Good morning. Welcome back to Survival Guide. I’m Isabella McRae.

In this week’s newsletter, we meet Leonie, a single mum who was left “mortified” when the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) scrutinised her bank account. 

Leonie’s universal credit was under review – not because she was being investigated for fraud or error, but as part of a routine check to determine if she was getting the right amount.

It comes as the DWP plans to ramp up its surveillance of bank accounts, which has prompted fear among campaigners who warn that this risks “criminalising” innocent benefit claimants. 

Leonie’s story shows that benefit claimants are already facing scrutiny and having their bank accounts interrogated, which can take an emotional toll.

Also this week, we hear from a 74-year-old Big Issue vendor who is missing out on the £150 warm home discount because his landlord’s name is on the energy account in his temporary accommodation – even though he pays for energy. 

For all of this and more, read on… 

If you have a story to share, we want to listen. Get in touch at isabella.mcrae@bigissue.com or share your story here.

Leonie’s story: ‘Politicians don’t know what it’s like to be poor’

Leonie Berman recalls feeling “mortified” when a DWP officer scrutinised her bank account statements. She says every payment she had made over the course of three months was questioned, including money she had spent for her daughter’s third birthday.

She was made to feel “penalised” in the process, she says, and was threatened with her payments being stopped. As a single mother who relies on universal credit to prop up her fluctuating income as a supply teacher, Leonie shared her statements despite feeling it was an “invasion of privacy”. 

However, confusion over the dates her bank processed payments meant her ordeal lasted months. Although it has now been resolved, she fears others will increasingly face similar scrutiny as the DWP plans to ramp up its surveillance of bank accounts.

“It’s stressful being on universal credit. It’s stressful being a lone parent. And it’s stressful being in the world right now and to have the DWP and a Labour government saying this kind of stuff. Politicians don’t know what it’s like to be poor,” Leonie says.

Read Leonie’s story here.

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Warm home discount loophole means vulnerable pensioners could miss out on £150 of help

Big Issue vendor Michael Turner can't access the £150 warm home discount because he is temporarily housed and does not have an energy account in his name. 

With rising numbers of pensioners facing homelessness, he believes others could be in a similar position.

The 74-year-old seller from Bristol received a letter in October informing him that he was eligible for government support to help him with his energy bills.

Micheal was placed in a house of multiple occupancy (HMO) in February after rough sleeping for two months. 

He pays for his energy use through a prepayment meter which only accepts coins, and he is restricted by his landlord to one hour of heating in the morning and two hours in the evening. 

It means he does not have an energy account in his name, so he cannot get the warm home discount.

“I got a letter saying I was entitled to the warm home discount which is £150 that goes to the electricity supplier but you have to have your name on the electric bill, which I don’t have,” Michael says.

“I certainly got to thinking about all the people in homeless situations and people going into HMOs they might be on individual room metering. This is the first time I’ve experienced renting a room or living in the UK like this.”

Get the story here.

This Christmas, you can make a lasting change on a vendor's life. Buy a magazine from your local vendor in the street every week, if you can’t reach them, buy a Big Issue Vendor Support Kit.