Sharpening the commercial edge
The case for well-managed council commercial activity is one that needs to be defended if we want a mature and sustainable local state, argues Jonathan Werran.
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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). |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Labour pledges to scrap Universal Credit
30/09/2019 Labour has promised to replace ‘inhumane’ Universal Credit with a new social security system. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Universal Credit draining council resources
15/07/2019 Universal Credit (UC) is draining resources from councils, a new survey has found. |
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. |
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. |
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’. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Universal Credit ‘key driver’ behind increase in foodbank use
25/04/2019 The number of food parcels given out across the UK has gone up 73% in five years, according to a major charity. |
MPs to investigate link between Universal Credit and ‘survival sex’
19/03/2019 Reports that increasing numbers of people are being forced to exchange sex to meet basic needs due to welfare reforms are to be investigated by MPs. |
Think tank recommends ‘helping hand’ payments for UC claimants
11/03/2019 Universal Credit claimants should receive an upfront ‘helping hand’ payment and financial compensation for late payments, think tank says. |
Benefits system causing ‘serious psychological distress’
04/03/2019 The benefits system is causing people with mental health problems ‘serious psychological distress’, a charity has revealed. |
Universal Credit claimants are falling behind on housing payments warns Citizens Advice
06/02/2019 A cut in the time people have to wait for payment of Universal Credit has made no difference to the number struggling with debt, according to campaigners. |
Disabled Universal Credit claimants take DWP to court for ‘irrational’ decision
23/01/2019 Two households are challenging the Department for Work and Pensions in court after being forced to move to UC and losing hundreds of pounds as a result. |
Rudd to announce reforms to Universal Credit system
11/01/2019 A series of measures to reform Universal Credit are due to be announced today by the work and pensions secretary. |
DWP’s interpretation of Universal Credit regulations ‘unlawful’, court rules
11/01/2019 The High Court today has ruled that the way the Department for Work and Pensions interprets Universal Credit regulations is ‘unlawful’. |
Rudd delays Universal Credit rollout
07/01/2019 Work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd has delayed the next phase of the Universal Credit (UC) rollout amid ongoing concerns over the controversial system. |
Universal Credit potentially ‘disastrous’ for disabled people
19/12/2018 MPs have warned of potentially 'disastrous' consequences for disabled people if the Universal Credit benefits system goes ahead as currently planned. |
Universal Credit bad for people's health - academics
15/11/2018 Universal Credit (UC) is bad for health and wellbeing, academics have found in a new study commissioned by Gateshead MBC. |
Universal Credit reforms to help 200,000 families
12/11/2018 The Universal Credit reforms announced as part of the budget means an additional 200,000 families will be better off under the new benefit system, compared to the old one. |
Universal Credit claimants given more time to switch over
06/11/2018 Universal Credit claimants are to be given more time to switch to the new benefit after warnings from campaigners and MPs that payment delays were causing hardship for vulnerable people. |
Budget 2018: Billion-pound Universal Credit pledge
29/10/2018 A billion pounds has been promised in an attempt to ease benefits claimants’ transition to Universal Credit. |
Liverpool mayor calls for ‘fair funding formula’ for councils
29/10/2018 The mayor of Liverpool has called for a Royal Commission to ensure a ‘fair funding formula’ for local council services. |
Universal Credit ‘retrograde’ step in tackling domestic abuse
22/10/2018 Single household payments under UC are a ‘retrograde’ step which makes it difficult for victims of domestic violence to escape their abuser, according to MPs. |
Council chiefs welcome Universal Credit roll-out delay
17/10/2018 Local authority leaders have welcomed Whitehall's decision to delay the roll out of Universal Credit but expressed concerns over the bill for housing support. |
Landlords warn Universal Credit driving tenants into rent arrears
15/10/2018 Almost two-thirds of private landlords with tenants receiving Universal Credit have experienced them going into rent arrears, a landlord association has revealed. |
Universal Credit driving welfare claimants to foodbanks, charity says
05/10/2018 The next stage in the change to Universal Credit could lead to a big increase in the use of foodbanks, anti-poverty campaigners have warned. |
Universal Credit chief admits support is not working
01/10/2018 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. |
Charity to provide DWP-funded Universal Credit support
01/10/2018 The charity Citizens Advice is to start providing Government-backed support to help Universal Credit claimants navigate the new welfare system. |
What are councils spending on discretionary housing payments?
