How to Fix Local Roads: Sustainable Road Maintenance Solutions for Local Government
Explore expert insights on sustainable road maintenance and pothole repair, and learn how local government can fix the road network with proactive strategies.
LGA: Expansion of free school meals raises data questions
05/06/2025 Council leaders welcome the expansion of free school meals but warn they face data sharing and resource challenges. |
Celebrities speak out against cuts to disability support
20/03/2025 Celebrities, including Rosie Jones and Sir Stephen Fry, have spoken out against benefit cuts, arguing they will force disabled people to use food banks. |
Ministers consider exemptions to benefit cap
27/02/2025 Parents of children under five reportedly could be exempt from the two-child benefit cap. |
High Court blocks health benefit cuts
17/01/2025 Cuts to health benefits which were announced by the previous Government, and which are due to take effect in September, are unlawful, High Court rules. |
NextGov: Scrapping the two-child benefit cap
17/06/2024 Rachel Walters, ECPC, and Amanda Bailey, NECPC, argue the next government should scrap the two-child limit on benefit payments. |
£23bn in benefits goes unclaimed
19/04/2024 The total amount of unclaimed benefits in the UK is now £22.7 billion a year, analysis has found. |
Council to revisit how it calculated allowances to 300 families
21/02/2024 An investigation has revealed that Devon County Council has been calculating incorrectly allowances for families who look after children as special guardians. |
At-risk EU migrants eligible for universal credit, court rules
09/02/2024 The Government must support EU migrants who are at risk of not being able to meet the ‘most basic needs’, the Supreme Court has ruled. |
Government set to fail to meet rough sleeping target
25/09/2023 The Government will fail to meet its target to end rough sleeping because of a ‘chronic shortage’ of affordable housing and support services, experts warn. |
Claimants losing benefits in ‘managed migration’ to UC
31/08/2023 More than a quarter of claimants who are required to move to universal credit (UC) have not claimed UC and have had their tax credits stopped as a result, new analysis has revealed. |
Fresh calls to raise local housing allowance
23/08/2023 Calls have been made for ministers to increase local housing allowance (LHA) after research revealed 85% of English councils are facing a rise in homelessness. |
Rent arrears surge
02/08/2023 Four in five council landlords have reported growing rent arrears over the past year, according to the findings of a new survey. |
Childcare payments boosted by 47%
28/06/2023 Childcare payments to working families on universal credit are to increase from today by 47% in England, Scotland and Wales. |
Vulnerable families facing £5,600 shortfalls
26/06/2023 The UK’s most vulnerable families are facing shortfalls of up to £5,600 this year due to the cost-of-living crisis, new research has revealed. |
Call for Government to share more data with councils
06/06/2023 Councils are struggling to reach households hit by the cost of living crisis due to the Government’s failure to share its data with local authorities. |
Universal Credit childcare payments to rise nearly 50%
31/05/2023 Parents on Universal Credit will be able to claim hundreds of pounds more to cover childcare costs from the end of June, the Government has announced. |
Nearly £19bn of benefits go unclaimed
02/05/2023 The total amount of unclaimed income-related benefits and social tariffs is now £18.7bn a year, a new study has found. |
Autumn Statement: £1bn extension to Household Support Fund
17/11/2022 Local authorities will receive £1bn of funding to ensure vulnerable households are supported through the cost of living crisis, the chancellor has announced today. |
Doctors back free school meal campaign
03/11/2022 Health care professionals have urged the Government to offer free school meals to thousands more children to fight malnutrition. |
Four million children face ‘food insecurity’
18/10/2022 An estimated four million children are currently living in homes that do not have adequate access to food, a food charity has revealed. |
Mini-Budget: Universal Credit sanctions tightened
23/09/2022 Tens of thousands of people on Universal Credit face sanctions and reductions if they do not show up at jobcentres, under plans unveiled by the chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng. |
Universal Credit recipients ‘skipping meals’, charity says
07/09/2022 Forty percent of people claiming Universal Credit are skipping meals to survive, new research from the Trussell Trust reveals. |
Charity calls for suspension of UC deductions
30/06/2022 Suspending deductions from UC for Government debt would help over a million low income households struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, researchers say. |
Teaching unions call for expansion of free school meal eligibility
01/06/2022 Teaching unions have called on the Government to extend free school meals to all families on Universal Credit (UC). |
Universal Credit failing to meet basic cost of living, charity warns
17/05/2022 The £20 per week cut to Universal Credit (UC) means that the benefit is failing to meet the basic cost of living, a children’s charity has warned. |
Chancellor urged to use £20bn windfall to support struggling households
11/05/2022 The Chancellor should use some of the reported £20bn fiscal windfall to provide emergency support to squeezed households, report says. |
Benefit cuts force record 2.1 million households to rely on food banks
27/04/2022 The reduction in Universal Credits payments and the cost of living crisis have forced millions of people to rely on food bank parcels, Trussell Trust warns. |
Around 900,000 benefit claimants face UC cuts
