Universal Credit

Alison Johnstone Universal Credit has caused a 20 per cent rise in rent arrears from East Lothian Council tenants in just three months since it was introduced, a report has found.

The average rent arrears of a tenant receiving Universal Credit is almost five times the average of those not in receipt of the welfare payment, according to new research. Data and insight provider HouseMark carried out a detailed analysis of benchmarking data submitted by its members to examine the

Lord Freud The UK government’s cap on Local Housing Allowance (LHA) has been delayed for another 12 months for general needs accommodation but will now apply to all tenants who receive Universal Credit when it is introduced in 2019.

David Bookbinder The Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF) has warned that the direct payment of the housing element of Universal Credit to social landlords may not happen until 2022.

River Clyde Homes has entered into a partnership with Pollok Credit Union (PCU) to ensure that its customers have the best opportunities to prevent them falling into financial hardship. PCU is the only credit union account operating with social landlords in Scotland that allows Universal Credit to b

The full roll-out of Universal Credit has been delayed until at least March 2022 after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced a revised timetable for the scheme. The UK government's flagship welfare reform, which replaces six current benefits with a single payment, was originally sched

David Mundell A major milestone in the transfer of new welfare powers from Westminster to Holyrood will be reached today which will give First Minister Nicola Sturgeon the opportunity to create a Scottish welfare state within weeks.

New research by the national charity Turn2us has found that over four-fifths (82 per cent) of social tenants who are claiming means-tested benefits are worried about future changes to the welfare system. Significant changes to the benefits and tax credits system are taking place over the next few ye

The UK government’s much-heralded change to the social security system contains a number of inherent flaws which are causing serious problems for people in need, according to a detailed new report from Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS). The new Universal Credit (UC) policy is a massive reform to soci

Universal Credit has “serious design flaws” and has “veered off track” because of cost-cutting, according to think tank the Resolution Foundation.

The Scottish Campaign on Welfare Reform (SCoWR) has written to political candidates across Scotland to ask them to commit to using new powers to create a fairer social security system. Set up in 2006 to highlight the concerns of a diverse coalition of organisations in Scotland about the UK governmen

Members of The Highland Council’s resources committee have welcomed the considerable involvement and work carried out by council staff on issues relating to welfare reform and have agreed to support the potential role of local authorities as financial assessment delivery partners for Scotland’s

The introduction of Universal Credit will leave millions of working families worse off but will eventually encourage more people to work, a new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said. The single payment, which combines six benefits including housing benefit into one monthly paym

Tenants in Dundee have backed one per cent increase in council house rents, the lowest rent rise in the history of Dundee City Council. A report to the city council's housing committee on January 25 proposes the increase that will help to ensure £6 million of investment in new council houses and £

Hugh Henry Paying the housing element of Universal Credit direct to landlords and the immediate abolition of the ‘bedroom tax’ are needed if Scotland is to create a welfare system which treats claimants with dignity and respect, MSPs have said.