Delivering Regeneration: How collaborative contracts are transforming place-making
Discover how collaborative contracting is helping councils deliver regeneration more effectively with this free special report from LocalGov and NEC Contracts.
Councils face hurdles housing low-income applicants, charity warns
12/9/2025 Almost a quarter (24%) of housing associations in England have confirmed that local social housing registers can sometimes see low-income households ruled out, research has found. |
Budget: Two-child benefit cap lifted
11/26/2025 Abolition of the two-child benefit cap in today's Budget has been welcomed as a ‘first step' in tackling child poverty. |
Scrapping two-child limit could lift 330,000 children out of poverty, report finds
10/30/2025 The Government could reduce the number of children growing up in poverty by an estimated 330,000 if it scrapped the two-child limit, according to think tank. |
Farage declares the two-child benefit cap must end
5/28/2025 Nigel Farage has announced his intentions to abandon the two-child benefit cap, resulting in over £3bn of new spending. |
Number of children living in hygiene poverty surges
5/12/2025 A recent study has revealed a staggering number of children are living in hygiene poverty, with over one million children unable to access essential products such as shower gel, deodorant and toothpaste. |
Ministers consider exemptions to benefit cap
2/27/2025 Parents of children under five reportedly could be exempt from the two-child benefit cap. |
Scottish Government pledges to scrap two-child benefit cap
12/5/2024 The Scottish Government has announced plans to scrap Westminster’s ‘pernicious’ two-child cap on benefits. |
NextGov: Scrapping the two-child benefit cap
6/17/2024 Rachel Walters, ECPC, and Amanda Bailey, NECPC, argue the next government should scrap the two-child limit on benefit payments. |
Child poverty ‘directly correlated’ with two-child benefit cap
6/6/2024 Child poverty is ‘directly and strongly’ correlated with the percentage of children affected by the two-child benefit cap within a constituency, analysis has found. |
Council leaders call for housing subsidy uplift
2/7/2024 District council leaders have called on the Chancellor to increase the amount local authorities can claim for temporary accommodation. |
Seven in 10 councils struggling amid cost of living crisis
10/3/2023 Seven in 10 councils are struggling to support people hit by the cost of living crisis, according to new research published today. |
Two-child benefit limit ‘crude’ and should be abolished, MPs say
11/4/2019 MPs have called on the Government to lift the two-child limit and return to providing support for all children through the benefits system. |
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Public call for more investment in housing benefit
10/10/2019 Three quarters of the public believe that housing benefit should increase in line with rents, according to a new poll published to mark World Homeless Day. |
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Local Housing Allowance 'inadequate' for family homes, research warns
10/7/2019 More than nine out of ten family homes for private rent are too expensive for people on housing benefit, new analysis has revealed. |
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Labour pledges to scrap Universal Credit
9/30/2019 Labour has promised to replace ‘inhumane’ Universal Credit with a new social security system. |
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Charity calls for investment in housing benefit to prevent homelessness
9/2/2019 Restoring the Local Housing Allowance benefit to cover the full cost of rents could stop more than 6,000 households being pushed into homelessness, according to campaigners. |
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Nearly 600,000 children affected by two-child limit on benefits
8/1/2019 Campaigners have called on the Government to lift the 'two child limit' for payment of benefits to families. |
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Benefit freeze ‘fuelling’ homelessness
7/8/2019 The freeze on housing benefits is driving up homelessness in London, the capital’s boroughs have warned. |
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MPs warn eight out of ten households unable to escape ‘cruel’ benefit cap
3/12/2019 More than eight out of ten households affected by the benefit cap should be exempt from the ‘cruel’ policy, MPs have said today. |
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Councils urged to give lifeline to those affected by the benefit cap
2/8/2019 The majority of councils have failed to spend all their funding to help people affected by the benefit cap, new research has revealed. |
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Housing benefit freeze ‘fuelling' homelessness
8/29/2018 The housing benefit freeze has put private renting out of reach for most low-income tenants and risks forcing people from their homes, a housing standards group has warned. |
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35,000 more households in work due to benefit cap, Whitehall claims
11/3/2017 The number of households moving into employment because of a limit on their state benefits is continuing to rise, according to the Government. |
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Housing benefit freeze risks increasing homelessness, council chiefs warn
11/3/2017 A freeze on the housing benefit paid to low-income families in the private rented sector risks increasing homelessness, councils have warned. |
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Supported housing cap falls short of actual costs warn charity
10/17/2017 Government plans to cap benefits for those in supported housing could fall short of actual costs by £80 a week, new research has shown. |
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Benefit freeze ‘biggest policy driver’ of poverty, think tanks finds
10/10/2017 Real terms cuts to working-age benefits and tax credits are set to drive almost half a million more people into poverty in 2020, think tank reveals. |
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Parents ‘struggle’ to cover family costs due to benefit freeze
8/22/2017 Working parents are unable to meet basic family costs due to the combination of inflation and the freeze on benefits, report warns. |
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Benefit cap for lone parents with toddlers is 'unlawful'
6/23/2017 The government’s cap on benefits lone parents with children under two can receive has been dismissed by a high court judge as unlawful and discriminatory. |
