with Employment and Skills support – 2019/20
Money Advice Service
Our Money Advice Service supports customers in claiming the benefits they’re entitled to, maximising income and paying their rent.
Throughout 2019/20, a total of 968 customers were referred to the service for support. Our award-winning advisors helped customers to reclaim almost £100,000 in backdated benefits, over £1million in ongoing benefit and assisted with more than £430,000 in debt.
In June, through our Community Investment initiative, we announced our new partnership with PayPlan to further improve the support we offer to customers who may be in financial difficulty.
It offers customers access to free and confidential independent debt advice from PayPlan’s dedicated team.
To find out more about the service and contact our Money Advisors, please visit our dedicated Money Advice Service page.