William Eichler 28 October 2022

Benefit cuts leave council welfare schemes ‘over-burdened’

Benefit cuts leave council welfare schemes ‘over-burdened’ image
Image: N Crittenden / Shutterstock.com.

Cuts to benefits have left local authority-administered discretionary welfare support funds ‘over-burdened’, think tank warns.

A new briefing note on discretionary welfare support, which provides ad hoc help to individuals and families facing acute needs, has found that in recent years these payments have been used to ‘compensate some for cuts to benefit entitlements.’

The briefing note, published by the Resolution Foundation, found that discretionary crisis support fell significantly in the lead up to the COVID-19 pandemic, while spending on Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) has increased seven-fold.

It also noted that increases in discretionary support – notably, increases to DHPs in 2013 and to the Household Support Fund in 2021 – have coincided with £29bn of cuts to entitlement-based benefits, which led the think tank to conclude that despite the increases, discretionary support is ‘over-burdened.’

The report also found that devolution has led to ‘stark differences’ in the provision of discretionary support, with Scotland providing over six-times as much support per person than England.

Localisation of crisis support in England has also led to one-in-four local authorities offering no discretionary crisis support at all.

‘Overall, we find that discretionary welfare support has undergone a significant change in recent years, with locally-delivered support increasingly used to soften the sharp edges of large-scale benefit cuts,’ the report says.

‘As a result, crisis support schemes are often overburdened; can be arduous to administer; and provide very different support depending on where an applicant lives.’

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Street Cleansing Operative - Uttlesford District Council

Essex County Council
Up to £12.5900 per hour
Grounds Maintenance & Street Cleansing OperativeTemporary Contract*37 Hours per Week (Monday-Friday, 7-3)£12.59 per hour PAYEImmediate StartClosing Da England, Essex
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Supported Lodgings Officer

Durham County Council
Grade 9 - £35,412 - £39,152 (pre-progression) / Grade 11 - £40,777 - £45,091 (post-progression)
Are you passionate about the real difference supported lodgings carers can make to the lives of children and young people in our care?   Are you an ex Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Lunchtime Supervisors

Durham County Council
£24,796 pro rata
2x Lunchtime Supervisors Required as soon as possible Grade 1    £24,796 pro rata Permanent We are seeking to appoint two Lunchtime Supervisors to jo Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Enhanced Teaching Assistant

Durham County Council
£28,142 - £31,022 pro rata
Part-time Enhanced Teaching Assistant  Grade 6 £28,142 - £31,022 pro rata 15 hours per week, term time only plus 2 weeks Permanent Required from 3rd N Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Enhanced Teaching Assistant

Durham County Council
£28,142 - £31,022 pro rata
Enhanced Teaching Assistant Grade 6 £28,142 - £31,022 pro rata Permanent Full time, term time only + 2 weeks Required as soon as possible The Woodlan Ferryhill
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner