Read the latest social welfare news from around the UK.
Job Centre Closures Planned
The DWP have published plans to shut some job centres and colocate others with organisations such as Local Authorities. £180 million per year would be saved for the next 10 years. Click on the link to see the proposals for your job centre. Reasons are-
PIP: Did You Know?
'Where a claimant has an appointee, this will be fagged in the initial referral to the AP. Where an appointee has been nominated to represent the claimant, the claimant must not be instructed to attend a face to face by the AP. This is because they have been deemed incapable of engaging directly with DWP or its contracted APs.
Benefit Cap- Zero Hours Contract Count
A Housing Benefit Bulletin(guidance HB G1/2017) regarding the grace period allowed before applying the Benefit Cap'...Periods of work abroad and periods covered by zero hours contracts(provided there was no claim for working age benefits during that time) count towards employment for grace
Benefits Rate Poster for 2017/ 2018
Ensure you get the next Benefits Rate Poster for 2017/ 2018(due in mid January 2017) by checking you are subscribed for to free newsletter click here.
Improved Training Venues/ Catering
We have improved our training venues for 2017. We have changed some locations and improved catering at others. All venues are within a few hundred metres of city centres and main train/ tube stations.
Check out our full open course training program click here.
Overpayments Dwarfed by Underclaiming
A report 'Fraud and error in the benefit system' by the DWP finds-
'1.9% of total bene t expenditure was overpaid due to fraud and error (up
from 1.8% in 2014/15)
From our Challenging PIP Decisions Course
Are you aware of, and do you know the outcome of completing the alleged new form or questionnaire that is being sent to PIP/DLA claimants who are due for renewal within eighteen month?. It has been said this new form enquires if conditions have improved, remained the same or got worse and I have been told some individuals are having their bene t stopped at that point.
Latest Universal Credit News
Neil Couling, Director General for the Universal Credit Programme, gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament on 15/12/2016(watch the video here, or
New Help for Homeless and Mental Health
The government has announced-'...Hardship payments act as a safety net to cover day-to-day living costs, and are issued immediately to individuals wh
2 Bedroom Tax Cases Won at Supreme Court
The government has issued guidance after 2 clients won their cases in the Supreme Court against the bedroom tax.
Benefits Rate Poster for 2017/ 2018
Ensure you get the next Benefits Rate Poster for 2017/ 2018(due in January 2017) by making sure you are subscribed our this free newsletter click here.
State Pension Age to go Higher?
Currently State Pension Age is set to rise to 66 by 2020 and 67 by 2028. Will it go higher?
Latest UC News(including free guide)
Latest National Universal Credit Roll Out Schedule released- the government has release a full national timetable of the rollout of the digital (full) service areas by job centre area.
PIP News Quiz
We've created this Personal Independence Payment(PIP) quiz and supplied the government’s answers from recent statements via Hansard in the Houses of Parliament-
Do PIP Medical Assessors have Targets! Yes/ No ?
'...No targets are in place as to how many applications are successful.' Penny Mordaunt
Will you see a doctor at your PIP Medical? Yes/ No ?