Had a phone call today that was supposedly from First Utility. The number called from was not withheld and the woman on the phone was adamant she worked for First Utility. She knew my current energy provider details, my full address and (obviously as she had rung me) my phone number. She kept telling me how she could guarantee that FU would be able to offer me lower bills as their price per unit couldn't be beaten. She wasn't interested in listening to me saying I wasn't interested in switching suppliers, wasn't prepared to confirm who I was currently with or what my unit price is at present. Or, if I was interested in switching suppliers, I would do my own research, look into not only unit price but also standing charges, exit fees, customer service ratings and e like. Anyway, I wasn't impressed with her pushy attitude and unwillingness to listen to me so I ended up hanging up on her. I then went on to do some further investigation..... My current energy supplier doesn't have my phone number on their database - just address and email address for contact; they don't pass on customer details to anyone especially rival energy companies and have got a note on their system that I don't want any contact for marketing or survey purposes. Next step was FU - they say they don't cold call for prospective customers, don't recognise the phone number as being one of theirs, don't have any details of my address on their database so wouldn't have any reason to contact me. They did take the number and said they would look into it and would consider reporting it if they find out who it is as they don't want to put off prospective customers by cold calling. Lastly I tried ringing back the number that I'd been called from - when you dial it it doesn't connect and then tells you that you have dialled an incorrect number and to please check and redial. On google not a lot comes up but it does link to a thread on whocallsme website where there are a few posts and people say it's one of those company's who claim they can save you money on utility bills but no specific details about the company. Anyway, I just wanted to warn people that this is happening and to be aware. The phone number that called me was 01792 528848. Feebee_71

Was this letter definitely an Attachment of Earnings form or was it (as it sounds from this post) asking you for a declaration of income and outgoings? Feebee_71

I think the £10.19 charge worked out at £5.97 for fresh water and then £4.22 for waste water, £28 for sewerage standing charges to Thames Water and the rest (£15.06) for standing charges to Affinity Water So, o ly 10% or thereabouts of my bill is actually for fresh water received!!! Fionar71

I am fed up with the inequity of water suppliers.... I have just received my latest water bill through from Affinity Water and find that my actual usage and sewerage charge makes up just £10.19 of a bill for £53.25!! I am more than £10 in credit on the account but can't pay any less per month as, apparently, I'm on the lowest direct debit amount they can take!! I am surprised that, for a change, they aren't trying to increase my monthly DD amount which they usually do - perhaps they're learning that I am not going to suddenly start using loads more water after 8+ years in this flat and an annual average consumption of 12 cubit metres of water!!! Why can't the standing charges be calculated as a percentage of usage rather Han an arbitrary amount? Thank goodness the water regulator has refused to allow Thames Water to add extra charges to bill for the London Super Sewer as I'm already paying them £56 a year standing charge for sewerage as, apparently, that's a service provided by Thames Water rather than Affinity Water!! Feebee_71

Renegadeimp, Do you know if there is a list of which councils have contracted Crapita to run their back offices? I'm not sure if my council does! Feebee_71

Thanks Outlawla, it is helpful. Still want to know if I'm within my rights to put on the form that I deny Crapita permission to hold or process my data for Ny purpose other than the processing of this form?? Feebee_71

No-one able to offer any advice? Feebee_71

Dont forget that, as well as back payment of the underpaid amount, they should be paying back the amount they've been clawing back from your current award to cover prepaying the 'overpayment' they originally calculated!! Feebee_71

I've received a letter from Capita, on behalf of my local council, regarding a review of my single persons discount for council tax. Capita are clear in the letter that they have been employed by my local council to carry out the review and tha it is being done from their offices in Bromley and is being carried out independently of the local council - for what it's worth, the letter has about 8 different councils logo's at the top of the letter and mine is one of them, the letter was sent from/with an undelivered return address in Bromley and the freepay envelope is addressed to Bromley so it's clearly been outsourced for this purpose - as far as I know my council does not outsource it's back room work to Capita. I recognise that councils have to review these matters in case residents 'forget' to update their eligibility for the discount and I'm happy to reply by completing the enclosed form - simply a tick box either I'm still entitled or I'm not entitled, a section to put details of any person who stays regularly but does not consider the property to be their primary/main residence and a section for giving details of anyone aged 17 or under for whom the property is their primary/main residence. In the 8+ years I've lived in this property I've had house guests once so, don't have a partner (not even absent) and only spend 1/2 the week here myself due to staying with an elderly relative who is in poor health and we don't want on their own overnight. I am also out of the place from 7am-8pm on the days I am 'here'!! What I don't want is Crapita holding my data for any other purpose than to pass on to my local council that I have completed the declaration. Purely and simply I don't trust them as far as I could throw them but can't afford for my SPD to be cancelled as I barely afford my C. Tax each month as it is. Am I within my right to add to their letter that I do not authorise Crapita to hold or use my personal data for any other purpose than to pass on to my local council? In an effort to further protect myself I have altered my signature on the letter to identify it as only coming from that source if it appears anywhere else, I have refused to give either my hone number or my email address as I don't see how they are relevant or required for the information they have been instructed to gather!! Feebee_71