26/04/2022 An estimated 900,000 benefit claimants will see a cut to their payments as the move to the Universal Credit (UC) scheme is resumed. |
Cost of living crisis risks leaving levelling up ‘dead on arrival’
07/04/2022 The Government’s levelling up agenda could be undermined by a deepening North-South divide exacerbated by the cost of living crisis, a think tank has warned. |
Universal Credit cut forced 400,000 children into poverty
01/04/2022 Around 400,000 children were pulled out of poverty when UC was increased £20 per week, but these children were pushed back into poverty when UC was cut. |
Landlords call for ‘absurd’ housing benefit freeze to be lifted
01/04/2022 Landlords have called on the Government to unfreeze the Local Housing Allowance to cover the average rent. |
Spring statement: Sunak to tackle cost of living pressures
23/03/2022 Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to tackle increasing pressure on household budgets when he makes his Spring Statement today. |
Two in five Brits claiming Universal Credit forced into debt
17/03/2022 The Chancellor is being urged to bring benefit levels in line with rate of inflation as hundreds of thousands of families struggle to cope with cost of living. |
Trade unions call for £200 fuel loan to be a grant
07/03/2022 Trade unions have called on the Government to protect working families against further energy price rises as a result of the Ukraine crisis. |
Getting to grips with HBAAI
22/02/2022 Steven Rybaruk explains how intelligent case selection can lighten the load for councils. |
Homelessness levels could rise by a third by 2024, research warns
22/02/2022 The number of homeless people in England could increase by a third by 2024, new research has warned today. |
Universal Credit would be better delivery vehicle for energy bills support
17/02/2022 Universal Credit has the data on those likely to need support with energy bills and would be a more effective way to target the £150 council tax rebate, says Deven Ghelani. |
Workers on universal credit face ‘perfect storm’, TUC warns
07/02/2022 Low-income workers face a ‘perfect storm’ this April with universal credit (UC) falling behind the cost of living as energy bills and taxes rise, TUC say. |
Benefit reforms could lead to 'poorer health' campaigners warn
27/01/2022 Plans to reform Universal Credit to move half a million people into jobs by the end of June could lead to poorer health, a charity has warned. |
Calls for urgent reform of UK’s welfare system
24/01/2022 The UK’s social security system is failing to protect low-income families from extreme hardship and urgently needs reforming, researchers have warned. |
Millions of people facing financial crisis this winter, charity warns
26/11/2021 A charity has called for urgent action after finding more than three million families are facing financial crisis this winter. |
IFS reveals scope of Universal Credit
08/11/2021 Budget changes to Universal Credit mean families with well above-average earnings and even paying 40% rates of tax could be entitled to the benefit, according to an Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report. |
Families with children to lose £20 a week over winter
27/09/2021 A typical low-income family with children could see their income fall by over £20 a week over the next six months, a think tank has warned. |
Kerslake: Government must act now on rough sleeping
23/09/2021 Strides made to end homelessness during the pandemic could be lost if the Government does not act now, a major new report on rough sleeping has concluded. |
Think tank calls for 'fairer' welfare system
20/09/2021 The welfare system should reintroduce a clear link between contribution and reward, according to the results of a three-year research programme. |
Report warns UC uplift is 'lifeline' for vulnerable young people
15/09/2021 Vulnerable young people leaving supported housing will be disproportionately affected by the cut to Universal Credit, a new report has warned. |
One in ten care workers 'trapped' on Universal Credit
13/09/2021 One in ten care workers are in receipt of in-work benefits, analysis by GMB has revealed. |
COVID welfare claimants seen as more deserving than pre-pandemic claimants
02/09/2021 New research has revealed that COVID-19 benefit claimants are seen as much more deserving of welfare support than pre-pandemic claimants. |
Devolved governments express ‘grave concerns’ over welfare cuts
31/08/2021 The devolved governments have written to the UK Government expressing ‘grave concerns’ regarding plans to withdraw a £20-per-week increase to UC. |
Universal Credit cuts to force two million people into debt
26/08/2021 Government plans to cut Universal Credit this October could push 2.3 million people into the red, Citizens Advice warns. |
Keep up COVID funding to end homelessness, says Kerslake
27/07/2021 Ending homelessness is possible, but the Government needs to keep up funding or face a post-pandemic surge, an independent commission concluded. |
Study warns private landlords are reducing their housing benefit lettings
24/06/2021 The number of private landlords willing to let to housing benefit tenants is falling due to the way Universal Credit is administered, a study has warned today. |
Report finds 200,000 people ineligible for UC due to partner’s earnings
18/05/2021 Hundreds of thousands of people are ineligible for benefits despite facing financial insecurity due to the coronavirus pandemic, study reveals. |
Confusion and stigma stopped half a million people claiming UC during pandemic
20/04/2021 Around half a million people failed to claim for Universal Credit during the start of the pandemic despite being eligible for the benefit, new research has found. |
UC claimants given access to longer work-related training
