New campaign calls on UK government to guarantee essentials

Today, The Trussell Trust, have  launched a new campaign, Guarantee our Essentials, in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), calling on the UK government to enshrine in law the amount people need to ensure the basic rate of Universal Credit at least covers the essentials. Universal Credit should offer support to anyone in need […]

Room to Grow: Removing barriers to training for people on universal credit

New research from The Work Foundation focusing on job insecurity, with policy recommendations for the DWP.  Room to Grow: Removing barriers to training for people on universal credit Conditionality requirements that people who receive Universal Credit (UC) must comply with can significantly limit their availability to engage with training, due to job search activity they […]

Report: Uprating Universal Credit to tackle the cost of living crisis

Report to the Centre for Social Justice Authors: Deven Ghelani, Alex Clegg Published: 20 May 2022 The Centre for Social Justice asked Policy in Practice to calculate the cost of three policy options to increasing Universal Credit, in order to protect low income households from high and rising inflation. Option 1: Restoring the £20 weekly […]

Resolution Foundation Report: To govern is to choose

As part of today’s event delivered by the Resolution Foundation the following report has been released;  The Chancellor’s Autumn crunch: Assessing the key economic decisions to come Full event details can be found here Watch the event again here (YouTube) Read the report ‘To govern is to choose: The choices facing the Chancellor this Autumn’ here.  […]

Universal Credit: Claiming during the coronavirus pandemic

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The National Housing Federation (NHF) recently conducted a large survey of housing association tenants detailing their experiences claiming Universal Credit during the coronavirus pandemic. The survey found positive experiences of the system and service, but overall, the picture was very mixed, with some people clearly struggling. The report highlights the findings of the survey and […]

TUC says universal credit cut will hit millions of working families and key workers

Francis O'Grady from TUC speaking at a conference

Union body publishes regional and constituency impact on working families of slashing universal credit   Most families hit by £1040 pa cut are in work, say anti-poverty campaigners  Many of those affected by cut will be key workers, warns TUC  Cutting universal credit is “levelling down”    The TUC has today (Friday) warned that millions […]

Thousands could fall into Government debt ‘trap’ warns The Salvation Army

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The Salvation Army is calling for the Government to include Universal Credit Advance Payments in its Debt Respite Scheme. The Scheme is a 60-day ‘breathing space’ where enforcement action from creditors will be paused for people with problem debt. However, Government loans, including Advance Payments for Universal Credit (UC) claimants, are not included. Many rely […]

Face-to-face health assessments for benefits suspended amid coronavirus outbreak

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Claimants on disability benefits will no longer be required to attend face-to-face assessments. The change also covers health checks for Universal Credit. From Tuesday 17 March, face to face assessments for all sickness and disability benefits have been suspended for 3 months.  In summary the following is happening: Face-to-face assessments for all sickness and disability […]

Supporting Londoners on Universal Credit – views requested

Greater London Authority

As Universal Credit (UC) continues to be rolled out in London, many voluntary and community sector organisations are working hard to deliver the right support for their beneficiaries. Together with others, the Greater London Authority (GLA) has identified many challenges – especially for disabled Londoners. This work is aimed at identifying those gaps so that […]