Sorry for delay in posting this but here is what my contract says about holiday entitlement..... You are entitled to 22 days holiday during each year, this rises to 23 days after 2 years service, 24 days after 4 years service and 25 days after 5 or more years. This excludes the usual 8 public holidays in England and Wales. Prt time or reduced hours workers will receive the pro rate full time equivalent. During your holidays you will be paid your average remuneration in the 12 week period preceding the start of your holiday as calculated in accordance with the Employment Rights Act 1996. The company's holiday year runs between December and January (this is exactly what it says. Leave year has now been amended to cover June-May.) if your employment commences part way through the holiday year, your holiday entitlement during your first year of employment shall be calculated on a pro rate basis [rounded up to the nearest whole day]. You shall give at least 2 months notice of any proposed holiday dates and these must be agreed by the Care Manager in writing in advance. If for any reason you do not take all of your holiday entitlement in any holiday year, we shall not increase your holiday entitlement in any subsequent year or make payment in lieu, except as provided in clause xx. On termination of your employment you shall be entitled to be paid in lieu of accrued but i taken holiday. If you have taken more holiday than your accrued entitlement at the date of termination of your employment, we shall be entitled to deduct the appropriate amount from any payments due to you. We may require you to take any outstanding holiday entitlement during your notice period. That is all of it, word for word as it appears in my contract. Feebee_71

Thanks for clearing that up sidewinder. I wasn't aware that was the case - but I know I've paid more tax than I will get back in MAR!! Feebee_71

HMRC claims for mileage don't have to be offset against tax. If you don't want it added to your tax code you can opt for it to be repaid by cheque - that's what I'm doing this year as icloud do with the cash!! Feebee_71

I have got one but can't get access to it until tomorrow at the earliest but then I will post what it says about holidays. Feebee_71

Thanks all

Hi all, Am asking on behalf of a friend who has received conflicting information..... She has been placed in ESA WRAG for a while now and has been referred to Work Programme. Her JCP advisor tells her that participation is mandatory but her CAB advisor has said that it is optional. Could someone please confirm which it is so I can advise my friend correctly. Today she was meant to have a phone appointment with them, over an hour after the time of the appointment someone else rang and told her the advisor she was expecting to speak to was off sick and the person who did call was a total waste of time and effort on my friend's behalf. By the time they called she was in a state of absolute panic and is still trying to recover from the anxiety of having to deal with them at all let alone them calling so late. Thanks in advance for any advice, Feebee_71

This is the latest update from work....... "The 12.5 days entitlement (Jan to May) was calculated on 30 leave days a year. If you work bank holidays you are paid at the enhanced bank holiday rate and this counteracts the days holiday ie you are not offered days off in lieu of banks worked. So in essence, as you worked 4 bank holidays in that period, you should only have been paid for 8.5 days leave and not 12. As you were paid for 12 days that resulted in a deficit of 3 days carried over to the new year." So they are saying that, I get 30 days leave a year if I work 37.5 hours a week, then they go on to say that, if I work a bank holiday, the don't give a lieu day but pay me double time AND deduct a day from my annual leave entitlement!! WTF? Excuse my language but, surely, if I take a bank holiday off they deduct the day but if I work it I should still have the day available to take?? Who do I go to to complain about this as it meansI'm only going to get 22 days leave a year if I work all the bank holidays!! Feebee_71

