Welfare

Wellhouse Housing Association welcomed the National Housing Federations of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England last week to discuss tenant led boards and the possible impact of the full roll out of Universal Credit (UC) as part of a UK nations information sharing event. The Federations vis

Aoife Deery outlines Shelter Scotland’s concerns about the impact welfare reform is having on renters. Last week, the Scottish Government published its third report into the impact of welfare reform, which confirms worries that the private rented sector is increasingly unaffordable for many and es

Households renting in the private and social sectors have been severely affected by UK government welfare policies, according to a new report. The Impact of UK Welfare Policy on Housing report highlights the negative effect of Universal Credit on both tenants and landlords, due to the major increase

Dundee House The Scottish Government has signed contracts for an interim location in Dundee for its new social security agency.

Jeane Freeman MSPs have granted final approval to the Social Security (Scotland) Bill which will pave the way for the Scottish Government to make the first social security payments later this year.

More than 285,000 households in financial difficulty have received welfare assistance from the Scottish Government over the past five years, new statistics have shown. Since its launch on 1 April 2013, the Scottish Welfare Fund has issued awards to 285,720 individual households totalling £155.8 mil

Campaigners have urged the UK government to urgently halt Universal Credit as new figures show foodbank use in Scotland has soared to record levels. Figures released by the Trussell Trust show a 17% increase in people relying on foodbanks to subsist - against a UK average rise of 13%.

A right to independent advocacy services is to be extended to more people under Scotland’s new social security service. Ahead of the final vote on the Social Security (Scotland) Bill, the Scottish Government has put forward an amendment that would see services provided to anyone who, because of a

Sally Thomas Secretary of state for work and pensions Esther McVey MP will face further calls to pause Universal Credit when she appears before the Scottish Parliament’s social security committee today.

Work and pensions secretary Esther McVey The UK government is to amend regulations so that all 18-21 year olds will be entitled to claim support for housing costs through Universal Credit.

The Scottish Government has made good early progress regarding the establishment of Scotland's devolved social security system but much more remains to be done, auditors have said. The Auditor General said today that recruiting the skilled staff needed for Holyrood’s new financial and social secur

Social landlords in Scotland are likely to experience significant financial pressures as a consequence of changes to the benefit system – according to research from Mobysoft, a provider of rent collection software to the social housing sector. The study – which covered around one third of the UK

Secretary of state for work and pensions Esther McVey MP is to appear before the Scottish Parliament’s social security committee to discuss the ongoing problems with the roll out of Universal Credit and the devolution of welfare powers to Scotland. The committee’s meeting on April 16, which will

The UK government has won a challenge against a ruling that its benefit cap unlawfully discriminates against lone parents with children under two. Court of Appeal judges yesterday ruled in favour of the Work and Pensions Secretary by a two-to-one majority.

Jeane Freeman Key benefits will be future-proofed to ensure they hold their value in real terms under Scotland’s new social security system, social security minister Jeane Freeman has said.