Main points https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/bulletins/privaterentandhousepricesuk/august2026
What works: Lessons from the frontline of digital support & advice services
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…
Free school meals expansion – half of newly eligible parents don’t know they can get the meals
As the PM’s cost of living tour gets underway, a new survey from Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) finds more than half of parents (55%) whose children will be newly eligible for free school meals (FSM) from September don’t know that they will qualify for the meals. The government expanded eligibility for FSM to all…
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…
Brighton and Hove private rentals are now decreasing by 1% (June ’26)
Main points
The cost of living crisis is no longer a one-off event. It’s a monthly reality for millions. We need to turn the tide on energy, housing and debt, before it’s too late.
https://wearecitizensadvice.org.uk/its-time-to-turn-the-tide-8a6c1ac2a82f Crisis has become the new normal. Millions of households face a relentless financial squeeze that feels like it never stops. At Citizens Advice, our advisers do all they can to help people find a way forward. But prices keep rising faster than incomes, pushing household debt levels ever higher. Half the people who come to…
Expenditure on temporary accommodation increased tenfold between 2011-24, as LGA launches outline for plan to tackle homelessness
https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/expenditure-temporary-accommodation-increased-tenfold-between-2011-24-lga-launches New analysis from the Local Government Association (LGA) has found that council expenditure on temporary accommodation (TA) increased by a massive 1077 per cent in real terms between 2011/12 and 2024/25. This equates to councils spending £6 billion (1) across this 13-year period. Of this, £2.2 billion, over one third (37 per cent) was…
Fewer than 2% of properties in Britain considered affordable for renters on housing benefit
https://www.crisis.org.uk/about-us/crisis-media-centre/fewer-than-2-of-properties-in-britain-considered-affordable-for-renters-on-housing-benefit-1 New research from a coalition of organisations led by Crisis and Citizens Advice has revealed the extent of Britain’s cost of living crisis, with fewer than two in 100 private rental properties listed in Britain (1.9%) now affordable for people on housing benefit, according to data from Zoopla. This is pushing low-income households into…
Submit your evidence to the APPG on Ending the Need for Food Banks on how the level of support offered by Universal Credit should be decided.
https://www.trussell.org.uk/our-work/changing-policy/inquiry In 2023 the Work and Pensions Select Committee carried out an inquiry into benefit levels in the UK. The final report pointed to “a wide range of evidence which suggests that benefit levels are too low, and that claimants are often not able to afford daily living costs”. Their recommendations included the government setting out a…
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to modernise communications with the public and claimants, including increased use of email correspondence.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-06-17/10913 Answered on 24 June 2026 The Department is modernising communications with the public and claimants as part of its wider digital-first strategy, while ensuring that support remains available for those who need non-digital channels. We are moving towards the digitisation of notifications so that, by 2030, most communications will be delivered through the most…