If you use your own vehicle for business mileage and are not paid at the current HMRC allowed rate (presently 45 pence/mile) then you can complete a claim for Mileage Allowance Relief (MAR). To do this you must record all business mileage, keep records of all payments received and calculate the rate HMRC allows you to claim (45p/mile) then deduct what you receive for mileage. Any sum where you are underpaid using the calculation total mileage x 45p/mile - mileage allowance paid you can make a claim to get tax refunded at 20% of the difference..... Eg: if you did 2000 miles you would multiply 2000 x 45p = £900 Your employer pays you £250 for mileage therefore £900 - £250 = £650 HMRC will refund you 20% of that amount as Mileage Allowance Relief therefore £650 x 20% = £130 You can make a claim for just MAR if the total mileage value is under £2500 (so long as you dont need to fill in a self assessment for any other reason), if your mileage is valued higher than £2500 then you will need to complete self assessment. Feebee_71

Once again, thank you. It certainly is a way forward- especially as I was considering who to refer the company to if we don't get our 28 days leave as entitled!! Feebee_71

Thank you Mariefab, That has put it so clearly and I a nutshell! At one point they were saying it was 22 days leave total, end of discussion but do seem to have accepted that we get some entitlement for bank holidays as well!! I just hope my questioning at work doesn't get me labelled as trouble - though they love me because of my background as a nurse so I don't think it will lead to me getting zero hours work!! Feebee_71

Thanks Mariefab, I have asked them to confirm how, if the 12.5 includes 5 bank holiday allowances and I've taken 12 days I am being penalised to the tune of an additional 4 days - will wait to see how they explain it away before I do anything else!! I know I had New Years Day off so lose one of the days entitlement but, as my working week includes Mondays and Fridays, I can only lose the additional entitlement when I specifically request days off or a bank holiday falls on my day off (Thursday) if what they say is correct. I still feel as if I'm losing out somehow as, if I didn't work a Monday and lost all the bank holiday entitlement that you gain for them, I'd not get the 5.6 weeks paid leave a year the government says we're legally entitled to!! Perhaps I just over complicate things!, when I worked for the NHS we got pretty decent leave allowance - I was up to 26.7 x 12.5 hour days a year paid leave including bank holidays, now it's almost as if I should accept less than the government has legislated for!! I will update when I receive any further replies from work!, Feebee_71

Heard back frommy employer and, to say the least, it appears confusing what they're telling me. This is what they say..... "As long as you are working equivalent of full time employee (ie 37.5hrs a week), then you will be entitled to 22 days holiday a year and the bank holidays. If you don’t work on the bank holidays then these are taken into account when pro rating your holiday. If you do work on bank holidays however, the company does not offer days off in lieu." They then go on to say, for the period of Jan-May I was entitled to 12.5 days leave including bank holidays and took 12 days paid leave - so far so good, and I agree with those figures - then they continue that I worked 4 of the 5 bank holidays - 12+4=16 (so it appears I have taken 3 days more leave than I'm entitled to???) That really confuses me I'm entitled to 12.5 days including BH's, use 12 of them and work 4 bank holidays and they seem to be trying to say I've used 16 days of entitlement!! I have asked for further clarification of this point. For the next 12 months leave period, they have said that I'm entitled to 30 days (leave + BH's) have 3 to be deducted for the previous leave period and have taken 7 leave days which, by my calculations means I've 20 to play with. They want to deduct for a bank holiday they say I was off but I need to check as, I'm sure I worked it!! As I say, they've made my head spin with is thing of having days deducted from my entitlement if I work them but not if I don't!! Feebee_71

Could be anything, speed trap run by local residents, police manned speed camera or just an exercise in making drivers aware of their speed by having someone there with a speed recording device to trigger the driver to look at their speed in relation to that allowed for the road and make adjustments. As you weren't stopped at the roadside you'll have to wait and see if not receive anything in the post from the local police force or speed partnership body. Feebee_71

I doubt it. What you might find easier is to find out (probably from the charity) is whether there is a doctor in your area that specialises in care of people with your condition. Feebee_71

Thanks for that Sillygirl, I'll see what the office come back with having challenged them again about the leave and what they are saying being different to what both contracts say and what legislation allows for before I report anyone to TS - though I'm more likely to report the company to whoever is the relevant organisation as they're the ones not giving us what we're entitled to!! Feebee_71

Thanks sidewinder, I think they are (perhaps deliberately) confusing the matter because someone has pointed out to them that they aren't complying with the law. I'm not sure they calculate our leave on 'bank' methods as they say we're entitled to 22 days leave per year for full time carers. I'll now wait to see what they come up with as a response and will post back when they do!! Feebee_71