More than £141,792 of benefits secured for some residents

Citizens Advice Powys is due to submit a report to Newtown Town Council next week highlighting how the charity secured £141,792 in welfare benefits for local residents during the 2024-25 financial year.

The report to councillors will detail the achievements of the Newtown Advice Project, which focuses on providing urgent advice appointments to residents in Newtown's five Local Authority Wards. The service helped 123 individual clients throughout the year, with 30 people assisted in the final quarter alone.

In the most recent quarter, the charity helped four clients access £29,118 in annual welfare benefits, including Personal Independence Payment awards of £12,407, Disability Living Allowance of £12,934, and Attendance Allowance totalling £3,777.

The Town Council report will reveal that the majority of those seeking help through the Newtown Advice Project faced significant challenges. Among those who accessed the service, 76% have a long-term health condition or disability, 30% are unable to work due to health conditions, and 14% have mental health issues. Half of all clients are social housing tenants.

Beyond its core advice service, the report also provided specialised energy and debt advice to local residents. The organisation dealt with 618 energy issues, with the most common concerns being inability to pay bills, emergency vouchers/financial support, and help understanding bills.

The charity's debt team made a particularl impact, addressing 854 debt advice issues for Newtown residents. During the year, they supported 12 local people to write off debts totalling £148,508 through Debt Relief Orders.

Across Powys as a whole, the service has written off £1,156,513 in debts via Debt Relief Orders during the 2024-25 period, representing a 173% increase compared to the previous year. This dramatic rise is attributed to the removal of the DRO fee by the Insolvency Service and the increase in the debt threshold to £50,000, making the option more accessible to those in financial difficulty.