Hi

This was an unusual appeal, involving 16 tenants and demands for £235,000 in alleged overpayments. Allegedly, because there never was any overpayment in the first place nor should my clients and their tenants have been put through 3 years of unnecessary worry, anxiety, and cost. DWP subsequently accepted it had made…

Good morning

Our March bulletin explaining the uprating order and its impact on tenants’ personal and housing cost awards, attracted considerable attention and discussion.

Since then, several private members have raised concerns over some tenants failing to report the change in rent charge, causing rent arrears. They also question…

Good morning

I recently helped a housing association client, located in London, with an appeal involving UC and succeeded in having UC housing costs, restored and backdated to July 2021. The appeal affected 16 of its tenants and should produce around £225k…

Hi

DWP has created helpful information on its website to assist staff engaged in the process of migrating legacy benefit recipients to Universal Credit. It also compliments the information I’ve previously provided in earlier website bulletins

How is it designed to operate?

The process by which a legacy benefit…

Good afternoon

I recently provided an update on the Managed Migration timetable and how and when it would be conducted. The game plan is to transfer around 1 million more “legacy” benefit recipients to Universal Credit by no later than March 2025.

It’s been recognised for some time, this…

Good morning

I’m delighted to confirm the following training courses, in both Glasgow & Edinburgh are available to book.

Glasgow Course – 21st February in Tollcross Housing Association’s offices – How Universal Credit is contributing to rent arrears. Edinburgh Training Centre – Two courses covering a) Universal Credit’s View Article

Good afternoon

DWP published yesterday, a detailed timetable of how and when all “legacy” claimants, will be forced to migrate to Universal Credit, giving up, in the process, their existing legacy awards.

From May 2023, the department’s focus was on notifying Tax Credit recipients, of the need to transition. DWP…

Good afternoon

DWP published details yesterday of the likely LHA rates (weekly and monthly) which are due to come into effect on 1st April 2024. The press release refers to the figures as being “indicative” of what’s likely to be confirmed in the up-rating order on 31st January.

You…

Good morning

In earlier bulletins, I highlighted the chaos & hardship caused by DWP’s “Risk Review” team. More recently, I’ve received several referrals concerning DWP’s “Enhanced Review” checks, which are causing UC to be unfairly refused at point of claim or existing awards being retrospectively reduced or cancelled, oftentimes, illegally.

…

Good morning

I’m sure you will have heard, by now, the Chancellor presented his Autumn Statement 2023 in Parliament last week, and, amongst other things, confirmed:

*Universal Credit and other “working age” benefits (e.g., JSA, Income Support) will be uprated in April 2024 by 6.7%, in line with September’s inflation…