What works: Lessons from the frontline of digital support & advice services Government and essential services have fundamentally changed. More and more services have gone digital, meaning that the problems people face often require digital support. But between 14 and 22 million people in the UK face one or more barriers to digital services. In response, Citizens…
Welfare Rights
Thousands of terminally ill people are missing out on fast-tracked access to vital financial support because of barriers in the benefits system, according to new research funded by end-of-life charity Marie Curie and led by researchers at King’s College London.
https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/media/press-releases/dying-people-benefits Thousands of terminally ill people are missing out on fast-tracked access to vital financial support because of barriers in the benefits system, according to new research funded by end-of-life charity Marie Curie and led by researchers at King’s College London. The Special Rules for End of Life is an important mechanism in the benefits…
Guidance if you received a lower level of benefit after moving to Universal Credit, and this was due to a decision to end your old ‘legacy’ benefit, which was found to be incorrect.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-one-off-payment-under-the-successful-legacy-appeals-compensation-scheme Who the scheme is for In 2020, a Court of Appeal decision concluded that people who had an incorrect decision to end their legacy benefits later reversed, for example on appeal, could not be reinstated onto their legacy benefit if they had already claimed Universal Credit. However, where these same people had a lower…
Proposed benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-and-pension-rates-2026-to-2027/proposed-benefit-and-pension-rates-2026-to-2027 Coming into effect in April 2026, note the LCWRA reduced rate is for new claimants only there after. And from rightsnet, https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/resources/benefit-rates#universal_credit
Keir Starmer will not overhaul welfare system for at least a year
The postponement makes it less likely that any controversial policies would be implemented before the next general election
https://www.thetimes.com/article/641438af-569e-4c12-bd71-71c58cdfed10?shareToken=2e022bc361cf6642e845ebcbd05fe832 Sir Keir Starmer has vetoed plans for a fresh attempt to reform Britain’s welfare system as Downing Street seeks to avoid another confrontation with Labour MPs. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has been told it will not be given time in parliament to introduce any new changes to the benefits system until…
New from rightsnet,
DWP confirms that ESA claimants who fail to migrate to universal credit by final deadline should have the LCWRA element included from start of any subsequent claim At the DWP’s November 2025 universal credit stakeholder engagement forum, advisers highlighted that ESA claimants who fail to migrate to universal credit, but then subsequently claim the benefit,…
Cuts to non-health-related benefits shift claimants onto disability benefits
https://ifs.org.uk/news/cuts-non-health-related-benefits-shift-claimants-disability-benefits Disability benefits are intended to support people living with disabilities with the additional living costs they face as a result of their condition. They form just one part of the working-age benefit system, and people can claim disability benefits at the same time as other benefits such as universal credit. Studying four cuts to…
rightsnet updates on today’s budget include:
Budget 2025: Two-child limit within universal credit to be removed from April 2026 Budget 2025: Extension of targeted case reviews in universal credit expected to achieve further £1.3 billion in savings in 2030/2031 Budget 2025: Government confirms that ‘relevant threshold’ for purposes of calculating surplus earnings under universal credit to stay at £2,500 for an…
Budget 2025 fact sheet: Cutting the Cost of Living
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/budget-2025-fact-sheet-cutting-the-cost-of-living This Budget takes levies off energy bills to save families £150 on average next year, and up to £300 for some poorer households. The historic decision to remove the two-child limit in full from April 2026 will lift 450,000 children out of poverty -rising to around 550,000 alongside other measures announced this year, such…
Estimates of take-up report provides estimates of take-up for income-related benefits within the entitled pensioner population.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-ending-2024/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-ending-2024 Pension CreditThe estimates show that: caseload: 6 out of 10 of those entitled to PC claimed the benefit in FYE 202462% of those entitled to Pension Credit claimed the benefit in FYE 2024, which was a decrease from FYE 2023, when 65% claimed the benefit – this difference is not statistically significantexpenditure: 71% of…