Title

Date

Start Time

Duration

Fireside chat - Reorganising for Equity: Council Tax Reduction and Local Government Reorganisation (test)

4/4/2025

9:30am BST

1.5 hours

Protecting vulnerable consumers in the finance sector The finance sector plays a critical role in people’s lives; however, with increasing economic pressures, more consumers are becoming vulnerable and requiring additional support and protection.

Regulators like the FCA have tightened expectations around how businesses identify, support and engage with vulnerable customers. Failure to comply can result in reputational damage, regulatory penalties and customer hardship. But how can organisations balance compliance with commercial priorities while delivering fair outcomes for consumers?

Join industry experts as we explore best practices, regulatory expectations and practical strategies for businesses to proactively identify and protect vulnerable consumers. Gain actionable insights on:

- The latest regulatory landscape at the FCA
- Effective strategies for identifying and supporting vulnerable customers
- Case studies showcasing successful industry approaches
- How technology and data can enhance consumer protection

Join this webinar to learn how to strengthen your compliance strategy, improve customer engagement and safeguard both consumers and your organisation’s reputation.

Register now to stay ahead of regulatory expectations and build a more consumer focused business.

30/4/2025

10:30am BST

1.3 hours

Harnessing data for regional impact: empowering local leaders to drive change Devolution is one of the core missions of the new government, promising a strong focus on giving local areas more control over services. To tackle economic inactivity, and with many people across the UK needing support, it’s vital that local authorities deliver effective, targeted interventions. The success of tailored, region-specific approaches depends on how well local areas can harness data to drive change.

Local organisations, from Mayoral Combined Authorities to county councils, need to deliver these crucial services. Accessing and using the data insights required to implement efficient and effective programmes is a challenge and, without localised data, decision making can become less accurate. This leads to inefficient resource allocation and missed opportunities to reach those who need help the most.

Data analysis offers the key to overcoming these challenges. By harnessing the power of local data, authorities can get the accurate insights they need to target support where it will be most effective. With the right insights, local areas can design and deliver services that are more tailored, timely and impactful, ensuring the right residents get the right support at the right time.

Proven results from current data led initiatives already show the transformative potential of this approach.

Join this webinar to hear from guest speakers who have successfully implemented data driven campaigns. They will showcase real world examples of how they have come together to achieve measurable outcomes.

We’ll also explore how these data insights can be applied to address key issues like economic inactivity, youth unemployment and social isolation to deliver lasting change across regions.

21/5/2025

10:30am BST

1.3 hours

The Guinness Partnership helps one tenant to receive £13,800 in unclaimed Severe Disability Premium

We have used the Better Off Calculator for several years. We use it seamlessly across three large departments and it has helped improve our customers’ experience. Customers give us their information once making conversations easier and helps us to have all the information we need to help. We have helped lots of customers claim benefits they did not know they are entitled to and have always found Policy in Practice support if we have any queries to be impeccable.

Challenge

2021 brought a number of different policy changes that have seen benefit amounts change overnight. The Guinness Partnership had to learn new rules quickly and apply them to cases to ensure none of their tenants slipped through the net. They endeavoured to identify those who may not be claiming all of the benefits they are eligible to receive.

Solution

The Better Off Calculator from Policy in Practice was particularly helpful with this challenge as the engine is updated with each new policy change. This meant that Guinness could easily see how its tenants’ benefit entitlement changed, making it easy to give customers accurate information.

Impact

The number of referrals made over the past year with the Better Off Calculator has been a huge success for The Guinness Partnership. They identified a vast number of customers not receiving the correct amount of benefits and used the calculator for over 12,000 referrals in 2021 alone.

One new tenant, in particular, got in touch seeking help with a Housing Benefit claim. She lived alone without a carer and was receiving PIP and ESA.

An adviser completed a benefit assessment on the Better Off Calculator and recognised that she was not getting Severe Disability Premium (SDP).

The tenant started to receive the premium after Guinness notified the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of this error but originally DWP did not backdate the award. This was successfully challenged and the tenant was awarded a backdate going back to 2017. This amounted to a huge total of £13,800 in backdated Severe Disability Premium payments. In addition, the tenant has an extra £67.30 every week going forwards, helping to strengthen their financial resilience for the future.