Power of Attorney

The fee for registering a Lasting Power of Attorney has dropped from £110 to £82, in a move the Government hopes will encourage more people to draw up plans in case they lose mental capacity.

I'll never forget three women coming to speak to me, by chance one after another, after an Ideal Home Show talk. All were in their 40s-50s, all had lost their husbands in the last few months, and all were desperate: "I'm in dire straits, where do I start?"

Most resolutions hardly outlast Christmas turkey leftovers, but I've designed these so if you do 'em now, the impact's felt all year

Bank staff are adding to the distress of people registering power of attorney by misunderstanding what rights are involved, making administrative blunders or losing important documents, according to the Financial Ombudsman Service.