Welfare

Scotland’s councils paid out almost £57 million in grants towards housing costs for those claiming housing benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit in a six month period, new figures have revealed. Official statistics from the Scottish Government have shown that during the period 1 Apri

Renfrewshire Food Bank will receive £30,000 funding to reduce the impact of Universal Credit after councillors agreed to a new three-year financial assistance plan. The funding follows the introduction of Universal Credit in Renfrewshire in September 2018.

Jamie Hepburn Almost 5,000 people are being supported towards employment through a new employment service that removes the threat of sanctions.

A new Universal Credit portal has been launched which allows registered social landlords and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to quickly and efficiently share information for benefit claims, continues to expand to those in the sector. The Universal Credit Landlord Portal (UCLP) allows soci

Mike Dailly Govan Law Centre (GLC) has called for a new resilience strategy to challenge the adverse impact of Universal Credit in Scotland.

(from left) Kevin Nixon (area manager), Gillian Robertson, Laura-Anne Hamilton, Samantha King, Geraldine McKenzie, Lisa-Marie Brown, (housing officers), Kim Goode (senior caseworker), Martin Docherty-Hughes MP West Dunbartonshire MP Martin Docherty-Hughes joined housing staff from Bellsmyre and Cord

MPs have called on the UK Government to urgently reassess its benefit sanctions regime after a new report found that the evidence that the policy is achieving its aims is at best mixed, and at worst showing a policy that appears “arbitrarily punitive”. A Benefit Sanctions report published by the

Almost half of those in receipt of Universal Credit in Scotland have chosen for their payments to be paid in a different way when offered the choice by the Scottish Government. While Universal Credit is reserved to the UK Government, Scottish Ministers have used devolved powers in this area to enabl

Shirley-Anne Somerville A total of 306,305 low income households in Scotland have been helped to pay for essential items such as food and heating through emergency grant funding since 2013.

Sally Thomas The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has said that a House of Commons committee’s report into the “unacceptable” hardship caused by Universal Credit echoes many of its own concerns with the policy.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has persistently dismissed evidence that Universal Credit is causing hardship for claimants and refuses to measure what it does not want to see, according to a committee of MPs. A report from the public accounts committee has concluded that the introduction

Foodbank provider Trussell Trust has issued a stark warning to MSPs that Universal Credit could drive in-work poverty and foodbank use. In a written submission to the Scottish Parliament’s social security committee, the charity said that its analysis showed “an increase in demand for foodbanks i

An influential group of MPs has urged the UK Government to scrap new Universal Credit rules which they claim make it harder for victims of domestic violence to leave abusive relationships. The home affairs select committee said single household payments under Universal Credit are a "retrograde and b

Demand for advice regarding rent arrears in Scotland has increased by 47% over the last five years, new evidence has revealed. A report published today by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), which considers the causes and consequences of this rise, finds that changes to the social security system have b

Sally Thomas Increased funding will not fix the fundamental problems of Universal Credit delivery as the processes need to be fit for purpose as much as policy, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has said.