Lee Healey

No longer posting here, but please do come and say hello on LinkedIn or through the STRONGER THAN THE SYSTEM PODCAST open.spotify.com/show/1owMfUPXw…

👣 ‘This is a huge first step, but it can't be the only one’ Our conditional scenarios work for #UKPoverty2026 shows how scrapping the two-child limit is expected to benefit 500k families from April. But a more comprehensive plan is needed, says Lead Analyst @Sam_Tims 👇

Episode 2 of STRONGER THAN THE SYSTEM is live right now exclusively on Spotify! Carly, Sammie and Pippa are in the house and it’s a brilliant conversation. One of my favourite highlights… sisters Carly and Sammie sharing their Proud Mary party piece! The #STTS podcast is a chance to get to know the @income_max team in a whole new way, so if you enjoy good chats, poignant moments and plenty of laughs, come and hang out with us! open.spotify.com/episode/6U2VAV…

Is runaway welfare spending to blame for the country's fiscal challenges? We dig into the numbers⤵️

I have the greatest of respect for benefit calculator services - but most often, proper advice is needed to get everything you’re entitled to. Advice on benefits, energy & water bill help, grants and more. That’s just the reality of things. It’s a subject based on law and it’s essentially legal advice. You wouldn’t buy a house and use an online tool rather than a solicitor. It’s no different for benefits. Let me share an example. This week I’m helping someone who is being made redundant after many decades of work. They are frightened. Really scared about the future. It’s not a ‘calculation’ issue. It’s about what the options are. How the system works around Statutory Sick Pay, new-style ESA and PIP. Her partner still works. There’s anxiety and fear. She needs help and advice on every aspect of claiming, including the forms. I’m talking through what to expect with the points based scoring systems for ESA and PIP. That’s income maximisation advice done properly. The @income_max way. The proof is in the outcomes, the impact and the case studies. But at the heart, it’s advice based on the law, the rules and the processes. It’s not a snap shot in time, and it can often be many months of advice, with lots of case work and phone calls. I’m all for simplification, good use of data and digital journies. I love innovation like AI, and I’m all for using data to automate, like councils sharing data to help pensioners claim pension credit for example. But PROPER income maximisation advice - welfare benefits advice if you wanna go old school - is as relevant today as it was thirty years ago when I first started this journey. Many thanks to Money and Mental Health for bringing income maximisation into the spotlight. I’m really hoping some good things come out of the report. More funding for debt advice service to incorporate QUALITY income maximisation advice into their processes. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Money and Pensions Service approach. More financial services funding QUALITY INCOME MAXIMISATION services for their vulnerable customers. We’ve been blazing a trail with this for more than a decade with Nationwide Building Society and Vanquis. It’ll be interesting to see if Barclays UK, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest, Santander, Monzo Bank, Starling, HSBC, RBS etc use this report as a basis for improving access to quality income maximisation support for customers. The energy industry have been leading the way on the funding of quality income maximisation support for years. We’ve been working with the energy industry for a decade plus now, and our pioneering partnerships with EDF (UK), OVO, E (Gas & Electricity) Ltd, Utilita Energy, Utilita Giving, AgilityEco, SGN and E.ON UK have enabled us to find millions and millions of pounds for vulnerable energy customers since 2009. The energy industry is the BLUEPRINT for doing income maximisation support properly. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/… @PeacheyK

Episode 2 of STRONGER THAN THE SYSTEM drops tomorrow! I’m in with IncomeMax’s very own Carly, Sammie and Pippa! More laughs than I can even begin to describe, poignant moments a-plenty and tremendous insight into my lovely social enterprise, it’s not your typical advice sector podcast! Catch up on Episode One exclusively on Spotify - I promise you’ll love it. Then hit that notification 🔔 button to get episode 2 first thing tomorrow! lnkd.in/epwpdcgY #STTS #StrongerThanTheSystem

Signing off for the week. A proper busy one. The IncomeMax team confirmed over £100 grand of new income - way to go gang. Our new podcast is live and I’ve had so so many messages of support about it. Episode 1 here… open.spotify.com/show/1owMfUPXw… … and episode 2 is coming next week! There will be a new episode of STTS every week for at least 12 weeks, which will then wrap up SEASON ONE! I was in London at EDF’s brilliant debt expo, MAX adviser has taken another giant step forward and in the garden I’ve been inundated with big, fluffy Long Tailed Tits whom I completely love to bits. I’ve got a rotten cold, but nothing I won’t bounce back from. Have a wonderful weekend everyone 🫶