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Social tenants face multi-million pound rent gap from benefit reform
5/22/2017 Thousands of young people in Scotland could face a £22.6m rent gap from planned housing benefit reforms, research reveals. |
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Benefits freeze contributes to child poverty
11/9/2016 The benefits freeze and cuts to Universal Credit threatens to increase the number of children living in poverty, charities warn. |
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Benefit cap expected to affect 88,000 households
11/7/2016 A new benefit cap – limiting how much money working age households can receive – has come into force today. |
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Benefit cap will have ‘severe impact’ on families
11/1/2016 A new cap on benefits will have ‘widespread and severe impact’ on nearly 120,000 families nationwide, according to the Chartered Institute of Housing. |
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Benefit sanctions linked to ‘economic hardship and hunger’
10/27/2016 New research has revealed a ‘strong and dynamic relationship’ between people having their benefit payments stopped and an increase in referrals to foodbanks. |
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Council blasts 'false economy' of lowering benefit cap
9/30/2016 A study by welfare chiefs at Liverpool City Council has revealed an additional 710 families will be affected by the government’s lowering of the benefit cap. |
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May pledges to exempt refuges from benefit cap
9/8/2016 The prime minister has signalled her intention to exempt refuges from the housing benefit cap in a move welcomed by charities. |
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Disability charities call for certainty over supported housing funding
8/4/2016 A coalition of 15 disability charities have called on the Government to end the 'shadow of uncertainty' around future funding for supported housing. |
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Benefit cap puts supported housing at risk, councils warn
6/8/2016 Council leaders have called for supported housing to be exempt from the housing benefit cap to prevent the most vulnerable people from losing their homes. |
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Welfare cap creates better understanding of Whitehall spending, NAO says
4/27/2016 The welfare cap is encouraging a greater understanding of spending across government, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). |
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Foodbank use partly driven by benefit delays
4/15/2016 Record foodbank use levels are the result of benefit delays and changes, The Trussell Trust has found. |
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Universal credit will reduce benefits but increase incentives to work, claims IFS
2/4/2016 The introduction of universal credit (UC) will help make work pay, but in the long run it will reduce the generosity of the benefit system because of earlier cuts, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS). |
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Carers to be exempt from benefit cap
1/26/2016 The Government has confirmed carers in receipt of Carer’s Allowance are to be exempt from the benefit cap. |
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Charity calls to exempt carers from benefit cap
1/22/2016 The Government has been urged to amend legislation to ensure carers are exempt from the benefit cap following a High Court ruling two months ago. |
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Tax credit reforms must not 'jeopardise' incentives to work
11/4/2015 The Government should protect work incentives for low income families, urges the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ). |
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Benefit cap moves tens of thousands back into work figures show
8/7/2015 The benefit cap is providing an incentive to work for over 25,000 people, according to official figures published by the Government. |
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Budget 2015: Osborne cuts benefits cap amid sweeping tax credit reform
7/8/2015 George Osborne has promised to forge a ‘lower welfare, lower tax’ Britain with plans to slash the benefits cap and tighten controls on housing support. |
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Borough warns benefit cap could push 1,000 children into poverty
6/29/2015 Child poverty and homelessness is likely to rise under the Government’s plan to cut the benefit cap, a London borough is warning. |
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Benefits cap to 'make many areas off-limits for larger families'
6/22/2015 Many parts of England will become too expensive for larger families on benefits when the benefit cap is lowered, according to the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH). |
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Osborne set to deliver Budget in July
5/18/2015 Chancellor George Osborne has confirmed he will deliver a summer Budget on 8 July, where he is expected to detail long-anticipated £12bn cuts to welfare. |
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Welfare reforms could hinder innovation warns report
5/18/2015 Cuts to welfare funding will put pressure on local authorities to support vulnerable people and deliver efficiency plans, new research is warning. |
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Tenants 'living in fear' as evictions hit record high
5/15/2015 The number of tenants evicted from their homes has climbed to a six-year high, as rising rents and welfare cuts leave families 'living in fear'. |
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Iain Duncan Smith returns to manage £12bn welfare cuts
5/11/2015 Iain Duncan Smith will continue to oversee the Conservative’s sweeping welfare reform as work and pensions secretary, David Cameron has announced. |
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Housing plays key role in Conservative manifesto
4/15/2015 Councils will be forced to sell off expensive vacant properties and replace them with affordable housing, under plans announced in the Conservative’s General Election manifesto. |
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Poll shows support for welfare cap in Scotland
4/13/2015 Nearly two-thirds of Scots support the cap on benefits, with 54% believing it should be capped further to £23,000 after the election, according to a new poll. |
