From today, carers on Carers Support Payment will be able to earn £196 per week without losing your entitlement.
This is an increase of £45 per week, and will enable more carers to balance work and care.
Find out more: https://bit.ly/3XLCZVh
Welfare reforms must be shaped by and for disabled people, the Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms said today [Monday 7th April], as the official consultation on the government’s proposals begins.
Welfare reforms must be shaped by and for disabled people, the Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms said today [Monday 07 April], as the official consultation on the Government’s proposals begins.
It comes as the government commits to the establishment of ‘collaboration committees’ to further develop the reforms, bringing together groups of people for specific work areas to provide discussion, challenge, and make recommendations.
Announced on Tuesday 18 March, the proposed reforms will ensure that sick and disabled people have the same opportunities to work as anyone else, and will unlock work, boost living standards, and help grow the economy as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
They will also seek to overhaul the broken benefits system so it supports those who need it, while helping those who can work into jobs and delivering fairness to the taxpayer.
The Minister for Social Security and Disability is urging those likely to be affected by the changes – either individually or through disability charities and organisations – to have their say through the consultation, ensuring their views help shape the proposed changes.
Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms said: “We inherited a broken welfare system, which incentivises ill-health, locks people out of work and isn’t fit for a future in which so many of us will face long-term health conditions.
“We want a system that genuinely works for disabled people and those with health conditions, as well as the country and the economy, and we want to hear their views and voices at the heart of the new system.
“I encourage people to engage so they can have their say as we listen, learn and deliver support which will help millions into work, put welfare spending on a more sustainable path, and unlock growth as part of our Plan for Change.”
The 12-week consultation on reforms to health and disability support officially launches today with publication of all accessible versions of the Pathways to Work Green Paper.
The proposed reforms aim to support people into work, protect people who can never work and put the welfare system on a sustainable footing so that it can continue to support those in need now and into the future. One in three of us faces a long-term health condition, so we all need a system that can support us to stay in work or get back into work.
The measures are the latest step in the government’s drive to build a modern welfare system that helps people get jobs rather than creating unnecessary barriers, with ministers’ proposed plans set to:
Without changes, it is forecast that the system could cost as much as £70 billion a year by the end of the decade and risk not being there for people when they need it in future.
Issues open for consultation include:
These are part of the wider reforms that also include reintroducing reassessments for people on incapacity benefits who have the capability to work to ensure they have the right support and aren’t indefinitely written off, targeting Personal Independence Payments for those with higher needs, and rebalancing payment levels in Universal Credit.
Millions of pensioners will receive as much as £470 more a year added to their State Pension from today, thanks to the government’s’ ‘ironclad commitment’ to the pensions Triple Lock throughout this parliament
This comes alongside the annual uprating of working-age benefits such as Universal Credit, with people receiving those set to receive an extra £150 on average over the course of this year – an increase set to benefit 5.7 million working-age households. Disability benefits such as Disability Living Allowance, Carers Allowance and child benefits are also set to increase by the same amount.
The Triple Lock – which guarantees that the State Pension increases annually by the highest of inflation, average earnings growth or 2.5% – means the basic and new State Pensions are increasing by 4.1%, well above the current level of inflation.
These changes come alongside increases to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage, benefiting three million eligible workers across the country. With the National Living Wage increasing to £12.21 for those aged 21 and over and the National Minimum Wage for those aged 18 to 20 seeing a record increase to £10 an hour, three million workers will benefit, with eligible full-time workers set to see an increase in their annual salary of £1,400.
This support is securing Britain’s future through the Plan for Change, which is delivering security and renewal by kick-starting economic growth to put more money in working people’s pockets and rebuilding the NHS.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: “Our ironclad commitment to the Triple Lock gives pensioners across the country the certainty and security they need to live a full life in retirement.
“We are putting more money in people’s pockets and driving up household income as part of our Plan for Change.”