01/04/2021 An initiative aimed at increasing access to training for UC claimants will see an extension to the time people can receive UC during work-focused study. |
Budget 2021: Sunak warns of pain to come
03/03/2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled a budget to protect ‘livelihood and jobs’ – with a warning of public finance pain to come. |
Budget 2021: Universal credit boost extended for six months
03/03/2021 The £20 uplift to Universal Credit has been extended for a further six months, the chancellor has confirmed in his Budget today. |
BUDGET 2021: Sunak's lifeline for workers and business
03/03/2021 Rishi Sunak’s Budget is expected to provide a lifeline for workers as the furlough scheme is extended to September while the universal credit £20 uplift could also be prolonged for six months. |
Household food insecurity at 'crisis' levels warns report
02/03/2021 The Government must make food insecurity a priority and move away from short-term emergency measures, a new report has urged today. |
MPs calls for year-long extension of Universal Credit uplift
09/02/2021 Mps have urged the chancellor to extend the £20 weekly increase for Universal Credit for at least a year to stop hundreds of thousands of people falling into poverty. |
Charity warns of soaring food bank use if UC uplift ends
04/02/2021 One in five people on Universal Credit are 'very likely' to use a food bank if the £20 weekly uplift is removed, new research has found. |
Universal Credit £20 uplift ‘blunt policy instrument’, says think tank
25/01/2021 A think tank has described the £20 uplift to UC as a poorly targeted ‘blunt policy instrument’ and proposed its replacement with a ‘hardship payment’. |
Council chiefs call for restoration of local welfare funding
13/01/2021 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to restore local welfare funding as a study warns of the impact the pandemic is having on people who were already struggling with poverty. |
Lockdown piles extra financial pressures on low income families
12/01/2021 The extra cost of food, energy, and entertaining and home-schooling children has meant that low-income families with children are twice as likely to have increased their spending during the pandemic, according to a new study. |
One million households face UC debt deductions
07/01/2021 More than one million households who were forced to claim universal credit (UC) when coronavirus struck are having debt deductions taken from their benefit payments, according to a child poverty charity. |
Councils urged to back £20 Universal Credit uplift
10/12/2020 Councils have been urged to lobby the Government to make the £20 uplift in Universal Credit permanent by trade union Unite. |
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Study highlights ‘appalling’ rise in destitution in the UK
09/12/2020 The number of people experiencing destitution in the UK has increased by 54% in two years, a new study has found. |
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Faith leaders call for ‘cross-party strategy’ for tackling child poverty
02/11/2020 Faith leaders praise footballer Marcus Rashford’s campaign to extend free school meals and urge the Prime Minister to establish a cross-party commission with the mandate and resources to tackle child poverty in England. |
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MPs call for ‘starter payment’ to support new UC claimants
19/10/2020 A starter payment should be made to people claiming Universal Credit (UC) for the first time to ensure that they have enough money for the basics, MPs say. |
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Universal Credit does not cover ‘basic day to day living costs’, campaigners say
13/10/2020 Four in five people claiming Universal Credit do not have enough money to cover rent, food and bills, shocking new research reveals. |
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Automated benefit system 'pushing people into poverty'
30/09/2020 The UK’s automated benefits systems is threatening the rights of people most at risk of poverty, campaigners have warned. |
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Thousands of families face ‘bleakest’ winter, charity warns
14/09/2020 A new report from a children’s charity has warned of a ‘bleak’ winter with thousands of families set to be plunged into financial crisis. |
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A third more families with children now claiming universal credit
12/08/2020 Over 400,000 more families with children started claiming universal credit since the start of the pandemic, a charity has said. |
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Lords call for reform of 'failing' Universal Credit system
31/07/2020 A Lords committee has urged the Government to substantially reform Universal Credit to protect the most vulnerable. |
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London boroughs face £23m rent arrears due to Universal Credit
22/07/2020 The rollout of Universal Credit is leading to thousands of council tenants falling behind on rent payments, new research commissioned by London Councils has found. |
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Call to 'supercharge' early years services
17/07/2020 Early years services are failing to target the children that most need support, a report has warned today. |
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Nearly two thirds of families on Universal Credit stuck in debt ‘nightmare’
18/06/2020 Two charities have called on the Government to increase the child element of UC by £20 to help struggling families ‘stay afloat’ during the Covid lockdown. |
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Councils call for tougher action on ruthless loan sharks
