Welfare rights news and case law

28 June, 2023

Number of council tax reduction recipients in Scotland decreased to record low in the course of 2022/2023

New Scottish Government statistics also highlight that CTR recipients saved more than £800 a year on council tax last year on average, and that almost 60 per cent were in one of the 30 per cent most deprived areas in Scotland

28 June, 2023

Social Security Scotland received almost 1,800 complaints in 2022/2023

Executive agency advises that more than half the complaints were in relation to disability benefits, with 'timescales' being given as the most common reason

27 June, 2023

Managed migration of universal credit to roll out in West Scotland, West Yorkshire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire and South London from August 2023

DWP also confirms that its discovery phase for moving couples in receipt of tax credits onto universal credit is ongoing

27 June, 2023

Flaws in the digital universal credit system breach principles of law and stop some claimants from accessing the right level of support

New research from CPAG also warns that claimants who are entitled to additional elements or exceptions from standard rules, such as those with health conditions or disabilities, carers and care leavers, are more likely to be negatively affected

27 June, 2023

Amendments to council tax reduction scheme in Scotland to take account of increase in maximum amounts of childcare costs element of universal credit

New statutory instrument reflects universal credit changes coming into force from 28 June 2023

27 June, 2023

Miscellaneous minor amendments to universal credit legislation

New DWP guidance

26 June, 2023

DWP rejects Select Committee’s recommendations for short-term improvements to the health assessment process

Pending long-term reforms set out in Health and Disability White Paper, Department fails to commit to moving to an opt-out approach for recording assessments, making an interim payment to claimants where clearance times are not met, and extending the time to return forms

26 June, 2023

Early Legal Advice Scheme pilot in Manchester and Middlesbrough helped just three people between October 2022 and March 2023

However, Minister says that draft evaluation of the pilot has gathered ‘valuable insights’ on the nature and implementation of such pilots as well as barriers to engagement

23 June, 2023

NAO warns that scale and complexity of DWP’s Health Transformation Programme leaves it at high risk of delay, cost overruns and not achieving intended benefits

New report recommends that that Department publishes revised business case for Programme to factor in reforms set out in Health and Disability White Paper including abolition of WCA

23 June, 2023

Using SSAC to advise on annual uprating of benefits would risk contaminating its ability to act as an impartial adviser on other aspects of government policy

Committee chair advises MPs that SSAC's focus is instead on the adequacy of benefits over the longer-term to help it ‘shine a spotlight on issues and questions that a government of the day may not be adequately thinking about’

23 June, 2023

Changes to universal credit childcare costs provisions from 28 June 2023

New DWP guidance on disregard of upfront childcare costs met by the Flexible Support Fund and increase in maximum amounts of childcare costs element

23 June, 2023

Disregarding compensation payments relating to the Grenfell fire, the Post Office Horizon scandal and to vaccine damage in the calculation of means-tested benefits in Northern Ireland

New statutory rule

22 June, 2023

Government announces closure of a further 36 temporary jobcentres

Decommissioning programme will not reduce levels of service or access to face-to-face appointments, says DWP Minister

22 June, 2023

Department for Communities confirms funding decisions for the delivery of social security in Northern Ireland in light of restricted 2023/2024 Budget

Discretionary support funding cut to £20 million from £40 million last year, while no funds are available to recruit the additional staff needed to deliver an increasing universal credit caseload

21 June, 2023

Low rates of social security are ‘pushing people into poverty and driving destitution’, say MPs

All-Party Parliamentary Group calls for immediate increase in all benefit levels to meet the needs of claimants

21 June, 2023

Tribunal’s failure to find that former prisoner should be disqualified from receiving payments of contributory ESA for period of sentence amounted to error of law

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v NC (ESA)
[2023] UKUT 124 (AAC)
UA-2022-000802-ESA

20 June, 2023

DWP confirms vision for last phase of Universal Credit Programme, including ‘safe and secure’ migration of remaining 2.5 million households on legacy benefits and tax credits

Letter to Senior Responsible Owner sets out requirement for all tax credits, income support, JSA and housing benefit only claimants to be migrated by 2024/2025, with remaining 800,000 ESA claimants to be migrated by 2028/2029

20 June, 2023

Number of households subject to benefit cap increased by 3 per cent in the three months to February 2023

New DWP statistics also show that the number of universal credit households flowing off the cap has increased for the fourth consecutive quarter

20 June, 2023

DWP acknowledges that waiting times for PIP and ESA inquiry lines ‘have been too long’

However, Minister assures MPs that PIP recruitment will reduce waits 'by the end of summer', while ESA waiting times have 'improved significantly in recent weeks'