Fratila v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2020] EWCA 1741 (18 December 2020).

She said it would be a system that makes people feel that they have been treated with dignity, fairness and respect.

Disability benefits will be renamed to make it clearer who is entitled:

Disability Living Allowance for children will be renamed 'child disability payment'

Personal Independence Payment will be renamed 'adult disability payment'

Attendance Allowance will be renamed 'pension age disability payment'.

 And there will be no 'traumatic' DWP-style assessments but instead:

'Decisions will be made using information gathered through the applications process including from health care providers.

Should more detail be required to make decisions on an application for the new Adult Disability Payment, it will be gathered through a consultation. Such consultations will be based on a conversation between a healthcare professional employed by the Scottish Government and the client. There will be no private sector involvement in this process.'
More from gov.scot.

10th August 2020: To be entitled to UC as a disabled student, the claimant must have been accepted as having a Limited Capability for Work (LCW) or Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activities (LCWRA) before claiming UC, or if already on UC, before starting the course. Regs here. Guidance here.
More on disabled students on the website here.

10th August 2020:  B&Bs / hotels under the 'Everyone In' scheme count as hostels for the purposes of exemption from the Shared Accommodation rate of LHA in private tenancies - clarified in LA Welfare Direct Bulletin 08/2020.

31st July 2020: redundancy payments for people who've been furloughed under the Job Retention scheme will have their redundancy payments based on their normal earnings. More from gov.uk here.

31st July 2020: DWP confirms it will amend the regulations on Bereavement Support Payment and Widowed Parent's Allowance to include entitlement for cohabiting couples with children. This follows the case R (Jackson and Simpson) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2020] EWHC 183 (Admin)  Parliamentary answer by Mims Davies here. More on Bereavement Benefits here.

28th July 2020: Scottish government announces that those previously advised to 'shield' will not have to do so from August 1st. And they will no longer be eligible for SSP on the basis of shielding. More from Scot.gov here. This aligns with the ceasing of SSP for shielders in England.

28th July 2020: Therese Coffey responds to requests for benefit improvements from the Social Security Advisory Committee.
In summary Therese Coffey's response was:
DWP has no plans to increase Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income Support. 
There are no plans to suspend the Shared Accommodation Rate. 
There are no plans to change the Benefit Cap.
The Department’s communications team has reviewed existing signposting and developed additional communications to ensure people understood that making a claim to Universal Credit stops existing legacy benefits. On 3rd June we introduced a new check-through box to our online system to remind claimants to check their eligibility for Universal Credit before initiating a claim. 

Letter from SSAC and response here.

24th July 2020: High Court rules that ESA claimants who continue to provide fit notes while waiting for the outcome of a Mandatory Reconsideration having been found fit, should continue to receive ESA in the same way that those awaiting the outcome of an appeal do. (2020) EWHC 1999 (Admin) here.

24th July 2020: In evidence to the Social Security Select Committee, DWP Permanent  Secretary Peter Schofield announced safeguarding measures in the light of the reports of claimants dying because their benefits had been cut.  He said that where a claimant failed to take part in a mandatory intervention such as a work capability assessment, in the past attempts would be made to contact them - including two home visits - but then the benefit would probably be terminated. But now after the 2 home visits there would be a case conference involving other organisations such as the housing provider and/or social services etc. 

22nd July 2020: Introduction of 2 week run-on for IS, IB -JSA, and IR -ESA ends when someone claims UC. Guidance in ADM 15/2020 here.

20th July 2020: CPAG help a mother of 3 who is a UC claimant win an appeal against being Benefit Capped. She worked 16 hours pw at min wage which should have exempted her from the Benefit Cap, but as she's paid 4 weekly, for 11 monthly assessment periods out of 12 she's treated by UC as earning a 13th of her annual wage rather than a 12th, This means she is artificially 'earning' less than the Benefit Cap threshold. The Judge stated " the disadvantages of allowing the lunar month problem to persist are manifest and serious...... I cannot see how any reasonable Secretary of State could have struck the balance in the way the SSWP has done in this case.". Judgement here.

17th July 2020: Government statistics show 5.26 million UC claimants in May 2020, of which 2.33 million were jobseekers. Stats here.

14th July 2020: "No DSS" requirement by landlords unlawful. Judgement details from case brought by Shelter here.