I’ve been talking about biodiversity, ecosystem, wildlife and habitat collapse for a long time now. To me it’s always felt obvious. Clear. Not even complicated. I don’t think that many people really care — and I don’t fully understand why. But it’s becoming urgent. More urgent by the day. Don’t just take my word for it. Listen to the UK GOVERNMENT’s own advice. Read this report. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696e0eae… This isn’t about preferences or politics. It’s about reality. We need PLANETARY action on nature now. Not in ten years. Not country by country. Globally. Together. NOW. The human race is still waging wars. Still obsessed with power, borders, influence. Protecting what, exactly? If we don’t put nature and the planet first, none of the rest makes sense. None of it matters. I mainly talk about this by sharing nature pics and videos of birds, hedgehogs, sharks and sea turtles… it’s the only way I know how. Reminding us of the beauty of the natural world. But this is actually about so much more - re-connecting and protecting the planet in the deepest way possible. I hate feeling so helpless. But I feel like the UK could lead the way. Bring powers together. Unite the planet. Papers like this give me HOPE. Keir Starmer please take up this challenge. The time is, quite simply, now. @harari_yuval @POTUS @Keir_Starmer @KemiBadenoch @Nigel_Farage @WWF @UN @RNIB @GretaThunberg @EssexWildlife @BBCSpringwatch @ChrisGPackham @ourplanet

It’s HERE! It’s LIVE on Spotify! It’s the STRONGER THAN THE SYSTEM podcast! Episode 001 - “Setting Up IncomeMax, finding millions for our customers and celebrating Jim’s first published Novel.” - with Lee, Steph, Paula and Jim. Steph and I host the first ever episode of the Stronger Than The System Podcast! We're joined by IncomeMax legend Paula Healey and author Jim O’Sullivan, who was instrumental to setting up our social enterprise in 2009. Steph reminds us all that the best ideas are made in the 🛀 We celebrate Paula's work over the last decade 🏆 And Jim shares the soul behind his writing 👼 There's lovely moments, a sprinkling of emotion and plenty of laughs too. Thanks for joining us! open.spotify.com/episode/6mKGRp…

We’re so excited to bring you the STRONGER THAN THE SYSTEM podcast. STTS will see the @income_max team catch up with me about their lives, and the lives of our customers. It’s all unscripted - just me, Steph and the team hanging out, chatting about life, our work and the world we live in. We’ll be asking special guests to come and meet with us from time to time, but by and large it’s simply us lot, unfiltered, honest and real. There’s serious stuff, hopes and dreams, plus a few laughs along the way. We’ve got four episodes recorded, and Episode 1 drops on Friday 23rd January 2026. I know you’re all going to love the podcast - it’s not your usual advice sector podcast but I think it works. It’s fun to watch, and I know you’ll love getting to know the IncomeMax team. Exclusive to @spotifypodcasts @Spotify @SpotifyUK #STTS #StrongerThanTheSystem

The Crisis and Resilience Fund begins at the start of April 2026. People will be able to apply for emergency funds through their local council. It is a replacement for the temporary Household Support Fund which had been extended on a rolling basis since it was set up in 2021, but was due to finish at the end of March. The cash element is a significant change to the past scheme, which the government hopes will help fulfil a manifesto pledge to end "mass reliance on emergency food parcels". It means councils can give those experiencing difficulties direct access to cash in the hopes of removing the need for hand-out provisions. Trussell Trust, said: "The new Crisis and Resilience Fund is a vital step towards ensuring no-one is forced to turn to a food bank to get by." In guidance to councils, the Department for Work and Pensions said the money can be used for three different purposes: crisis payments, housing payments – for those facing an unexpected shortfall, and resilience services for funding the charities and local organisations currently providing front-line support. Barnardo's said, “shifting the way support is given from vouchers, food bank referrals and emergency food parcels to cash payments will aid millions who are currently dependent on government and council-funded help.” Some councils have already been using a cash-first approach and deliver them through Post Office cash vouchers or Pay-By-Text platforms that allow people to withdraw money at cash machines. A proportionate level of funding will be given to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but it is up to those authorities to decide how the extra money is used. Source: BBC bbc.co.uk/news/articles/… Full information 👉 gov.uk/government/pub…

Terrible officiating but we ain’t good enough @WestHam. Too many wrong decisions and mistakes by players at key moments. Nothing to lose now. Game by game. They will likely stick Bilic or another manager in. Was Pablo a bit of bright spark? Hoping so. Suprise surprise Taty doesn’t look to have Premier League pace. Some OK touches from him but I can’t see him transforming our season, let’s hope he proves me wrong on that front. It’s blinkin’ miserable being a West Ham fan, it really is. But it’s only football eh? Fortunes always hiding and all that. #COYI

PLAY FOR THE SHIRT. Play. For the pride. For the history. For the players that played their hearts out before you. Play. For the fans. For yourself. For the club. Play. For the shirt. For the badge. Play because you can and that means something. Play. For the moment. For the joy. For the love. Play. Just play. @WestHam