Minister for Pensions Torsten Bell said: “Raising the State Pension and rescuing the NHS – these are this government’s priorities to give all pensioners the dignity they deserve in their retirement. Those who have worked hard throughout their lives, paying into the system, are owed nothing less.
“We’re improving the lives of millions of pensioners through our £7.84 billion additional funding for the State Pension this year.
“That means up to £470 extra in pensioners’ pockets from this week and comes alongside our work to boost Pension Credit uptake, and the £26 billion we’ve invested in the NHS that has seen waiting lists in England fall for 5 months in a row.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: “With today’s increase in working-age benefits, and our ironclad commitment to pensioners through the Triple Lock, we are making the decisions that support those who need it in Britain, putting money into people’s pockets and delivering our Plan for Change.“
The uprating of State Pensions and working-age benefits amounts to a cash boost of over £6.9 billion, demonstrating our commitment to ensuring pensioners enjoy the dignity and respect they deserve in retirement, while also supporting low-income families.
It also comes alongside proposals for the biggest welfare reforms for a generation. These measures are designed to ensure a welfare system that is fit for purpose and available for future generations – opening up employment opportunities, boosting economic growth and tackling the spiralling benefits bill while also ensuring those who cannot work get the support they need.
That support also includes help for pensioners. The government’s drive to support low-income pensioners has led to 50,000 extra Pension Credit awards since the summer – an increase of 64% compared to the same period last year.
Pension Credit is worth on average £4,300 a year and also unlocks support including help with Housing Costs, Council Tax and free television licenses.
Support also includes a £742 million extension of the Household Support Fund in England, from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026, providing support with the cost of essentials such as food, heating and bills.
1.8 million people on Universal Credit are getting no support to find work, according to latest data.
Whilst an increase was expected, as people move from other benefits to Universal Credit, the rise has increased above expectations, with the number of people receiving the highest level of support across UC and other benefits increasing 50% since the start of the pandemic, between February 2020 and August 2024.
The government is already taking action to get people into work through its plan to get Britain working which will empower local mayors to tackle economic inactivity, overhaul Jobcentres, and deliver a Youth Guarantee so every young person is either earning or learning.
Building on the biggest employment reforms for a generation, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is due to announce radical welfare reforms to create a thriving and inclusive labour market – as part of the government’s Plan for Change to unlock work, boost growth and raise living standards.
Work and Pensions Secretary, Rt Hon. Liz Kendall MP, said: “Millions of people have been locked out of work by a failing welfare system which abandons people – when we know there are at least 200,000 people who want to work, and are crying out for the right support and a fair chance.
“This government is determined to fix the broken benefits system we inherited so it genuinely supports people, unlocks work, boosts living standards while putting the welfare bill on a more sustainable footing.”
In the current ‘dysfunctional’ system, a person is placed in binary categories of either “fit for work” or “not fit for work” through the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) – an assessment the government has said it will either reform or replace, so it no longer drives people who want to work to a life on benefits.
Through this process, those not fit for work are told they have Limited Capability for Work Related Activity (LCWRA) – meaning they won’t receive employment support or further engagement from the system at any point following their assessment – effectively abandoning and locking them out of work indefinitely.
The current system, in which people 25 and over on the standard rate of UC get £393.45 a month and those with a health condition get an additional £416.19, gives an incentive for people to say they can’t work – and get locked out of help and support – simply to get by financially.
Over the past five years, 67% of people on Universal Credit who have been through a WCA were considered LCWRA – a symptom of the assessment system pushing people to prove their inability to work for a more generous payout.
The Labour government says it has ‘hit the ground running’ to tackle health-related inactivity at its root, improving the country’s wellness by investing £26 billion in the NHS, delivering 2 million extra appointments to tackle medical waiting lists, and hiring an extra 8,500 mental health workers, so people get the treatment they need to stay healthy and in work.
This comes alongside the £250 million plan to get Britain working and the recently announced 1,000 Work Coaches will be redeployed to offer intensive employment support to around 65,000 sick and disabled people – a ‘downpayment’ on Labour’s plan ‘to restore fairness to our welfare system’.