14th July 2020: DWP confirms they are testing a 30 minute telephone claimant commitment  interview. In a parliamentary answer Mims  Davis stated "As we re-introduce claimant commitments we are initially conducting these interviews by phone and testing a 30-minute commitment appointment. We will evaluate this testing and as with all policies we will keep this continually under review. Jobcentre Plus offices continue to remain open to help vulnerable claimants who may not be able to access support through the phone or their journal. "

13th July 2020: New DWP complaints procedure has fewer stages and involves a triage system to prioritise the most serious complaints/ most vulnerable complainants. Complaints procedure on gov.uk here.Our page on what to do about Maladministration here.

9th July 2020: Letter from Neil Couling to landlords confirms APA MPTLs will begin to be paid via the landlord portal, in line with assessment periods, from some time in August. Landlords will be sent guidance 2 weeks before. Letter here. FAQs here. More on APA managed payments to landlord here.

3rd July 2020: Statement from DWP on their Touchbase magazine - "We don’t want to sanction anyone. These are difficult, uncertain times for many people and we want to do everything we can to help them find work or increase hours, where that is possible for them. No sanction will be used until the claimant has an up-to-date Claimant Commitment in place. After that, a sanction will only be used where a claimant has not provided good reason for meeting the agreed requirements in the Claimant Commitment. Claimants who are shielding, have childcare responsibilities because of COVID restrictions, etc. will have their Claimant Commitment tailored to reflect their circumstances and will not be asked to do anything unreasonable."

2nd July 2020: From 1st August 2020 'shielders' will not be eligible for SSP on the basis of their clinical vulnerability. Parliamentary statement here.

2nd July 2020: From 1st July 2020 restrictions on conditionality begin to be lifted. Mims Davies has confirmed that Claimant commitments must be reasonable and acknowledge the reality of the claimant's local jobs market and personal circumstances. And claimants will be able to make an appointment with their work coach if they can’t get the help they want online or over the phone. Mims' Davies' written answer here. More on conditionality in this section.

2nd July 2020: In a parliamentary answer to a question about the new UC scams involving identity theft, Will Quince stated "Where a claim to universal credit was prompted by fraudulent activity, and a claimant is a victim whose details have been used to make a claim, the Department will consider the reinstatement of legacy benefits if there is clear evidence that the claimant had no involvement in the fraud, and where the claimant wishes us to do so." More on fraudulent UC claims here. Parliamentary answer here.

1st July 2020: Applications now open for the Scottish £250 School Age Payment. It is part of the Best Start Grant, a package of three payments for low income families during the early years of a child’s life and is to help with the costs of a child starting school. The money can be used for anything from school uniform and shoes to a school bag, books or days out.To apply - link here.

29th June 2020: New research (here) finds 1.4 million people living legally in the UK have "No Recourse to Public Funds". This means they cannot claim nearly all benefits - and if they try, they may be seen to be in breach of their immigration status.

22nd June 2020: From 9th July 2020 the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987 allow electronic claims for maternity allowance, sure start maternity grants and funeral expenses payments, and allow claimants of these benefits to communicate electronically; and allow any outstanding payments of state pension or of pension credit - following the claimant's death - to be made to qualifying relatives/others without a written application.
 The Social Fund and Social Security (Claims and Payments) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (SI.No.600/2020).

22nd June 2020: DWP sanctions statistics add 100,000 undercounted UC sanctions to data for the 3 years to June 2020. The count increased from 290,758 to 399,758. Statistics here.

12th June 2020: Government allocates an additional £63 million to LAs for welfare support as a result of the pandemic. This could be for food vouchers, cash payments or alternative support. Press release here.

10th June 2020: Benefit claimants needed for research into how the benefits system nationally has responded to Covid 19. The “Welfare at a Social Distance project” is being run by Salford University working with University of Leeds, LSE and the University of Kent. Participants will receive a £20 voucher per 1 hour interview. Leaflet to pass on to any benefit claimants who may be interested in participating.

10th June 2020: Extra £38 million government funding for debt advice for people affected by coronavirus in England; plus £5.9 million for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland combined. More information here.

2nd June 2020: New Home Office guidance confirms that someone with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) can claim benefits if they risk imminent destitution. Pages 87-93). The guidance states " It is mandatory not to impose, or to lift if already imposed, the condition of no recourse to public funds if an applicant is destitute or at imminent risk of destitution without recourse to public funds." The onus is on the applicant to provide evidence.

30th May 2020: The government has announced that the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme has been extended for a second and final time. This extension is paid at 70% rather than 80% and will be paid in August covering 3 months- up to £6,570 in total.

