Welcome

Welcome to the Cotgrave Advice Centre website

Latest News :-Annual Report 2018-19

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Cotgrave Advice Centre, founded to help local residents during the mining dispute over 30 years ago, has been located in various parts of the village over the years. Last year we moved into All Saints’ Church,  opposite Brumptons butchers, because the Methodist Church Hall is going to be renovated.

The move took a lot of work at both ends but was an opportunity for us to rationalise our files and improve some of our office facilities. We are happy in our new location and hope that our clients like the new location too.

Your advice centre is, and always has been entirely staffed and managed by volunteers and currently gets a small annual grant from Nottinghamshire County Council which meets the costs of the telephone, internet, postage and office facilities. Services are offered freely to people that need them and we see about sixty people a month with a wide range of problems. We manage to sort out most  of our clients problems ourselves but if we can’t, we know where to send people for the help they need or can pass on the work to local experts we have contacts with.

If you ever need help we are here for you.  Our best advice is never put off problems (especially debt issues) until tomorrow, we are here and we will help. You will feel better getting the problem sorted.

November 2017

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We provide advice on:

Benefits

Benefits are changing for most people at the moment. If you are worried regarding claiming PIP, Attendance Allowance and Pension Credit we can help you. We also have software that enables us to check that you are getting all the benefits you are entitled to and to predict the changes to benefits that would happen if your circumstances were to change; come in and see us, our services are entirely free.

NOTE: NEW benefit claimants in the Nottinghamshire & Leicestershire area must now claim Universal Credit for what was :-

  • Child Tax Credit
  • Housing Benefit
  • Income Support
  • income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Working Tax Credit

and this MUST be done online, so you will need to create an account on the Universal Credit system and have an email account of your own already set up.  (Look at this Government Link to start you off).

Self service computers are available for use in the Cotgrave Hub Library which is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. Also note Rushcliffe Council Staff Advisers are available in the Cotgrave Hub Library Monday to Friday full time.

NOTE: You may be able to claim new style Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)  OR new style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), with or instead of, Universal Credit, depending on your National Insurance record.

If you need help come in and we can assist you.

Help is also available from these websites:

Consumer

Know your rights, if  you are not happy with something you have purchased we can help you negotiate with the supplier; drop in to see us, our services are entirely free. If you wish to complain please also look at the “Help with Complaints” tab at the top of this page. This will help guide you through the process.

Help is also available from these websites:

Debt

Debt problems that are ignored just get worse. The first thing to do is make a financial statement showing all your income, outgoings and debts (we will help you do this). Once you have done this we can help you to manage your money and negotiate with creditors on your behalf. Unlike commercial debt advisers, we are independent and all our services are entirely free.

Help is also available from these websites:

Employment

Employment law continues to change and expand with the introduction every year of new legislation and judgements that introduce new rights that affect the way that preexisting rights operate. Cotgrave Advice Centre are not currently in a position to offer inhouse, comprehensive specialist employment advice in all areas of employment. However, we have arrangements in place to access expert employment advice for our clients from external agencies with whom we partner.

Cotgrave Advice Centre can also access Professional Legal Employment Advice via our visiting Solicitors (see below).

Help is also available from these websites::

Family

Family issues are always very worrying and distressing and you may need to speak to our solicitor. However, first drop in and see us and we will see what we can do to help,  our services are entirely free.

Help is also available from these websites:

Housing

We are able to mediate for you with housing issues and can help you claim the relevant housing benefits; come in and see us, our services are entirely free.

Rushcliffe Council Staff Advisers are available in the Cotgrave Hub Library Monday to Friday full time.

Help is also available from these websites:

Legal

Appointments with our solicitor are for half an hour. Advice given at the advice centre is free.  However, if you decide you need the solicitors to act for you will need to pay for their services.

Before we book you an appointment with our solicitor please drop in and see us so that we can do what is needed, in advance, to make your appointment fruitful.

In circumstances where mediation is suitable, our solicitors also offer a mediation service as an alternative means of settling disputes (without having to go to Court). For people on low incomes they would offer this on a pro bono (free) basis.

These solicitors support our Advice Centre, their website is:

Also here are some useful, related web links and places where you can download court forms that you may need:

Pensions

At our Centre we can not provide financial advice. However, the following links provide information in relation to the new pension laws that have come into effect in 2014 -15.

Tax

Cotgrave Advice Centre are not currently in a position to offer inhouse, comprehensive specialist Tax advice. However, we have arrangements in place to access expert Tax advice and help for clients who over 60 from external agencies with whom we partner.

Help is available from this website:

 

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