IPR Advice

Islington People's Rights

Independent Welfare Benefits
and Debt Advice in Islington

IPR Advance

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Advance

The IPR Advance project ran from October 2013 to September 2016, thanks to a three-year grant from City Bridge Trust, the City of London Corporation’s charity.

Advance focused on helping ex-offenders, particularly those affected by drug and alcohol issues, with their welfare benefits and debt problems. The sessions formed part of a package of support for the client that improves their resettlement and helps to reduce re-offending rates. Income maximisation is key to this client group, who often find themselves struggling to get their lives back together following release from custody. The project complemented the activities of specialist drugs and alcohol agencies and the Probation Service in Islington by ensuring that their clients had access to specialist advice. Working with these agencies, IPR helped break the cycle of offending and re-offending and put in place the building blocks for more stable lives in the community.

Sessions took place at: Cranstoun Drug Services in N1, Islington Drug and Alcohol Specialist Services (IDASS) in N7, and Probation Servicesin EC1.

Further funding is sought to continue delivering this important work supporting ex-offenders, particularly those affected by drug and alcohol issues.

Islington People’s Rights AGM 2020 – recording

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This year, the IPR AGM was held virtually on the 10 November 2020, through Zoom. The speakers were Cllr Richard Watts, the Leader of Islington Council; the 2 local MPs, Jeremy Corbyn and Emily Thornberry; Kamran Mallick, the Chief Executive of Disability Rights UK; and Emma Whitby, the Chief Executive of Healthwatch Islington, highlighting the issues around digital exclusion. It was followed by a short Q&A session. It also dealt with the formal AGM business of the organisation. A recording can be seen below:

IPR Annual Review 2020

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The IPR Annual Review can be downloaded here.

Chair’s Report

2019-2020 was certainly a very big year for IPR. We celebrated our 50th anniversary with a series of great events, including a major exhibition at Islington Museum, and an evening with Ken Loach and screening of “Cathy Come Home”. IPR@50 gave the organisation an opportunity to tell its story, including highlighting some of the people who have given so much to the organisation over five decades.

Just as these celebrations were coming to an end, in the first months of 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic changed everything. It was essential that our services helping many of the most needy residents in Islington continued seamlessly. In fact, demand increased significantly with so many local people suddenly finding themselves out of work and needing to access welfare benefits and debt advice. It’s a credit to all the staff that the service switched so quickly and efficiently to operating through home-working and that IPR was able to continue to offer its service throughout the lockdown and subsequently.

Some key statistics from IPR’s year were:

  • Direct specialist advice benefiting over 2,800 people
  • Support for 130 clients at benefits tribunal appeals with a success rate of over 90%
  • Three quarters of our clients say they have mental health problems

As in previous years we must give particular thanks to the London Borough of Islington for their continuing strong financial commitment to our work. Also thank you to the trusts that have given funding this year to resource our special initiatives such as our work to support carers and those with families with children that have complex disabilities. I must also thank individual supporters who have supported those that have walked, run and cycled in aid of IPR. We will continue to ensure that every penny will be put to good use and will help those most affected by poverty and disadvantage in our community.

In these especially challenging times I am pleased to say that everyone including the trustees, staff and volunteers at IPR remain focused on doing all that we can to improve the prospects of thousands more people in the year ahead.

David Moore

Islington People’s Rights AGM 2020

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Tuesday 10th November. 6.30pm. Virtual Event through Zoom

The AGM of Islington People’s Rights (IPR) is always an interesting and informative event, and is taking place on Tuesday 10th November at 6.30pm. This year it is taking place as a Virtual Event through Zoom.

Speakers confirmed to speak, are; Jeremy Corbyn MP (Islington North) Emily Thornberry MP (Islington South and Finsbury); Cllr Richard Watts, the Leader of Islington Council; Kamran Mallick, the Chief Executive of Disability Rights UK, and Emma Whitby, the Chief Executive, of Healthwatch Islington, highlighting the issue of digital exclusion. The IPR AGM is in many ways more of a public meeting

This event is taking place during an unprecedented period given the impact of Covid-19 on local residents and more widely. There is also the evident impact of welfare reforms, and indebtedness. Islington People’s Rights is striving to ensure that vulnerable residents are able to access the specialist welfare benefits and debt advice that they need.

Free event, all welcome, but please register by the 2nd November through https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/islington-peoples-rights-2020-agm-tickets-126393124237 You will then be sent the Zoom link and key documentation prior to the actual meeting on the 10th November.