29th May 2020: DWP publishes its response to Social Security Advisory Committee's concerns about the effect of the Surplus Earnings rule on those in receipt of Self Employed Income Scheme payments.  DWP letter - here - states that not requiring a reclaim was an appropriate measure.

28th May 2020: All EU Settlement Scheme support services and application routes have now all fully reopened. Notification from Home Office here.

27th May 2020: From 28 May 2020,  A person who has been notified that they have had contact with a person with coronavirus, and who is self-isolating for 14 days from the latest date on which that contact occurred, or a date specified in the latest notification, will be deemed to be incapable of work for the purposes of Statutory Sick Pay. Amending Regs here.

27th May 2020: Government confirms that free school meal vouchers will continue during the forthcoming half term. Letter from Vicky Ford MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, here. Times Educational Supplement article here.

27th May 2020: : The Scottish Government will provide enhanced statutory sick pay for social care workers who are diagnosed with Covid-19. It will include a payment of £60,000 to a named survivor when a care worker dies without contractual death in service cover. More here.

26th May 2020 Beware new scam purporting to be from gov.uk about Council Tax Reduction Scheme. Info from "Which" magazine here.

22nd May 2020: The Scottish government will make an additional Carers Allowance payment of £230.10 in respect of the period from April to September 2020. More here.

20th May 2020: Upper Tier Tribunal rules that a UC claimant can exercise their appeal rights even if they have submitted no Mandatory Reconsideration Notice with their SSCS1 form to HMCTS, where the DWP have failed to notify the claimant that they must do so. Decision here.

19th May 2020: Additions to section 6 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 allow Ministers to regulate  the circumstances in which lower courts and tribunals could depart from the rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union after the Brexit implementation period. SI 2020 No. 518

18th May 2020: DWP confirms 'shielders' with Post office Card Accounts are being visited by a DWP visiting officer where concerns over getting payments couldn't be resolved over the phone. Written parliamentary answer here. More about alternative payment methods here.

14th May 2020: From yesterday, landlords who have no access to the landlord portal can apply for APA managed payments (MPTL) through the online Direct Rent Payments Service. This is available to both social landlords and private landlords. More on how to apply for APA MPTLs on this page.

13th May 2020: Job Retention scheme (furlough payments) extended to end October. Guardian article with more details here. Effect of payments on benefits, and related issues, on our Covid-19 pages

11th May 2020: Domestic abuse charities can access additional government funding. They will need to bid for a share of the £10 million recently announced by the government. More info here.

11th May 2020: The High Court has ruled that the Home Office policy on no recourse to public funds (NRPF) is in breach of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. A detailed judgment and order will follow, which will set out the steps the Home Office needs to take, but the judges said they were not ordering any immediate change to Home Office policy.  The Home Office will still be able to impose NRPF “in the normal run of cases” but will in future have to lift the condition, not just when the person is currently destitute but also when they “but will imminently become so without access to public funds”. More details from Project17.

7th May 2020: If a claimant can't get their benefit from a Paypoint outlet because it's run out of cash they can use the Paypoint storefinder to identify nearby alternative Paypoint outlets. Call i-movo on 0207 960 2570. The claimant should leave a message that provides contact details and they will receive a call back. Please note that the i-movo telephone number is for use only when outlets report that they can’t or won’t provide cash.

7th May 2020: Vulnerable and isolated people including new parents, the homeless, unpaid carers, young people and cancer patients, could soon benefit from a range of innovative digital solutions. Gov.uk announcement here.

6th May 2020: HMRC has announced that people working reduced hours due to coronavirus, or being furloughed, will not have their tax credits payments affected if they are still employed or self-employed as they will be treated as working their normal hours until the Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme close, even if they are not using either scheme. They do not need to contact HMRC about this change. Announcement here. 

5th May 2020:  DWP will stop any new benefit and pension claimants from using the Post Office Card Account (POCA) from 11 May. Announced in this statement from Therese Coffey.
Note current claimants with a POCA can still use the POCA until DWP's contract with Post Office ends in November 2021. More on payments of UC for claimants without bank accounts on this page.

4th May 2020: Upper Tribunal confirms date of claim for UC is when claimant hits "submit" - not any time before this. GDC v SSWP(UC) 2020(UKUT) 108 (AAC)

4th May 2020: DWP calls to claimants will no longer show up as ‘Withheld Number’ . Instead, the DWP number 0800 232 635 will be shown.

