Barr Benefit Advisory Services

20/12/2025

For a lot of people a new year brings new resolutions. Perhaps you’ve thought of counselling to help you work through issues that are affecting you day to day but have been put off by the cost.
Portadown Wellness Centre are offering free counselling sessions. The criteria is that you must be in receipt of a means tested benefit such as Universal Credit. If you are working but on a very low income you may still qualify.
Most free counselling services give you 6 -8 sessions. The Wellness Centre free sessions are available up to the end of March 2026 so there is the potential for you to receive 12 sessions.
I am one of the fully qualified counsellors working for the Wellness Centre.
These sessions take place in person in Portadown.
If you don’t meet the criteria for the free sessions the cost of sessions is £25. These are not limited in time and can last as many weeks as is appropriate for your circumstances.
If you want any further details send me a message and I’ll do my best to answer your queries. Feel free to share this post. It’s open to anyone within the ABC council area.

23/09/2025

Benefits advice session - tonight

01/07/2025

Some good news
120+ backbench MPs stood against the proposed change which would have seen existing PIP claimants lose their award at renewal if they failed to score 4 points in at least one descriptor. The government has backed down on this and announced that current claimants will now be exempt from the personal independence payment (PIP) four-point rule. This will no doubt come as a massive relief to so many people but it has now resulted in a 2 tier system as any new pip applicants will have to satisfy the 4 point rule when these changes come into effect at some point in 2026. The situation is fluid however and this too could change.

21/04/2025

New arrangements.

24/03/2025

Welfare Reform Bill

28/02/2025

https://www.justgiving.com/page/andrew-scott-1
My amazing son in law - Andrew Scot is doing this hike. As many of you know I had my own battle with cancer in the past so this is a cause close to my heart. I’d really appreciate any donation you make however small. Macmillian do such fantastic work helping people with a cancer diagnosis.

Help Andrew Scott raise money to support Macmillan Cancer Support

25/02/2025

Power of Attorney

23/12/2024

New beginnings.

07/09/2024

Working Tax Credit - the transition to Universal Credit