Universal Credit

Tenants’ union Living Rent has continued its campaign for housing associations in Glasgow to commit to not carry out evictions stemming from debts caused by Universal Credit with the launch of a new charter.

North Lanarkshire Council has established a Universal Credit Assistance Fund to help tenants who find themselves falling into rent arrears due to built-in waiting times for Universal Credit payments to be processed and paid. (from left) Councillor Heather Brannan-McVey, convener of housing and regen

Benefit claimants are getting less money in real terms than they were when Universal Credit was introduced in 2013, according to calculations made by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS).

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) is urging the new Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to use his first budget next month to make key changes to Universal Credit, in order to offer more support for people who are in work.

The full roll-out of Universal Credit is set for another delay, adding £500 million to its overall cost, according to reports.

The House of Lords' economic affairs committee has launched an inquiry into the economics of Universal Credit.

The Court of Appeal has dismissed the UK Government’s appeals against two previous court judgments which found that the secretary of state for work and pensions had unlawfully discriminated against thousands of severely disabled people who moved onto Universal Credit.

An Edinburgh jobcentre is one of those to benefit from a share of a £3 million grant from the UK Government to support homeless people. The jobcentre in Edinburgh already works alongside charity Crisis to provide aid to those experiencing homelessness.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has today outlined six key reforms to Universal Credit to help struggling people who have turned to the charity for help.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has written to housing associations regarding its plans to ensure landlords receive direct payment of housing costs at the same time as tenants receive their Universal Credit payment.

The new UK government must urgently tackle issues that are pushing an increasing number of tenants into poverty such as high energy prices and Universal Credit, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has said.

Improving the cost of living, especially for people on low incomes, must be at the heart of the next government’s agenda, Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) demand today. The charity made the call as it published its annual state of the nation report, ‘Advice in Scotland’.

Tenants’ union Living Rent has called on housing associations in Glasgow to commit to no evictions stemming from debts caused by Universal Credit.

A series of UK Government advertisements aiming to dispel myths about Universal Credit have been banned by a regulator for misleading the public.

Universal Credit could potentially improve the take up of help with housing costs for working age claimants, according to CIH Scotland. According to Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) statistics, the take up rate of housing benefit is around 80% by caseload.