Universal Credit

The Highland Council is the first local authority in the UK to trial a new Universal Credit application process that enables landlords to electronically submit an Alternative Payment Arrangement to support vulnerable tenants. The council is working with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to

Shelter Scotland has published a paper which sets out the principles it believes should underpin further devolution of social security - including housing benefit – to the Scottish Parliament, and what steps the Scottish Government and UK governments should take in relation to the devolution of so

The UK government’s spending watchdog has criticised the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) for its failure to anticipate problems in its implementation of welfare reform. The National Audit Office has called for the DWP to use the hard lessons it learned from implementing its recent program

CIH Scotland has expressed its concerns over the inclusion of the Scotland Bill in yesterday’s Queen’s Speech. Under the new plans, the Scottish Parliament is to receive new devolved powers to raise 40 per cent of taxes and decide about 60 per cent of public spending.

David Bookbinder David Bookbinder on the tricky issue of welfare in Scotland and the UK following last week’s general election result.

The national roll out of Universal Credit continued yesterday with the benefit now available to new single claimants in Kirkwall, Lerwick and Stornoway. Universal Credit, the new benefit that will replace Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Income Support, Tax Credits and Housing

Mary Taylor The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has urged the record cohort of SNP MPs heading to Westminster to make the devolution of further powers to Scotland a priority.

A new report has called on the Scottish Government to implement a gendered response to welfare reform mitigation after it found the cuts have had a “grotesquely disproportionate impact” on women. A study by equal opportunities organisation Engender revealed that £26 billion worth o

The Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland and UNISON have joined together to call on political parties to lay out policies to tackle in-work poverty. The call comes as the child poverty charity and trade union release their report Fair Work and Decent Childhoods – policies for those who work to l

Chris Goulden Universal Credit can’t reduce poverty on its own, says Chris Goulden, head of poverty team at Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Stirling Council is to launch a range of measures to assist benefit claimants affected by the introduction of Universal Credit. A small number of new, single claimants in Stirling will start to receive the new benefit from 25th May.

Cabinet secretary Alex Neil is joined by West Lothian Housing Partnership's John Hill, GHA chair Gordon Sloan, Cube chair Liz Ruine, Wheatley Group chief executive Martin Armstrong, Loretto's Douglas Robin, welfare benefit advisors and modern apprentices Wheatley Group has helped tenants access £12