29th April 2020: DWP finally state they are suspending Third Party Deductions from Universal Credit (up to now the information has not been 'official' and information to partnership managers / housing providers has been sporadic, and claimants were left in the dark). 
From DWP External Affairs dept:
" For information
An unprecedented number of Universal Credit applications have been made since March. The Department has rightly prioritised the processing of these claims to ensure people get the support they need during the coronavirus outbreak.
This means prioritising our resources and as a result of this we’ve made a decision to pause deductions from existing UC claimants, on behalf of third parties. This includes deductions taken on behalf of landlords relating to rent arrears and service charge arrears. This activity has been paused for one month only, while we work through the huge number of new claims. All deductions will resume on 10 May as normal.
The Government has also announced measures to protect tenants and landlords affected by coronavirus, including extending the three-month mortgage holiday for Buy to Let mortgages. Further guidance can be found on Gov.uk.
During this temporary pause, we would kindly ask you to show understanding and not take further action."


28th April 2020: Some students - those who would be entitled to UC were it not for their studies being incompatible with work-related requirements- can claim during the Covid-19 situation. Will Quince in a parliamentary answer said "Students who do not ordinarily have entitlement to Universal Credit (UC) and who receive a maintenance loan or grant through the student finance system, will continue to be able to draw upon this financial support until the end of this academic year.

Those who do not receive student finance and who would ordinarily not have entitlement to UC, such as those undertaking a part-time course which would otherwise not be considered as compatible with the requirements for them to look for and be available for work, will have entitlement to UC. We have disapplied UC and both legacy and new style JSA work preparation, work search and availability requirements and related sanctions. This will initially be for a three-month period. After three months, consideration will be given as to whether a further extension is required." Info on students and UC in this section of the website.

23rd April 2020: New government info on benefits & pensions help for people who have difficulty using phone, letters, internet etc because of health or disability conditions. Info from gov.uk here. Our page on 'reasonable adjustments' here.

23rd April 2020: Post Office & DWP set up posted benefits for 'shielding' UC claimants. These are people told to stay home by NHS for 12 weeks because they're high risk due to their medical condition. Initially this is only available to claimants who are paid through Post Office Card Accounts. When notified by DWP of claimants who require a cash delivery, the Post Office will ensure cash is sent to their home using Royal Mail Special Delivery and that it arrives by 9pm the following day. Details here. More about shielding here.

23rd April 2020: Scottish government set up "Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund" including grants of £2000 for those individuals ineligible for SEISS (Self-Employed Income Support Scheme) because they were not in business by tax year 2019/20.  Payments should be made by early May. Announcement here.

22nd April 2020: "Right to Rent checks" declared not against Human Rights by Court of Appeal. Gov.uk info on these checks including who has to do them here.

20th April 2020: New style ESA (ie contributory ESA) can now be claimed online. More info on ESA on these pages of the website. 

20th April 2020: Job Retention scheme open to employers to apply from today. The scheme has been extended to end of June 2020, and is no available to employees who were on the PAYE system by 19th March 2020 (previously 28th February). More on the scheme on this page.

20th April 2020: Deaf UC claimants who use British Sign language can now contact DWP via a video relay service. DWP staff  will receive a phone call from an interpreter who will translate into BSL. There is no need to book the service in advance and the conversation can take place in real time.  Press release here.

17th April 2020: Government publishes Q&As on Council Tax hardship fund. Letter here. 

17th April 2020: Devolved benefits in Scotland have relaxed deadlines if the claimant can explain that their claim was delayed due to Covid-19. More from scot.gov here.

17th April 2020: Updated DHP funding allocation. Check the funding amount for your local authorities here. More on DHPs here.

16th April 2020: SSP legislation changed to allow those who are 'shielding' as well as those who are 'self-isolating' to be entitled to SSP. Someone is shielding where they've been told by the NHS to stay at home for 12 weeks because they are in a high risk group due to their health condition. Legislation here.

16th April 2020: UC claimants who've accessed their Government Gateway account in the last 12 months (eg to notify changes in Tax Credits) can now use the Government Gateway to verify their ID. Press release here.

15th April 2020: HMRC says that the Furlough scheme portal opens for claims on 20 April with first payments being made 10 days later
Future claims will be paid within four to six days
Applicants will access the system using their current government gateway login
Further guidance will be issued by HMRC week commencing 13 April explaining how to use the system 
Following the initial backdated claims, claims can be made no more than 14 days before payrolls are run but will be accepted for the different pay periods 

12th April 2020: DWP says "Don't call us - we'll call you". UC claimants will be phoned by DWP staff if info is needed, and  staff will be working over the Easter holiday. They are proactively making calls to people who've not been able to get through. Press release here.