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Benefit cap 'breaches children's rights'
3/19/2015 The benefit cap has been ruled legal by the Supreme Court, even though it does breach international law on children’s rights. |
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Budget 2015: Welfare cap fits £21bn savings for Osborne
3/18/2015 The Government’s welfare cap is on track to deliver £21bn savings through changes to benefit payments and reforms to eligibility, the chancellor confirmed today. |
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Charity blames rise in rough sleepers on benefit cuts
2/27/2015 A 55% rise in the number of people sleeping rough since 2010 has been linked to Coalition benefit cuts and welfare reforms. |
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Homeless mother takes borough to Supreme Court over re-housing decision
2/4/2015 A mother of five made homeless by benefit cuts has won the right to appeal a council’s decision to re-house her 50 miles from her family. |
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Youngest children and poor worst hit by cuts, finds report
1/27/2015 Poorer groups have been worst affected by changes to direct taxes, benefits and tax credits despite the government's promise that the rich would carry the burden of austerity, according to a new report. |
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Low-income families hit hardest by tax and benefit changes, says IFS
1/23/2015 Low-income families and the very rich have been hit hardest by Coalition tax and benefit reforms, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). |
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Most benefit disputes resolved in two weeks, say figures
1/12/2015 The time taken to resolve benefit disputes has fallen from six months to under a fortnight on average, new figures reveal. |
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Benefit cap getting people into work, research shows
12/15/2014 The benefit cap is encouraging more people to find jobs, new research from the Government reveals. |
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Welfare reforms fail to deliver expected savings finds report
11/18/2014 The Government’s programme of welfare reforms has fallen way short of its target to reduce spending by £19bn this year – opening the door to further benefit cuts. |
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Welfare fund reaches 100,000 of Scotland’s poorest
10/21/2014 An initiative set up to provide a safety net for Scotland’s poorest households after the UK Government scrapped the Social Fund has helped more than 100,000 vulnerable people in its first 15 months. |
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Report: bedroom tax widens north-south divide
10/20/2014 The bedroom tax has hit council tenants in the north of England far harder than those in London, research has revealed. |
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Council cancels pre-paid benefit card trial
10/9/2014 North Tyneside Council has cancelled a project to trial pre-paid benefit cards following ‘inaccurate’ accusations it was to target people with drug and alcohol problems. |
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Pre-paid benefit card plan outlined by Iain Duncan Smith
9/30/2014 Welfare claimants could receive benefits on a pre-paid card to curb spending on ‘destructive habits’, work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith has announced. |
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Osborne announces two-year benefit freeze
9/29/2014 Chancellor George Osborne has announced benefits will be frozen for two years, as part of the government’s plan to eliminate the UK’s budget deficit. |
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Benefit cap gets more than 7,000 people into work
8/8/2014 The cap on benefits has led to nearly 10,000 people finding work or stopping their Housing Benefit claim, according to new figures released by the government. |
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Report: Glasgow ward hit five times harder by welfare reforms
6/23/2014 New research shows Scotland’s poorest communities have been hit hardest by welfare reforms with one area of Glasgow losing five times as much support as the least affected ward. |
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DWP ‘in denial’ over food banks, MSPs say
6/2/2014 The Government is ‘in denial’ about rising food bank use and ‘ignoring’ problems caused by welfare reform – Scottish MPs have said. |
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Numbers of employed housing benefit claimants swell by 60%
5/9/2014 The number of working people claiming housing benefit has risen by 60% under the Coalition Government, figures reveal. |
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Charity links soaring foodbank use to welfare reform
4/16/2014 More people are seeking help from foodbanks than ever before, with over 900,000 individuals receiving emergency support in the last year. |
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Welfare cap will plunge thousands more children into poverty, charity claims
3/27/2014 The welfare cap approved by MPs last night risks pushing 345,000 more children into poverty, a charity has warned. |
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Welfare spending cap goes to Commons vote
3/26/2014 MPs are today set to vote on plans to introduce a permanent cap on welfare spending, with Labour vowing to support Government proposals. |
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Cameron claims welfare reform giving Britons ‘new hope’
2/19/2014 David Cameron has said the Government’s welfare reforms are giving ‘new hope’ to those claiming benefits, after critics labelled the changes a ‘disgrace’. |
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Call for more welfare reform support
1/14/2014 Housing experts have called for the Government to increase the amount of cash it has pledged to support people affected by welfare reform. |
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Londoners 'unfairly penalised' by benefit cap
1/10/2014 Londoners are being ‘unfairly penalised’ by the benefit cap, it has been claimed. |
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LGA: Benefit cap has hit councils financially
12/24/2013 The benefit cap has moved the financial burden of dealing with homelessness from central government to councils, the deputy chair of the Local Government Association has said. |