The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) has reduced the level of support it offers to Universal Credit (UC) claimants due to a shortage of available work coaches at jobcentres, amid government plans to get more people into work and progressing in their careers, according to a new National Audit Office (NAO) report.
DWP relies on its network of 646 jobcentres across Great Britain to help people move
into work and to support those already in work to progress. In November 2024, the
government set out its plans for reforming employment support, including the role of jobcentres.
DWP tailors jobcentre support for UC claimants based on their earnings and personal circumstances. The number of claimants in categories where DWP could require them to receive support from a work coach – which includes the ‘Intensive Work Search’ category for those with the lowest earnings – grew from 2.6 million in October 2023 to 3 million in October 2024.
DWP has increased the number of Intensive Work Search claimants by raising the earnings threshold.
Work coaches play a critical role working directly with claimants to identify their needs and provide support. But partly due to funding constraints, DWP has not had enough work coaches to meet the expected demand for jobcentre support, with shortfalls in five of its seven regions in 2023-24.
DWP has also faced challenges in recruiting and retaining work coaches.
To help manage the shortfall, DWP has prioritised supporting claimants in the
Intensive Work Search category and postponed plans to require ‘Light Touch’
claimants to meet regularly with a work coach.
This resulted in DWP needing an estimated 900 fewer work coaches in 2024-25 than it otherwise would have done.
DWP has also set out measures that jobcentres can implement if work coaches’
caseloads are too high.
From September 2023 to November 2024, 57% of jobcentres used these flexibilities to reduce the support they provide for claimants.
The proportion of Intensive Work Search claimants who move into work each month
has declined in the past two years to below pre-pandemic levels.
There is also substantial variation in performance across DWP’s seven jobcentre
regions and 37 districts. At district level, from December 2023 to November 2024,
Birmingham and Solihull had the lowest average monthly into-work rate (5.5%) and
Northern Scotland had the highest (10.8%).
In November 2024, the government published a white paper that set out its plans for
reforming employment support. The plans include creating a jobs and careers service, bringing together jobcentres with the National Careers Service in England.
The NAO recommends that DWP assesses the impact of the shortfall in work coaches
on jobcentres’ ability to provide people with the intended level of support, and uses the findings to inform the design of its future operating model for employment support.
DWP should also set out the information it will use to monitor jobcentres’ performance so that it can identify and share good practice from those that are doing well, as well as improve how it measures and reports outcomes, with metrics covering factors such as the sustainability and quality of employment.
Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: “Helping people move into and progress in work is crucial to boosting productivity and reducing economic inactivity.
“As it takes forward the government’s plans for reforming employment support, DWP should pay close attention to how it can make best use of its work coaches and ensure that people get the support they need.
“Given the key role jobcentres will play in supporting the government’s ambition to
increase the employment rate, DWP should also be transparent about how effective
they are and evaluate the impact of its changes on the system of employment support.”
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, said: “Jobcentres play an important role in supporting people to access and progress in work. However, a shortage of work coaches is limiting the support available to the growing number of Universal Credit claimants, with over half of jobcentres having to scale back their services.
“Future reforms to employment support will be frustrated without clear evidence on what works in supporting benefit claimants into employment. DWP must strengthen its monitoring of the performance of jobcentres, ensuring every pound spent delivers positive outcomes for individuals and the wider economy.”
Significant welfare reforms were announced to build the economy and get Britain working in the Spring Statement
£1 billion will be invested to provide personalised employment, health and skills support from 2026-2027 to help people start or stay in work
This will build on existing support from WorkWell, Connect to Work and the Get Britain Working trailblazers
Universal Credit Standard Allowance will be increased for new and existing claims above inflation from 2026-2027 This means the standard allowance weekly rate for a single person aged 25 and over, will increase from £92 in 2025-2026 to £106 in 2029-2030.