18/09/2018 Local authorities are spending record sums on emergency payments to households that otherwise face eviction by private or social landlords. Neil Merrick investigates. |
Universal Credit entering ‘most difficult phase’, think tank warns
06/09/2018 The Government should speed up Universal Credit payments if it wants its flagship welfare reform to be successful, think tank says. |
UC claimants lose ‘hundreds of pounds’ due to assessment timing
06/08/2018 Many Universal Credit claimants are losing hundreds of pounds each year because their payday falls too close to their assessment date, a charity has revealed. |
Universal Credit could increase risk of domestic violence, MPs warn
01/08/2018 Paying the Universal Credit benefit to a household rather than individuals could increase the risk of domestic violence, MPs have warned. |
Universal Credit system ‘too complicated’, charity says
23/07/2018 Universal Credit claims ‘falter’ due to a complicated process and a lack of support, a charity which supports claimants has found. |
Housing bodies warn of increase in Universal Credit rent arrears
12/07/2018 Nearly three-quarters of households on Universal Credit are in rent arrears compared to 26% of all households, new research has revealed. |
Universal Credit is a ‘flawed’ system, housing organisations warn
10/07/2018 A group of housing organisations yesterday warned that Universal Credit is ‘flawed’ and is causing debt, suffering and hardship for millions. |
Work and pensions secretary apologises for ‘misleading’ Universal Credit claims
05/07/2018 The work and pensions secretary Esther McVey has been forced to apologise for making misleading statements about the roll-out of Universal Credit. |
Understanding your citizens to beat the Universal Credit challenge
27/06/2018 Local authorities and social housing providers must use data to provide a faster and more efficient service for the citizens they serve, says Gary Bell. |
Minister claims UC claimants ‘happy with service’ despite criticisms
22/06/2018 A minister has defended Universal Credit against damning criticism from auditors, describing it as ‘an agile, adaptable system, fit for the 21st century’. |
Universal Credit could put domestic violence victims ‘at further risk’
19/06/2018 Reforms to the welfare system could increase women’s vulnerability to financial abuse, a new report has argued today. |
DWP under fire over Universal Credit
14/06/2018 Auditors have heavily criticised the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for the design and implementation of Universal Credit. |
Over 1.5 million people were destitute in the UK last year
07/06/2018 More than 1.5 million people in the UK were pushed into destitution at some point last year, according to anti-poverty campaigners. |
Carers face benefit ‘cliff-edge’, MPs warn
17/05/2018 MPs have called on the Government to remove the ‘cliff-edge’ in the benefit calculation that could see many carers lose their allowance. |
Whitehall extends Universal Credit support to ‘kinship carers’
30/04/2018 The Government has announced it would be extending support under Universal Credit to families looking after children who might otherwise be in the care of the local authority. |
Rollout of Universal Credit increasing demand on food banks
24/04/2018 The rollout of Universal Credit is increasing the use of food banks by an average of 52%, new research has revealed today. |
MPs to investigate link between Universal Credit and abuse
18/04/2018 The Work and Pensions Committee today announced they will be holding a one-off evidence session on the relationship between Universal Credit and domestic abuse. |
Research warns of 'design flaw' in Universal Credit
12/04/2018 A ‘design flaw’ in Universal Credit is leaving self-employed workers at a financial disadvantage, new research has warned today. |
Over 100,000 children to lose free school meals under reforms
05/04/2018 One in eight children who would have qualified for free school meals under the old system will become ineligible under universal credit. |
Free school meals: What do the changes mean for families?
18/01/2018 Which children should be receiving a free hot meal at school and who should pay for it? Mark Whitehead reports. |
Digital challenge of Universal Credit
16/01/2018 The introduction of Universal Credit (UC), which pulls your benefits into one place, may seem eminently sensible but there seems one major caveat: it relies on a level of digital literacy. |
Reforms to free school meals would leave children hungry, warn union
15/01/2018 A leading union has dismissed government proposed reforms to free school meal entitlement as 'a cut disguised as a kindness.' |
‘Under pressure’ HMRC threatens welfare claimants, MPs warn
12/01/2018 MPs have warned HMRC’s attempts at modernising amount to a ‘precarious high-wire act’ that threatens welfare claimants. |
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Councils forced to commit ‘valuable resources’ to cope with UC roll out
02/01/2018 Local authorities are being forced to commit ‘valuable resources’ to tackling the effects of Universal Credit (UC), Labour says. |
Million children to lose free school meals under Universal Credit
19/12/2017 One million children living in poverty in England will miss out on free school meals under Universal Credit (UC) proposals, a children’s charity has warned. |
Private landlords call for help reclaiming UC rent arrears
05/12/2017 Landlords are calling for a mechanism for them to reclaim any rent arrears built up by Universal Credit (UC) claimants who move out of their property. |
Calls to Universal Credit helpline free, Whitehall confirms
30/11/2017 All calls to helplines for the Universal Credit benefits are now free, the Government has confirmed. |
Councils to receive £70m for temporary accommodation costs
24/11/2017 New changes to the Universal Credit system will prevent councils from losing more than £70m in the money they spend on providing temporary accommodation. |
Budget 2017: Council chiefs warn against ‘devolution deadlock’
23/11/2017 Local government leaders today warned of the dangers of ‘devolution deadlock’ in their response to the Autumn Budget. |
Budget 2017: Devolution and housing key planks in speech
22/11/2017 Philip Hammond’s first Autumn Budget has seen the chancellor unveil a raft of new devolution deals, measures to boost housing and changes to resolve issues with controversial Universal Credit. |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
