Local Compliance Telephone Interview

Hi,

I received a letter from the DWP yesterday saying 'they will be phoning me in order to conduct a Local Service Compliance Interview'. This came completely out of the blue and I haven't got the faintest idea why, so I wonder if you could help.

I telephoned the person named on the letter as I needed to change the phone number they intended to use and asked the chap "why have I got this letter?". All he said was that I wasn't to worry about it (or something similar as I could hardly make out what he was saying), but of course I'm going to worry about it.

It's asking for all of my financial products, e.g. bank account, any ISA's, savings accounts etc., any private pensions (which I don't have), property or land I own other than where I live (I don't have any), and my immigration status and right to remain (n/a).

Whilst typing this out I have been trying to get through to the DWP and have just reached them and was told that I had been "picked at random". She said, "I see you've have one of these before a couple of years ago". Would you happen to know if the DWP can keep harassing me, or is there a rule that as I've already done one of these only two years ago then there should be a longer time period between them asking me again, or would it be because I'm highlighted on their system as I have won 2 appeals now, and was given money, £250, as compensation (they did not call it that though) for sending my whole mandatory resolution reply to one of my neighbours (!) ?

Hi to all,

Jane you said the DWP wrote you a letter stating they will phone you up. To do this compliance interview.

Sorry for being a bit confused. But will they be conducting this interview over the phone?

I only ask as you stated the DWP want all your bank statements ie financial information, bla bla bla.

I was thinking surely that information, would need to be looked at by the DWP, rather than over the phone. You stated you had this happen previously.

I hope it's over the phone, as it would be less stressful, especially if your mobility is impeded etc.

Kind regards
kind regards

Hi Gordon, yes I am in the ESA support group.

It's a phone interview thank goodness (severe agoraphobia & GAD, and very limited mobility) and it says "it's essential that I provide the documents subsequently. It then goes on to say "When you claimed benefit you agreed to tell us immediately if the circumstances relating to your benefit entitlement changed", and then over the page it lists all of the documents they want, ie, the financial stuff etc. Absolutely nothing has changed for the better - mobility worse, GAD/agoraphobia worse, and fiances definitely worse.

The letter can be read a few different ways but think that they want to talk to me again randomly, and then probably I will have to send all of the statements they are interested in yet again (when I can find someone to get to a post box for me)

The last one I had was in 2016, and again it was said at the time it was 'random', just like this one. Can't help but wonder about their 'randomness' and definitely makes me even more paranoid than I already am

I remembered over the weekend that when I first asked the chap who is doing the phone interview “why”, he said ‘because the government want to save hundreds of thousands of pounds’ & it was then he told me not to worry. I had forgotten this until I was making notes about the upcoming call and hunting down the papers from the last ‘random’ interview.