9th April 2020: Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland can continue to provide the "Help to Claim" service for UC claimants during 2020/21. The government is providing a further £39 million funding.

9th April 2020: During Covid-19 outbreak parents of newborns can claim Child Benefit without registering the child's birth first. More from gov.uk here. First time parents can claim Child benefit on form CH2 online; those already on Child Benefit can notify HMRC of the new baby online or ring 0300 200 3100.

9th April 2020: Work and Pensions Committee are seeking evidence from both organisations and individuals on how  Covid-19 is affecting benefit claimants. More info and how to respond here. Deadline to respond 16th April.

9th April 2020: £750 million package of support for charities announced by Chancellor.  More from gov.uk here.

8th April 2020: During the Covid-19 outbreak prisoners on temporary release are eligible for Housing Benefit,Universal Credit, Income Support. JSA, ESA and Pension Credit. Under normal rules people on temporary release still count as being in prison. legislation here.

7th April 2020: Social security timescales in Scotland have been extended where a delay is as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. More from gov.scot here.

1st April 2020: DWP is suspending the recovery of debt until further notice, according to Information received from a Partnership Manager.  This includes all benefit-related overpayments, Social Fund loans and Tax Credit debts.The recovery of Advances by deduction from Universal Credit payments will continue, and the list below does not mentiondeductions for fines, rent arrears etc.
The DWP have stated:
"What this means- 
Do not refer new overpayments from Universal Credit and Legacy benefits.
Do not refer benefit arrears to Debt Management to offset against overpayments. Customers will be able to request that arrears are paid to them.
Deductions from Universal Credit and Legacy for benefit overpayments, Social Fund loans and Tax Credit debts managed by Debt Management will be suspended.
Local Authorities will suspend referral of Housing Benefit overpayments.
The transfer of Tax Credit debt from HMRC has already been suspended.Recovery from estates will temporarily cease."
Press release on paused recovery of benefit overpayments here.


1st April 2020: Scottish Government increases council tax reduction earnings disregard by £20 to £17.10 to take account of the temporary (12 mth) increase in working tax credit basic element due to Covid-19 measures. Legislation here.

1st April 2020: Scottish government will delay the introduction of the devolved disability benefits- the Child Disability Payment and the Scottish Personal Independence Payment for an indefinite period in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. However they will prioritise delivery of Carers Allowance Supplement and Scottish Child Payment. statement from scot.gov here.

31st March 2020: Scottish Welfare Fund will not be restricted to 3 payments in a 12 month period during the Covid-19 outbreak.  Parliamentary answer here.

31st March 2020: Migration pilot in Harrogate suspended during Covid-19 outbreak. DWP letter to stakeholders here. Our pages on managed migration here.

31st March 2020: Yet another Covid-19 scam to make your tenants and customers aware of. This was kindly forwarded to us by Stockport Homes. link here.

31st March 2020: Home office guidelines on applications the the EU Settlement Scheme during Covid-19. Note the EU Settlement Resolution Centre (for queries and certain forms of application) is not taking phone calls but people can email via this contact form. Home Office message here. More on the EU Settlement Scheme on these pages.

30th March 2020: Some you may work or volunteer for a small charity. We've been sent this link to Charities Aid Foundation who can provide a "rapid response fund" to small charities to help communities affected by Covid-19. You might find it useful.

30th March 2020: Home secretary says domestic abuse victims can still leave home despite Covid 19 measures: "anyone who is at risk of, or experiencing, domestic abuse, is still able to leave and seek refuge. Refuges remain open, and the police will provide support to all individuals who are being abused - whether physically, emotionally, or otherwise ". BBC article here. Safety tips from the Charity Refuge here.

30th March 2020: Guidance on tribunal procedure during the Covid-19 outbreak from the Courts and Tribunal Judiciary here.

29th March 2020: The Social Security Coronavirus (further measures) Regulations 2020 published - here.  See our Covid-19 pages for details of benefit changes.

