Eligible disabled people across England will get free bus travel all day, every day, after the Prime Minister announced today (Tuesday 18 August) that the government will lift time restrictions on concessionary passes. From 1 April 2027, people who hold a disabled bus pass can travel on buses for free, no matter the time of…
Tag: disability
Disability benefits reassessments are wasting money and harming disabled people, new report says
A new report by anti-poverty charity Z2K has found that hundreds of thousands of disabled people are put through unnecessary Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reassessments, despite their conditions being lifelong or progressive and unlikely to improve. What are PIP reassessments? PIP reassessments are periodic checks on an existing award, meant to make sure a claimant…
IFS: April’s universal credit changes mean giveaways now, takeaways later
Three reforms to universal credit, the UK’s main working-age means-tested benefit received by 6.6 million families, take effect on 6 April 2026. Together, they will change the incomes of almost all who receive the benefit … First, the real value of the UC standard allowance will be increased by 2.3% more than inflation … Second,…
‘A cruel penalty’: disabled people face lower benefit payments if conditions not deemed lifelong
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/mar/29/disabled-benefit-claimants-face-lower-payments-if-conditions-not-deemed-lifelong-charities-say Hundreds of thousands of severely ill and disabled people making new claims will have their benefits cut if the government assesses that their condition might improve, charities have said. In April, the health element of universal credit – an extra payment for people assessed as too unwell to work or prepare for work –…
Universal Credit explained
https://www.turn2us.org.uk/get-support/information-for-your-situation/universal-credit Whether you are new to Universal Credit, or have an existing claim, we understand it can feel like a daunting and complex process. We are here to support you every step of the way. On this page we break down Universal Credit into simple steps so that you can easily find all the information…
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
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…
No need for a moral panic about the welfare system
https://www.ft.com/content/ee67c643-01bc-41f6-a4e2-c738deef129e Britain is in the grip of a moral panic over welfare benefits. The preferred adjective for the costs of social security benefits to those not yet at pension age is “spiralling”, and it is used as much by Labour ministers as by the opposition. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has expressed horror at 6.5mn working-age…
Job advisers to be embedded in GP surgeries in Brighton
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/job-advisers-to-be-embedded-in-gp-surgeries-as-tens-of-thousands-more-sick-and-disabled-people-offered-help-into-work Connect to Work delivery area Lead authority Included authorities (^ indicates lead) Funding (rounded down to nearest £0.1) Number of people set to support (rounded down to nearest 50) West Sussex and Brighton West Sussex County Council ^West Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council £15.6m 3,950 – Funding includes putting specialist employment…