Information Library

I’m sure you must have heard earlier this week of the Government’s concessions with regards to approved Foster Carers and armed forces personnel. The concessions came in the form of a written ministerial statement after weeks of growing political pressure and the popular press smelling Ministerial blood. The changes will…

The media is focused with laser precision on Universal Credit no doubt anticipating Ministerial resignations due to the chaos and scandalous loss of public money. Based on the recent Guardian revelations it’s looking ever more likely, the planned national rollout will be delayed until after the May 2015 election. By that date,…

According to research by the Payments Council, benefits recipients throughout the UK believe they will not fully understand their payment options once the Universal Credit scheme is rolled out by the Department for Work and Pensions. The survey, which questioned 1,568 UK adult recipients between 28 August and 5 September,…

The Government has announced yet another trial project, this time focused on the long term unemployed and those that need specialist help when seeking work. In return for receiving their benefit, some Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants will be required to undertake supervised jobsearch activity. Under the trials, due to commence in…

Lord Freud was speaking yesterday at the IRRV’s annual benefits & revenues conference, which is always well attended by council delegates from all parts of the UK. His full speech can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/welfare-reforms-progress-update He really says nothing we haven’t already heard. Basically, he applauds councils for the cooperation…

Ian Duncan-Smith & Lord Freud must have been drowning their sorrows last night, having heard from civil servants that yet another Scottish Tribunal Judge, this time in Glasgow, has set-aside a Bedroom Tax sanction that would otherwise have applied to a severely disabled woman (suffering from Multiple Sclerosis) on the…

Hard on the heels of Thursday’s announcement on Direct Payments, Lord Freud has intimated, just this morning, that the 2nd Pathfinder is to start today in Wigan. The format is identical to what happened in Ashton-under-Lyne, where to control numbers, only certain single claimants could claim. So those claimants who have…

The Residential Landlords’ Association have just published an article in which it has welcomed a Government commitment to work with landlords, to make a new system of direct rent payments successful when Universal Credit is rolled-out. For the full article, go to http://news.rla.org.uk/rla-welcomes-direct-payments-parity-with-social-sector/…

Access…

As a follow-up to yesterday’s bulletin I can now provide a copy of Jonathan Mitchell’s actual opinion, responding as he does to some pertinent questions posed by Govan Law Centre on behalf of its Advice Agency client. The opinion – http://www.govanlc.com/GAAopinion.pdf Whilst I found the opinion interesting and informative it…

We all expect, the “Bedroom Tax” to throw up many anomalies and horror stories after All Fools’ Day but here’s one I came across earlier today that seems to be taxing even the best Welfare Rights workers. What chance do mere mortals have if the experts are struggling with the…