Welfare rights news and case law

19 April, 2023

GLA analysis finds that landlords in England are collecting £1.6 billion a year in housing benefit for ‘non-decent’ private rented homes

Mayor of London call for urgent government action to rectify 'scandal' of private landlords profiting from letting sub-standard housing

19 April, 2023

Social Justice Secretary sets out steps the Scottish Government will take over the next three years to tackle poverty and inequality

Commitments in new strategy document include further £1.3 billion for Scottish child payment, reduction in child poverty, and transfer of more than 700,000 awards from the DWP to Social Security Scotland

17 April, 2023

More than 40 per cent of PIP claimants who successfully appeal a nil award decision after mandatory reconsideration receive an enhanced component at tribunal

Written parliamentary answer also highlights that more than 30 per cent of those awarded PIP at mandatory reconsideration following an initial decision refusing an award receive an enhanced component

17 April, 2023

Minister provides information on numbers receiving ESA on the basis of ‘substantial risk’, but says that same information for universal credit is ‘not readily available’

Written answer highlights that more than a quarter of a million claimants are in the ESA support group under substantial risk criteria

17 April, 2023

In-work progression policy will have no direct impact on any group with protected characteristics, says DWP

While new equality analysis finds that there may be indirect impacts, Department says they will be 'positive and beneficial' as policy is intended to be 'non-punitive'

17 April, 2023

DWP confirms that cost of living payments can be made to claimants who are in receipt of a hardship payment during the qualifying period

Updated DWP guidance clarifies that this applies even where there is otherwise a 'nil award' due to a sanction

17 April, 2023

Uprating of housing cost contributions, work allowances and transitional SDP element in universal credit

New DWP guidance also confirms increase in carer's allowance earnings limit and national insurance lower and upper earnings limits

14 April, 2023

Waiting years to implement changes to benefit health assessments ‘won’t cut it’ when quicker wins are available, say MPs

While acknowledging major reforms announced in the Health and Disability White Paper, Work and Pensions Committee calls for changes to be made now to give 'much-needed transparency to a process that so few trust'

14 April, 2023

Allocation of additional funding to local authorities to support the costs of implementing welfare reform changes in 2023/2024

New Housing Benefit Circular confirms details of almost £19 million being provided to meet 'New Burdens' incurred by councils

12 April, 2023

New online service launched for parents and carers to prove they are entitled to child benefit

New DWP guidance advises information can be accessed through the HMRC app or online and then printed or saved to use as evidence

6 April, 2023

Sanctions have minimal effect on moving claimants into work and actually decrease the rate of movement into higher-paid work, suppressed DWP report concludes

However, while accepting that findings constitute a negative financial impact on claimants 'in a narrow sense', Department argues that it should be balanced against the 'likely' positive deterrent effect

6 April, 2023

Research commissioned by MoJ finds that, while ‘blended advice’ has potential to improve access to justice, face-to-face interactions will always be needed by some clients

Study of legal advice models combining face-to-face with remote communications warns that requiring the use of remote platforms risks excluding vulnerable client groups

6 April, 2023

Funding announcements should be clear as to whether they relate to new money or the reallocation of existing resources, Statistics regulator says

Director General calls on the Scottish Government to clarify how policies were chosen to be included in the £3 billion it said was allocated for cost of living support in 2022/2023

6 April, 2023

Cost of living crisis has compounded impact of two-child limit, with more than 80 per cent of affected families struggling to pay for food and fuel

Calling for policy to be abolished, CPAG says this would lift 250,000 children out of poverty and a further 850,000 would be in less deep poverty

5 April, 2023

Social Security Scotland confirms eligibility dates for carer’s allowance supplement in 2023

Six-monthly payments of £270.50 to be made to eligible carers who are receiving carer’s allowance on 10 April and 9 October 2023

4 April, 2023

Government confirms that claimants in receipt of tax credits only will receive cost of living payment between 2 and 9 May 2023

Payment of £301 will be issued by HMRC to those entitled to a payment of tax credits in the period 26 January to 25 February 2023

4 April, 2023

In-year finalisation of tax credits award following universal credit claim should be based on ‘notional’ current year income calculated using actual income received in part-year

His Majesty's Revenue and Customs v AS (TC)
[2023] UKUT 67 (AAC)
UA-2021-001169

4 April, 2023

Changes to the eligibility conditions for support for mortgage interest loans

New DWP guidance

4 April, 2023

DWP issues guidance for local authorities participating in the Housing Benefit Award Accuracy Initiative in 2023/2024

New housing benefit circular advises on fraud and error activities that local authorities are expected to undertake in return for additional funding