William Eichler 17 October 2019

Welfare provision ‘overly centralised’, London council chiefs say

Council leaders in London have called on Whitehall to give them the powers to deliver local welfare support to residents.

A new report from the cross-party organisation London Councils has criticised the current approach to welfare provision, describing it as ‘overly centralised’.

Supporting Low-Income Londoners: The Future of Local Welfare says that the ending of Universal Support this year, through which councils were funded to support Universal Credit (UC) claimants, ended local authorities’ formal role in the delivery of UC.

The report also notes that the decision in 2015/16 to abolish national funding for Local Welfare Assistance, which were emergency payments made by councils to residents facing financial crisis, as well as years of budget cuts, had also undermined local welfare provision.

London Councils calls for the Department of Work and Pensions to introduce full sharing of UC data with local authorities, including notifications of when a claimant is sanctioned or affected by the Benefit Cap, and for Government funding of Local Welfare Assistance to be restored to pre-2015/16 levels.

‘Boroughs are determined to tackle poverty and support low-income Londoners, but to achieve this we need a wholesale redesign of the national framework for local welfare,’ said Cllr Muhammed Butt, London Councils’ executive member for welfare, empowerment & inclusion.

‘The capital is home to some of the most deprived people in the country and the Government’s welfare reforms have hit many Londoners hard. Empowering boroughs to innovate locally and provide properly resourced welfare solutions would make a huge difference to the lives of many Londoners.’

A DWP spokesperson said: 'Every day our jobcentre staff work with local authorities and the voluntary sector to support vulnerable people, including helping them to access housing, budgeting advances or hardship funds where it’s needed.

'Meanwhile, the Government continues to invest £129.6m a year in local government to support the vulnerable.'

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Residential Worker

Essex County Council
£27934.00 - £35344.00 per annum + + 26 Days Leave & Local Gov Pension
Residential WorkerPermanent, Full Time£27,934 up to £35,344 Per Annum (includes allowance) equal to £14.48 to £18.32 Per HourLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Early Years Keyworker

Royal Borough of Greenwich
£37,068 - £38,058
Want to make a difference for children with special educational needs in Greenwich? Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Early Years Area SENCo

Royal Borough of Greenwich
£39,855 - £42,324
Have you got extensive experience in working within Early Years, with a clear understanding of child development Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Young Persons Substance Misuse Service Pathfinder

Royal Borough of Greenwich
£31,524 - £32,931
Are you looking to change the lives of young people? Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Senior Regulatory Compliance Officer

Royal Borough of Greenwich
£37,068 - £38,058
You will be an apprentice embedded within the Trading Standards team. Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Greenwich
Linkedin Banner