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I’ve had quite a few emails and DMs in the last couple of days from listeners who have found themselves in tricky situations due to COVID-19 - lost jobs, unscrupulous employers, worries about lack of safety at work etc. So - a quick thread of advice on how to get help:
I am always keen to hear your experiences, as are our presenters so please call in and tell us. We will use the info you give us to hold politicians to account when they come on talkRADIO. I asked Matt Hancock a question last week that was based on a message from a doctor.
But - there is also practical help available that goes beyond this. This page from Citizens Advice is hugely helpful on what help is out there. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/health/coronavirus-what-it-means-for-you/
If you are struggling to access this help, or have fallen through a loophole, my biggest bit of advice is to contact your local MP.
I’ve spoken to a lot of MPs since this crisis started, and they are having a huge amount of success in changing employers’ behaviour, and in navigating government bureaucracy to get people the money they are owed.
How do you contact your MP? Firstly put your postcode in here to find out who your MP is: https://members.parliament.uk/constituencies/ . An MP can’t help you unless you live in their constituency, so you need to contact the right one.
Email them, and in the body of the email explain your situation in as much detail as possible. You also need to put you full postal address, and contact details - if you don’t, their assistant will need to come back and ask you for that info and it will delay the process.
I would also add in any other contact details you think it would be helpful for them to have. Eg if you are contacting them about a problem with your GP, put in your GP’s phone number.
If you are writing to your MP about a welfare claim or something similar, it can be really helpful to attach any paperwork you have received associated with your claim. (Don’t worry if you don’t have this to hand - this is a helpful added extra rather than a necessity)
MPs have a lot of emails at the moment, so if your claim is urgent, don’t hesitate to put the word URGENT in the subject of the email. Likewise, if you don’t hear back for a couple of days and are worried your email has got lost, drop them a call or a follow up email.
Please keep telling us your stories, and we will keep making sure they get heard. And please don't feel afraid to approach your elected representatives to make sure you get the help you need.
