Social Fund Repayments

[ananya]

Hi, I hope someone can give me a little advice. Back in 1996, hubby had a social fund loan for advance rent and as he was claiming benefit, the repayments were taken at source, as usual. We both understood that the loan was repaid in full as no other communication has ever been made.

 

 

However, the DWP have now sent him a letter, demanding the 'rest' of the social fund loan to be repaid, as according to their records, just over half remains unpaid. As he didn't find work and sign off for well over a year after the loan was taken out, as far as we remember it was paid in full. They are also trying to claim another amount from him from 2009, called an 'alignment to benefit' - he was working in 2009 and hadn't claimed benefit for a long time.

 

 

He wrote to the DWP asking for details of these alleged owed amounts, they have sent very scant details and no details on the repayments made to date.

 

 

Does anyone have any insight or advice? It would be very much appreciated

[antone]

I think you would wish to start by sending the DWP a Subject Access Request requesting all details they hold regarding these alleged debts.

[Tamara Qutteineh]

thank you for your post and to antone for the helpful suggestion of submitting a subject access request to DWP. I received a letter last month and this month asking for £30 I borrowed in September 2007 to be repaid. I paid this back by my recollections in 2009 when it was taken from my JSA I was then claiming.

I have no records to evidence that I fully repaid the £30. I am now unemployed again and claiming JSA otherwise for the sake of argument I would rerepay it.

John in Team 14 at the Social Fund office in Manchester has offered to send me the statement showing I owe this £30. This I fear will settle nothing if the evidence I repaid the amount is (with) held in a DWP vault. I foresee endless correspondence on the matter none of which given the quagmire of bureaucratic red tape will resolve anything. Cynical perhaps. I hope my cynicism is proved wrong and the DWP exceed my expectations.

[ananya]

Hi, thanks for your reply and a SAR will be definitely be the next step.

[Beatrice Bee]

You may have changed bank account since 1996 but an online statement would show how much was the loan paid into your account and the deductions from JSA to pay it back.

 

They gave me about £300 two years ago for rent in advance and they recover it by deducting about £9 each week from JSA.

 

Was off JSA for 6 months so only half of the loan was paid back. When I signed on again, for 10 month they did not deduct anything and there was no mention of the budgeting loan. I made a claim for discretionary housing payment for rent in advance and apparently the council is a grass up because DWP started taking £9 each week again but no DHP allowed. In the DHP claim you are asked if you have any debts and I declared the social fund approx £180.

 

Was the money repaid over the counter or by DWP deducting weekly amounts from benefit? 20 years ago there were no online accounts, were there?