Welfare
ADCS president calls for welfare overhaul
The impact of the pandemic on children’s futures must not be underestimated, the president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has said.
District warning after £63m handed to counties
Help for families struggling to put food on the table will be delayed due to ‘needless extra red tape in distributing funding,’ district councils have warned after ministers handed counties control of a £63m fund to support the most vulnerable families.
Johnson to launch £63m local welfare assistance fund
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the creation of a £63m local welfare assistance fund to support the most vulnerable families.
Call for £275m welfare assistance boost
A children’s charity has appealed for a reversal of cuts to funds for families facing financial hardship to avert a crisis following the coronavirus pandemic.
The exit strategy is crucial
How to withdraw from the special and unprecedented COVID-19 emergency measures is a really complex task for policy makers – but it matters to the rest of us too, including councils, says Dan Corry.
Lift the benefits cap, says IFS
The benefit cap should be lifted to ensure 36,000 working age families can access the temporary increase in welfare announced as part of the government coronavirus aid package says the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Universal credit 'is key to hardship', says think tank
Universal credit is the ‘key to many families avoiding real hardship’, the Resolution Foundation think tank has claimed.
Universal credit pushed back again
The Department for Work and Pensions has again shifted the date for full implementation of Universal Credit.
Hull bids to pilot Universal Basic Income
Councillors voted to establish a steering group and seek support from the Government.
Empower cities to help people back into work
Most commentators agree that, despite Britain’s economic uncertainty, the labour market remains robust. But go below these national headlines and explore the labour market in different cities across the country and a more complicated picture emerges.
Spending promises ignore the state’s changing nature
Michael Burton asks how much of the 'largesse, if any' of both of the main parties' election spending pledges might flow back into local government, which has borne the brunt of cuts in the last decade.
Local Housing Allowance 'inadequate' for family homes, research warns
More than nine out of ten family homes for private rent are too expensive for people on housing benefit, new analysis has revealed.
NI senior policy officer warns of 'perfect storm'
The difficulties facing councils and their communities in Northern Ireland are ‘turning into a perfect storm ahead’ according to a senior local government policy officer representing all 11 councils.
In-work poverty is the scourge of our time, says Miller
‘In-work poverty is the scourge of our time,’ former Solace president Jo Miller has told BBC’s Women’s Hour.
LGA in low income household call
The Spending Review must restore councils’ ability to support low income households, Smith Square has urged.
Budget 2018: Billion-pound Universal Credit pledge
Chancellor Philip Hammond today pledged £1bn in an attempt to ease benefits claimants’ transition to Universal Credit (UC).
Whitehall ‘dismissed’ councils’ concerns over Universal Credit
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is ‘disturbingly adrift from the real-world problems’ caused by the Universal Credit rollout, a report by MPs has concluded.
soapbox
Paul Wheeler is 'taking a break from Brexit Britain' to spend a year in the German capital while returning to university The attraction of a country which teaches in English and charges no tuition fees 'proved irresistible'
Universal Credit chief admits support is not working
The civil servant in charge of the Universal Credit rollout has admitted support for claimants has not been effective, as responsibility was handed to the charity sector.
Measuring poverty to help solve the problem
We need to measure poverty to be able to hold the Government to account and to tackle the problem, argues Deven Ghelani.