To ensure PIP is focused on those with higher needs, a new eligibility requirement will be introduced Please be assured there will be no immediate changes to your health and disability related benefit payment.
https://gov.uk/government/collections/spring-statement-2025…
DON’T MISS OUT ON STATE PENSION ENTITLEMENT
Don’t miss out on your State Pension entitlement.
The 5 April 2025 deadline for paying voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill any gaps in your record between 2006 and 2018 is approaching.
Watch our video on YouTube to find out how to check for gaps in your National Insurance record:
Our online form is available to request a call back: https://ow.ly/oGbl50VarlC
Don’t miss out on your State Pension entitlement.
The 5 April 2025 deadline for paying voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill any gaps in your record between 2006 and 2018 is approaching.
Watch our video on YouTube to find out how to check for gaps in your National Insurance record: https://youtu.be/_8GkTNgyXqs
Our online form is available to request a call back: https://ow.ly/oGbl50VarlC
1.8 million people on Universal Credit are getting no support to find work, according to new data released yesterday (Thursday 13 March).
The number has almost quadrupled since the start of the pandemic when 360,000 people were considered too sick to look for work – a 383% rise in less than five years. In the last year alone, the number has risen by from 1.4 million people to 1.8 million.
The number of young people aged 16 to 24 on LCWRA has risen by 249% from 46,000 to 160,000 since the pandemic – demonstrating a worrying increase in the number people becoming trapped in inactivity early in life, with almost one million young people not in education, employment, or training.
The government is already taking action to get people into work through its plan to get Britain working which will empower local mayors to tackle economic inactivity, overhaul Jobcentres, and deliver a Youth Guarantee so every young person is either earning or learning.
Building on the biggest employment reforms for a generation, Liz Kendall is due to announce radical welfare reforms to create a thriving and inclusive labour market – as part of the government’s Plan for Change to unlock work, boost growth and raise living standards.
Work and Pensions Secretary, Rt Hon. Liz Kendall MP, said: “Millions of people have been locked out of work by a failing welfare system which abandons people – when we know there are at least 200,000 people who want to work, and are crying out for the right support and a fair chance.
“This government is determined to fix the broken benefits system we inherited so it genuinely supports people, unlocks work, boosts living standards while putting the welfare bill on a more sustainable footing.”
In the current dysfunctional system, a person is placed in binary categories of either “fit for work” or “not fit for work” through the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) – an assessment the government has said it will either reform or replace, so it no longer drives people who want to work to a life on benefits.
Through this process, those not fit for work are told they have Limited Capability for Work Related Activity (LCWRA) – meaning they won’t receive employment support or further engagement from the system at any point following their assessment – effectively abandoning and locking them out of work indefinitely.
The current system, in which people 25 and over on the standard rate of UC get £393.45 a month and those with a health condition get an additional £416.19, gives an incentive for people to say they can’t work – and get locked out of help and support – simply to get by financially.
Over the past five years, 67% of people on Universal Credit who have been through a WCA were considered LCWRA – a symptom of the assessment system pushing people to prove their inability to work for a more generous payout.
The government says it has hit the ground running to tackle health-related inactivity at its root, improving the country’s wellness by investing £26 billion in the NHS, delivering 2 million extra appointments to tackle medical waiting lists, and hiring an extra 8,500 mental health workers, so people get the treatment they need to stay healthy and in work.
This comes alongside the £250 million plan to get Britain working and the recently announced 1,000 Work Coaches will be redeployed to offer intensive employment support to around 65,000 sick and disabled people – a ‘downpayment’ on our plan to restore fairness to our welfare system.
Don’t miss out on your State Pension entitlement.
The 5 April 2025 deadline for paying voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill any gaps in your record between 2006 and 2018 is approaching.
Watch our video on YouTube to find out how to check for gaps in your National Insurance record: https://youtu.be/_8GkTNgyXqs
Our online form is available to request a call back: https://ow.ly/oGbl50VarlC