28th March 2020: 

DWP have issued this warning this week about a fraudulent website on Facebook. You may wish to warn your tenants / clients.
There is a new Fraudulent website that is going round on Facebook saying:
"For your free £258 award from the Government to assist you during the Coronavirus outbreak, just enter your bank details".
The pages look authentic as a real Government website,which may encourage people to input their personal information/bank details.
Please remind your tenants and clients not to share their bank account details on any ‘possible’ Government offers on Social Media as that is not how Government Departments deliver their business. DWP Fraud teams & Police are aware of these scam websites and in the process of investigating and closing them down.
Key Messages:

• DWP, along with many other government departments, are sometimes targeted with fraudulent activity. Please be vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
• Do not share your personal information with anyone else, as this may be used for fraudulent activity.
• Protecting your personal information can help reduce your risk of identity theft.
• If you are contacted by someone claiming to be from the DWP and doubt their legitimacy - please do not share your personal information. Report any suspicious contact immediately.
• Criminal gangs are targeting people to obtain their personal information. If in doubt, please do not share your personal information. Report any suspicious contact immediately.
• If someone approaches you claiming to be from DWP, always ask for ID.
• Report any suspicious contact immediately on www.actionfraud.police.uk or phone 0300 123 2040.

And note this warning from HMRC, in relation to the self employed income support scheme: "If someone texts, calls or emails claiming to be from HMRC, saying that you can claim financial help or are owed a tax refund, and asks you to click on a link or to give information such as your name, credit card or bank details, it is a scam."

27th March 2020: Chancellor announces help for self-employed - from June. he stated "The government will pay self-employed people, who have been adversely affected by the Coronavirus, a taxable grant worth 80% of their average monthly profits over the last three years, up to £2,500 a month. This scheme will be open for at least three months – and I will extend it for longer if necessary. You’ll be able to claim these grants and continue to do business. " Details on this page. 

25th March 2020: Corona Virus Bill passed by parliament - Corona Virus Act here. For our summary of the Act;s changes to benefits see our briefing 03/2020.

25th March 2020: Government encourages local authorities to give an extra £150 (annual) to people on Council Tax Support. From Covid-19 Hardship Measures guidance: "The Government’s strong expectation is that billing authorities will provide all recipients of working age local council tax support  during the financial year 2020-21 with a further reduction in their annual council tax bill of £150, using their discretionary powers to reduce the liability of council tax payers outside of their formal LCTS scheme design.
There should be no need for any recipient of LCTS to make a separate claim for a reduction under this scheme. The billing authority should assess who is eligible for support from the hardship fund and automatically rebill those council taxpayers."

March 2020: Families eligible for free school meals can (from today) be given meals, or vouchers for local shops, while self-isolating or while the school has been closed. Schools can order vouchers from the shops, to be emailed or printed and posted to the families. This is being funded by the Department of Education. More from gov.uk here.

19th March 2020: benefits uprating legislation issued yesterday. Statutory instrument here. Note that the uprating of carers allowance does not apply to carers resident in Scotland as the Scottish government are legislating separately on this. Your new benefits rates leaflets will be ready soon - off to the printer's today!

19th March 2020. From today people with prepayment meters who are unable to top-up their meters will be able to speak to their energy suppliers about options to keep them supplied. Options include having a 3rd party topping up, being sent a pre-loaded top-up card, a discretionary fund.  Government announcement here.

19th March 2020: The government will shortly legislate to prevent evictions. Social and private landlord will not be able to evict tenants for at least a 3 month period. Guidance will also be issued to landlords asking them to show compassion to tenants. Government announcement here.

18th March 2020: Emergency Coronavirus Bill presented to House of Commons. Government announcement here.

16th March 2020: Face to face medical assessments suspended for 3 months for all sickness and disability benefits with effect from tomorrow (17th March). This affects current and new claimants of PIP, ESA, Industrial Injuries Benefits and those on UC with (or seeking) LCW or LCWRA. those with scheduled appointments will be contacted and offered either telephone or paper based assessments. Gov.uk announcement here.  More on LCW and LCWRA elements here.

16th March 2020. "Genuine chance of being engaged in employment" test for retaining worker status past 6 months found to be unlawful. Caselaw here. Retaining worker status - more info here.

12th March 2020: Rights Advice Scotland submits proposals to Social Security Committee to tackle low benefit take-up . This follows DWP's report in November 2017 showing that up to £20 billion in means-tested benefits were unclaimed across the UK in 2016-17. Submission here.

11th March 2020: Budget includes announcements of benefit changes. Some are temporary measures for the duration of th Covid 19 outbreak, Brief summary here. The ESA and UC (Coronavirus Disease) Regs 2020 here.

9th March 2020: Government announces rule changes to prevent pension age claimants having a gap in entitlement when moving from UC to Pension Credit, where they haven't made an advance claim for PC. Therese Coffey parliamentary statement of 5th March here. Note the regs will change later in the year but she stated that it is "already in place on an extra statutory basis" . Our briefing 02/2020 on a number of problems for Pension Age claimants on this page.

