27/04/2011 Government presses ahead with reforms as people continue to be found fit for work
Latest statistics released today show that three-quarters of people who apply for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) are continuing to be found either fit for work or stop their claim before completing their medical assessment.
The figures not only highlight the urgent need to reform the welfare system, but also why Ministers are right to press ahead with the reassessment of those on old style incapacity benefits which was rolled out across the country last month. Please click here for the full article.
21/04/2011 London Mayor Criticises Government Welfare Reform Plans
Boris Johnson has attacked Iain Duncan Smith's plan for welfare reform, saying they could increase child poverty in London
In a three-page memo to MPs, which will deepen unease within the Coalition about the pace of the shake-up, the Mayor said the Government was ignoring the higher costs of living in London.
"The Mayor is particularly concerned that this could result in an increase in child poverty," he wrote to the standing committee considering Mr Duncan Smith's Welfare Reform Bill. He said that unless the legislation is changed, Londoners could end up worse off in full-time jobs than if they relied on state handouts. Please click here for the rest of the article.
01/04/2011 Work Programme Providers List
The government today unveiled the private and voluntary sector organisations that will deliver its flagship Work Programme.
Inclusion has produced a detailed presentation of the results. Please click here for the full list.
01/03/2011 A guide to the Welfare Reform Bill
17 February saw the publication of the government’s long-awaited Welfare Reform Bill, setting out the changes being made to the tax credits and benefits system. The devil really is in the detail, with a host of changes being enacted alongside the major reform to the system under Universal Credit. In some areas the government has highlighted that it is difficult to estimate the costs and benefits of the changes, as behavioural responses are difficult to predict – making some areas risky for both government and benefit claimants. Our Universal Credit briefing examines winners and losers under the proposed new system. Here we study the host of other changes in the bill that also lead to winners and losers, based on the government’s own figures set out in the Impact Assessments published alongside the Bill. Please click here for the rest of the guide.