08/06/2020 Council leaders are calling for tougher sentences for loan sharks who are pushing vulnerable people further into debt. |
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Politicians calls for universal basic income to jumpstart economy
22/04/2020 The Government has been urged to make Universal Basic Income a crucial part of its coronavirus recovery plan by 110 MPs and Peers. |
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Figures show 400% monthly increase in benefit claims
21/04/2020 New claims for Universal Credit have increased by at least 400% in the past two months, new figures have revealed. |
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Millions of renters expect to lose their job in next three months
16/04/2020 One in five private renters in England expect to lose their job in the next three months due to the coronavirus crisis, new research has revealed. |
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Universal credit 'is key to hardship', says think tank
02/04/2020 Universal credit is the ‘key to many families avoiding real hardship’, the Resolution Foundation think tank has claimed. |
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Nearly 500,000 new Universal Credit claims made in nine days
26/03/2020 A think tank has warned that the UK is in the midst of an unemployment crisis as 477,000 new Universal Credit (UC) claims are made in nine days. |
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Study finds 64,000 UC recipients suffer ‘psychological distress’
02/03/2020 New research has found that tens of thousands of people have experienced ‘psychological distress’ due to the introduction of Universal Credit (UC). |
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Universal Credit causing 'debt and destitution' charity warns
23/01/2020 Universal Credit is driving vulnerable people to use loan sharks, a debt charity has warned today. |
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Universal Credit creating ‘a complex mix of winners and losers’
21/01/2020 The impact Universal Credit is having on different parts of the country is being ‘ignored’ a think tank has warned today. |
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Benefits payments at lowest level since 1948, says think tank
19/11/2019 Social security payments are at their lowest level since the 1948, a new report from a think tank has found. |
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Labour pledges to scrap Universal Credit
30/09/2019 Labour has promised to replace ‘inhumane’ Universal Credit with a new social security system. |
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Universal Credit drives food bank use, charity says
19/09/2019 A report from the main provider of food banks has warned that the roll out of Universal Credit has been a major factor behind the increase in food bank use. |
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Universal Credit driving tenants into rent arrears, study says
23/08/2019 Universal Credit is causing tenants to fall behind in their rent, new research from a group representing landlords has revealed. |
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Poverty result of ‘political decisions’, MPs say
31/07/2019 The poverty and destitution levels in the UK are the result of political decisions made since 2010, MPs have said. |
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Universal Credit should come with ‘health warning’, MPs say
23/07/2019 The Department for Work and Pensions should develop ‘clear and comprehensive guidance’ on when a benefit claimant is to be moved onto Universal Credit, MPs have said. |
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Universal Credit appeals blocked by ‘error and failures’, charity finds
19/07/2019 Universal Credit claimants who suspect the Department for Work and Pensions has made a mistake in their award are too often blocked by ‘error and failures’ in the system, a new study finds. |
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Universal Credit draining council resources
15/07/2019 Universal Credit (UC) is draining resources from councils, a new survey has found. |
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UC payment delays should be no more than a week, MPs say
11/07/2019 Two independent MPs have called for Universal Credit payments to begin within a week of registering for the benefit. |
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Housing association calls for an end to the 5-week wait for UC payments
26/06/2019 Housing association called for an end to the 5-week wait for Universal Credit payments after survey revealed two fifths of claimants forced to use food banks. |
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Whitehall blasted for trying to solve homelessness ‘on a shoestring’
20/06/2019 An assessment of the state of homelessness prevention has criticised Whitehall for trying to solve the homelessness crisis ‘on a shoestring’. |
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Universal credit causing rent arrears, MSPs warn
12/06/2019 The Scottish Parliament has called for immediate action to tackle the problem of rent arrears it says have been caused by the Universal Credit system. |
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London parents 'locked out' of work due to rising childcare costs
06/06/2019 Nearly two in three local authorities in London do not have enough childcare to meet the demand from parents of school-age children, new research has revealed. |
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Welfare reforms put pressure on struggling families, report warns
13/05/2019 A new study looking at the impact of welfare reforms on child vulnerability has found that a quarter of children in low income families are unable to make ends meet. |
