The Labour Party manifesto gives details on proposed benefit changes-
'Benefits culture- 'replacing the DWP on day one with a Department for Social Security, which will be there to help and support people, not punish and police them.'
Universal Credit- 'scrap Universal Credit...immediately stop moving people onto it and design an alternative system that treats people with dignity and respect...major policy change can’t be delivered overnight...mitigating measures...end the five-week wait by introducing an interim payment...suspend sanctions...scrapping the benefit cap and the two child limit... pay childcare costs up front...splitting payments and paying the child element to the primary carer...fortnightly payments... paying the housing element directly to landlords...end the digital barrier and offer telephone, face-to-face and outreach support. We will recruit 5,000 additional advisors to deliver this...scrapping the bedroom tax and increasing the Local Housing Allowance.'
Older People's benefits- '...abandon the Tories’ plans to raise the State Pension Age, leaving it at 66...review retirement ages for physically arduous and stressful occupations, including shift workers, in the public and private sectors...maintain the ‘triple lock’ and guarantee the Winter Fuel Payment, free TV licences and free bus passes as universal benefits...stop people being auto-enrolled into rip-off schemes and seek to widen and expand access for more low-income and self-employed workers....a single, comprehensive and publicly run pensions dashboard'
Other changes
stop the current work capability and personal independence payment assessments and make sure all assessments are done in-house;
increase employment and support allowance by £30 per week for those in the work-related activity group;
raise the basic rate of support for children with disabilities to the level of child tax credits;
give extra support to severely disabled people without a formal carer to enable them to meet the extra costs they inevitably face;
increase carer's allowance to the level of jobseeker's allowance;
design a system of recompense for women born in the 1950s who had their pension age changed without fair notification;
run a pilot for a universal basic income; and
restore early legal aid advice so that people can access legal help to enforce their rights.
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