CAML Winter 2025/26 Update
Hello,
And welcome to Citizens Advice Merton and Lambeth’s (CAML) Winter 2025/26 update.
Citizens Advice Merton and Lambeth is a local independent charity helping people with issues which can appear baffling. Take welfare benefits such as Personal Independence Payments, Pension Credit, Universal Credit and so forth. Last year over half the people we advised had problems with their welfare benefits – and that doesn’t include the people who could sort themselves out once we’d given them assisted information. Mayra was one of them.
Immigration Support
Over 2,000 people from five London boroughs have turned to us with questions about immigration. 1,300 of them needed in-depth help which resulted in successful outcomes for over 99% of them. Read about Win.
Preventing Problems
We don’t only help people with their problems – we also try to stop issues occurring. For example, whilst still operating as an independent local charity, we joined colleagues in Local Citizens Advice across the country to campaign for the abolition of the two child benefit limit to reduce child poverty.
We helped over 2,000 Lambeth and Merton people with housing issues last year. Over 500 faced actual or threatened homelessness and may be in need of temporary accommodation (TA). The Trust for London are campaigning to make sure that the thousands of Londoners living in TA have access to the ‘Five Basics’ so they can cook a meal, wash clothes, connect to the internet, store their belongings and understand their situation.
Arnie Gets Talking
We couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers. Arnie, one of our long standing volunteers, spoke to the Home Office volunteering network. 130 people dialled in to hear about the work of Citizens Advice and to hear him speak about the role of a volunteer. Our Media and Comms Coordinator, Nathan, spoke to Arnie about this.
We have a wide variety of volunteering roles. Find out more here:
If you’re interested in partnering with Citizens Advice Merton and Lambeth and wish to discuss a potential commission or contract, please contact Simon Shimmens, our Chief Executive.