Podcast photoshoot today in London and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to include a couple of @WestHam pics. Thanks to all at @VanityStudiosUK #COYI #WHTID ⚒️

Christmas Crew! @income_max Xmas Jumper Day today. Here’s the team in the office looking very festive. And why not! Double celebrations this week. The gang confirmed £277 THOUSAND POUNDS of new income for customers across our projects last week. A huge week and an unbelievable number of lives changed. EDF winter warmer shop awards, Action for Children grant awards, multiple Attendance Allowance awards, UC awards and additional elements added, Council Tax Reduction awards, Pension Credit awards, white goods grants, PIP awards, Child Benefit, a state pension award, Housing Benefit awards, electric blankets and SEVENTY ONE fuel bank vouchers. The list of advisers confirming multiple awards was just staggering… Susan, Teddy, Jade, Entela, Gareth, Darryn, Jess R, Alicia, Tamsin, Amanda, Sylvanie, Rachael, Cydney, Harry, Carlie W, Anne B, Alisha and Lorraine all chipping in with incredible case outcomes. Talking of Lorraine… our legendary adviser has just confirmed £3 MILLION POUNDS of new income for her customers. I need to tell you how specialist a lot of Lorraine’s work is. She specialises in appeals and in depth case work which gets results in the most difficult of cases. Lorraine is what I call a proper old skool welfare benefits adviser - in the mould of the likes of Paula, Carly and Pippa - someone who really knows the system and it’s complexities. Well done Lorraine - we’re so proud of your accomplishments. #IncomeMax

Just in time for Christmas we’ve just published the latest @income_max Social Impact Report! Covering the year 24/25, we’ve now reached £58 MILLION POUNDS of new income confirmd for our customers. 24/25 was another monumental year. As well as our human advice team continuing to change lives each day, we also launched MAX to great effect, pioneering #AI in the income maximisation space. On a personal note, it was one of those years where everything just came together beautifully, with the help of my amazing team, and with the unwavering support of our partners, who trust us to crack on and help change lives, year after year. Huge kudos to Pippa F for pulling the Social Impact Report together in style. Pips does such an incredible job as our data & impact manager, it’d be easy to forget she still heads up our adviser hall of fame with £4 million pounds of new income confirmed for customers. But we definitely never forget it! Pips, you’re amazing! I must also shout Leigh T, Steph, Carly and Paula, because together with Pips, they are the most amazing senior team a founder could ask for. My job is made all the more joyful because I have them by my side. This year is proving to be just as awesome, and 2026 is looking like being another huge year in our journey. Have a wonderful Christmas everyone. I love my network, so thanks for supporting me here each year.

Evil, unconscious actions. Not a day seems to go past where some despicable act perpetrated by humans goes on - Australia and another shooting in the US as just two of the latest examples. My heart goes out to the innocent people killed and of course their families and loved ones. I always used to ask. WHY? Why do people commit such acts? But I no longer need ask that. Because I now know why. The answer is quite simply, they are sick. They are evil. They are unconscious. They are sick in the mind, acting through an out of control ego which creates enemies, hatred and division. And so they act unconsciously - with no conscience - and no understanding of what they are doing, of the evil they are unleashing. The extraordinary work of Eckhart Tolle and Micheal Singer helped me to understand the nature of unconscious behaviour. Acting unconsciously, through ego, is a deeply human trait which we’re ALL capable of doing, sadly. Thankfully not to the extent of perpetrating extreme evil - but even so our minds and ego are there always, causing issues and creating suffering. Becoming aware of acting unconsciously - of the ego - and its ways - is a skill very few of us are taught or even understand. And so as Eckhart Tolle explains, most humans are acting through their ego, their emotions and their mind patterns. They go through life acting unconsciously, without any awareness of the needs of their fellow humans and the planet. This is the human condition, and all each individual can do is to try to become more conscious, more aware, more conscientious and more at peace. For if we pause, if we begin to see our minds and egos for what they are - just chattering noise that means very little - then we become more conscious and we realise that the only way is love. Kindness. Patience. Forgiveness. And so really, the best thing to do as a counter to evil is to work on yourself. We pray for others. We speak out against evil. But we do the work ourselves. We make sure we’re acting consciously in our own lives. Living in the moment. Being in nature. Being present with our loved ones. Refusing to give in to hate, division or judgement. There is always a better way. A way that is so far removed from war, violence or evil actions. It’s the way of love, of peace, of conscious awareness and action.

Please watch this from Angela Haggerty She explains how politicians don't have any experience of using the benefit system Then she explains how difficult it is to get benefits in detail At the end the Reform UK person then objects, asking why there are so many more sick people She corrects him and points out we had a pandemic which affected people in different ways Eventually, Fiona Bruce cuts of her off These 4.5 minutes on #BBCQT humanising the disabled, the poor, and whoever else is in receipt of benefits or support