Welfare

Elaine McHugh Council housing staff across Scotland have welcomed the news that the Scottish Government will use its new welfare powers to allow the housing element of Universal Credit to be paid directly to landlords and to increase the frequency of payments to claimants.

Mary Taylor Last week’s announcement that tenants will have the choice of having the housing element of Universal Credit payments made directly to their housing associations and co-operatives has been welcomed by the Scottish Federation of Housing Association (SFHA) and Shelter Scotland.

Jeane Freeman The Scottish Government plans to use its new social security powers for the first time to increase the frequency of Universal Credit payments and offer to pay housing benefits direct to landlords.

David Bookbinder It might seem trite to term the proposed LHA limits on social housing as ‘Bedroom Tax 2’ but it’s completely legitimate, writes David Bookbinder.

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has raised concerns about the inconsistent messaging from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) following their claim the LHA cap - dubbed the Bedroom Tax 2 - will not apply to existing tenants. The DWP statement in a Herald article on 3rd

Bruce Forbes Angus Housing Association director, Bruce Forbes, has accused a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesperson of “peddling lies and deliberately misleading the public” to justify the Westminster government’s “brutal” cuts to welfare.

Bruce Forbes The director of Angus Housing Association in Dundee has warned that changes to welfare payments could plunge some of the city’s poorest people further into poverty.

Jeane Freeman Minister for social security Jeane Freeman has expressed strong opposition to the UK government on its proposal to limit the number of children in families who can qualify for Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit.

GWSF's Maureen Cope believes the cuts are "contrived and highly punitive" Westminster's plans for a fresh round of welfare cuts, dubbed ‘Bedroom Tax 2’, threatens to undermine housebuilding projects, increase homelessness, and weaken public sector finances across Scotland, it has been claimed.

Alison Johnstone Universal Credit has caused a 20 per cent rise in rent arrears from East Lothian Council tenants in just three months since it was introduced, a report has found.

The average rent arrears of a tenant receiving Universal Credit is almost five times the average of those not in receipt of the welfare payment, according to new research. Data and insight provider HouseMark carried out a detailed analysis of benchmarking data submitted by its members to examine the

Lord Freud Minister for welfare reform Lord Freud is to retire from his ministerial position at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) at the end of December.

Aoife Deery details Shelter Scotland’s response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on social security. At the end of October, Shelter Scotland submitted our response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on social security. We appreciated this opportunity to help shape the new Scott

Sanctions on welfare payments cost more to administer than they save and are being handed out without evidence that they actually work, according to today’s report from the National Audit Office (NAO). The independent watchdog of state spending said that imposing a financial penalty on a claimant

Over 86,000 Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) awards totalling over £44 million were made by Scotland’s councils over a six month period to support housing costs and mitigate against the ‘bedroom tax’. The DHP scheme provides financial assistance towards housing costs for those claiming hou