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…
Tag: work capability assessment
Work Capability Assessment delays are leaving disabled people in limbo
https://wearecitizensadvice.org.uk/work-capability-assessment-delays-are-leaving-disabled-people-in-limbo-a1deb1e457cb Disabled people can get extra support under Universal Credit (UC) if they’re found eligible after a Work Capability Assessment (WCA). But many of those who come to Citizens Advice are waiting months, if not over a year, for this assessment. In the meantime, many struggle to afford essential costs and risk being pushed into…
Big day for #UniversalCredit
https://x.com/NeilCouling/status/1965768015938748780?s=19 Big day for #UniversalCredit. The final migration notices were issued to ESA claimants today – all now have had the call to claim UC. Important all do that before the provisions of the Universal Credit Act 2025 come into effect in April.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether existing claimants of Employment Support Allowance, who leave the social security system and later need to return to claim (a) Employment Support Allowance and (b) Universal Health, will be considered new claimants.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-08-29/71743 Answered on5 September 2025 Customers who leave the social security system and later need to return to claim New Style Employment Support Allowance or the Universal Credit health element will be considered new claimants, unless they stopped receiving Universal Credit as a result of increased earnings and then return to payment within six months….
Not so Universal: the two-tiered health element. How the Universal Credit Bill will create a two-tiered system for disabled people.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publications/not-so-universal-the-two-tiered-health-element-how-the-universal-credit-bill/ The government’s decision to remove cuts to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) from the Universal Credit Bill (UC bill) was the right call. However, damaging and unjustified cuts elsewhere in the health and disability benefits system have been overlooked. The UC bill will have a devastating impact on disabled people and their families. An estimated…
Welfare reform: health-related and disability benefits
Keep up-to-date with the main changes
https://cpag.org.uk/welfare-rights/whats-new/welfare-reform-health-and-disability-benefits Keep up-to-date with the main changes included in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, the Universal Credit Bill and the Employment Rights Bill, affecting personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit (UC), employment and support allowance (ESA), jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) and statutory sick pay (SSP), including proposals for PIP health assessments, work capability assessments, and…
Timetable of proposed benefits changes
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/timetable-of-proposed-benefits-changes The Universal Credit Bill is now certain to become law, after being subject to some very significant amendments which removed all matters relating to personal independence payment (PIP). However, this is just the start of years of proposed welfare reforms by the Labour government. We’ve set out some of the major planned changes below. …
Universal Credit Bill passes Committee stage and Third Reading in the Commons
https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/welfare-rights/news/item/universal-credit-bill-passes-committee-stage-and-third-reading-in-the-commons Following a 6-hour debate and vote, newly re-named Bill is passed by 336 votes to 242 The newly re-named Universal Credit Bill has passed its remaining stages in the Commons.
Today’s debate on the UC & PIP Bill hasn’t resolved huge gaps in the severe conditions criteria
https://medium.com/@ayaz_manji/todays-debate-on-the-uc-pip-bill-hasn-t-resolved-huge-gaps-in-the-severe-conditions-criteria-97d40ce01d58 What’s the issue? The provisions in the bill will cut the Universal Credit health element in half for most people receiving it after April 2026. By 2030 this will be a cut of £3,000 per year for 750,000 disabled people. The severe conditions criteria set out in Schedule 1 provides some protection from this…
Work and Pensions
Secretary’s letter to
Labour MPs on changes
to ‘strengthen’ the new
welfare reform bill
Dear colleague, We have always said we are determined to reform the social security system so it is fair, provides dignity and respect for those unable to work, supports those who can, and is sustainable so it is there for generations to come. The broken system we inherited from the Tories fails all of those…