9th March 2020: Government issues advice to Universal Credit claimants about the Corona virus. Job Centres are expected to take self-isolation into account, but claimants must notify the work coach if they cannot attend an appointment or keep to work related requirements or visit  Job Centre for any reason. Guidance here.

9th March 2020: Statutory Sick Pay to be paid from day one for self-isolating Corona virus victims. Announcement here. 

9th March 2020: Job Centre Easter closures. Job Centres will be closed (including phone lines) on Good Friday (10th April) and Easter Monday (13th April). Any claimants whose benefit is due on these dates will receive their payment on Thursday 9th April.

5th March 2020: Planned Surplus Earnings threshold change from £2500 to £300 will be delayed until 1st April 2021. Parlamentary written statement here. Our info on the Surplus Earnings rule here.

5th March 2020: Immigration Bill presented to parliament. Bill and explanatory notes on gov.uk here. Information on EU Settlement scheme on these pages.

2nd March 2020. From 2nd March 2020, the DWP will put back onto legacy benefits any UC claimants who should not have been able to claim because they were entitled to a SDP at the time or within the month before claiming. HB Circular A3/2020 describes the process and has a link to an example referral form (from DWP to LA) - here.  More on the SDP Gateway in this section.

2nd March 2020. CPAG's "Early Warning System" are asking anyone helping claimants with Mandatory Reconsiderations to complete a short survey on how smoothly (or otherwise) the MR process has been going for them. Link to survey here. 

27th February 2020. As many as 70,000 underpaid  ESA claimants may never receive what they are due, unless they contact DWP themselves. DWP have said they will write 4 times and ring wqice before abandoning efforts- but these might be old contact details. If you think someone has missed out from not having additional premiums included in their IR-ESA when transferred from Incapacity Benefit they need to contact ESA asap. More on IR-ESA in this section. DWP report on the issue here.

20th February 2020: Council Tax relief (up to 3 months) and cash help (in certain circumstances) for people affected by recent flooding. Info from gov.uk here.

20th February 2020: New guide from Money Advice Trust to help creditors support people with mental health problems. Here.

18th February 2020: "In Work Progression Pilot" extended a further 12 mths to 19/02/21. The pilot applies to UC claimants who are not earning to their full potential. More on the pilot on this page.

14th February 2020: Materials to help publicise Pension Credit now published on gov.uk here. Our info page on Pension Credit here. Don't forget UC claimants reaching Pension Age need to make an Advance claim for Pension Credit to avoid a gap in income - more here.

12th February 2020: DWP confirms they WILL put claimants back on IS/HB/IR-ESA/IB-JSA where they were allowed to claim UC when they shouldn't have, because they failed the SDP Gateway . There was some concern that the availability of SDP transitional payments (which pay less than what was lost) would mean they would stop doing this. . Freedom of Information Response stating this here. More on SDP Gateway here

11th February 2020: StepChange charity launches new online advice & info service for people in persistent debt with credit cards. More here.

10th February 2020: A High Court judge has ruled that it was contrary to Human Rights  to prevent an unmarried bereaved parent from getting the higher rate bereavement support payment. Judgment: Jackson & Ors v SSWP [2020] EWHC 183 here.The government will need to change the regulations; note they have not yet 18 months after a similar ruling) amended the Widowed Parents Allowance, which many families still receive. More on Bereavement Support Payment here.

7th February 2020: Benefits uprating for 2020/21 published in DWP circular for LAs: A1/2020: here.

3rd February 2020: National Audit Office wants claimants and those involved in supporting them to provide evidence of claimants' first experiences of claiming UC

In particular, it wants to know- 
- the main difficulties in making a claim and getting to the first payment, and whether the DWP has made progress in addressing these issues;
- why some claimants delay making a claim for universal credit;
- whether advances and the 2 week transition to UC  housing [ayments help claimants over the 5-week wait;
- how effective is government support for claimants going through the initial claim process.
Deadline to respond 19th February. Online survey here.

3rd February 2020: Government's latest estimate for full roll-out of UC to be by the end of 2024.

30th January 2020: Court of Appeal upholds High Court judgments that different treatment of severely disabled UC claimants who migrate to UC naturally rather than manage migrated, and for those who have to claim UC because of moving home to a different LA  as opposed to those who move within an LA and so stay on legacy benefits, is discriminatory under Human Rights and therefore unlawful. Judgment here. Managed Migration here. Transitional Protection for those manage migrated to UC here. SDP Transitional Protection here.

29th January 2020: Members of the European Parliament have  backed the terms of the UK's departure from the EU by 621 votes to 49. Guardian article here. Post Brexit issues for benefit claimants on our website here.

23rd January 2020: The EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill has been passed without the 5 proposed amendments by the House of Lords, including the right of child refugess to be reunited with their parents in the UK. The Bill will receive Royal Assent in a couple of days. More on "Post Brexit" on this page.

23rd January 2020: Annual Rent increases. DWP have said that landlords will not be able to send  a schedule of rent increases in bulk to DWP in April 2020, so landlords will need to send rent increase letters to claimants as they will need to do it themselves. More information on this page. More on claimant notification of change in circumstance on this page. 

23rd January 2020: The Post Office Card Account (POca) will no longer be an option for UC claimants from Nov 2021. There are currently around 1 million customers still paid by POca who will need to be converted to mainstream bank accounts or migrated to a replacement service. There will be no new POca customers from 1st Feb 2020 so they will need to either have a bank account or Credit Union Accounts or use the Payment Exception Service: more on this page. DWP information slides on end of POca here. Parliamentary ststement on end of contract here.

20th January 2020: The Guardian reports a rise in people turning to benevolent funds and charities for assistance. Report here.  If you have a tenant/customer who's struggling because their benefits don't cover their needs, it's worth taking a look at this useful list of benevolent funds and charities from the Association of Charitable Organisations here. And take a look at the "Money Matters" section of our website here.

17th January 2020: Advance claims being accepted for new Scottish Child Payment (£10 per week). The payment, for low income families with a child under six,  will not start until later in 2020. More from .scot.gov here. Claimants will be able to apply for the Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods at the same time.

15th January 2020: House of Lords Constitution Committee wants the EU Withdrawal Bill to have a clause removed that raises "severe constitutional concerns". The clause allows courts to reinterpret CJEU caselaw's interpretation on EU law that will be retained in UK law after Brexit. More here. More on Post Brexi here.

14th January 2020: From April 2020, LHA rates to be increased by 1.7% (in line with CPI) up to a max of the 30th percentile. LHA caps also to be increased by 1.7%.
Plus an extra £40 million in DHPS "to help affordability in the private rented sector ".  Parliamentary statement here; Statutory Instrument here.Info on LHA on our website here (UC) and here (HB).

13th January 2020: £3 million fund to help the homeless access benefits, find work, secure accommodation and additional support. Job Centre staff will work with other agencies and charities, speaking to people sleeping rough. More from gov.uk here.

10th January 2020: In HB Urgent Bulletin U1/2020 the DWP advises HB offices on how to deal with disabled claimants who'd appealed that they were discriminated by the bedroom tax before the rules were changed due to the Carmichaels' and Rutherfords' appeals. It confirms that because of the recent judgement (RR v SSWP) people who had appealed and had their appeals "stayed" awaiting the judgement can now be paid the HB owing to them, and that if they'd received a DHP while waiting, this cannot be offset against the HB to be paid out. Bulletin here. More on Human Rights and the Bedroom Tax on the website here. Bedroom tax caselaw here.

10th January 2020: The Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman has published a Housing Benefit Focus Report looking at particular errors and bad practice by HB Offices in 2018-19. It details specific concerns, particularly around revision requests/ appeals, and overpayments. Report here. More on challenging HB decisions on this section of the website.

10th January 2020: The EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill was passed by a majority of 99 of the House of Commons on 9th January 2020.
However it still has to go to the House of Lords before receiving Royal Assent. There is therefore still the possibility of amendments to the Bill.

8th January 2020: House of Commons votes against proposed clause in EU Withdrawal Agreement that would have allowed EEA natonals & family members a right of appeal to HMCTS against refused settled status. Instead they will need to have recourse to the new Independent Monitoring Authority (IMA). They also voted against 2 other clauses - automatic permanent residence status for those who've resided in the UK 5 years, and  reduced or waived British citizenship fees for those EEA nationals & family members who could not afford them. Hansard report here. More on the EU Settlement scheme here.

7th January 2020: A reminder that Housing Benefit Offices are continuing to make mistakes. Haringey Council's HB department have been criticised by the Ombudsman for a catalogue of errors that left a family with a disabled child homeless. Two child limit incorrectly applied; underlying entitlement not given in calculating £8000 overpayment; case not referred to appeal tribunal. Article here. Read our HB overpayment section here. Read about the 2 child limit here