Search Results for Universal Credit

Coalition’s housing plans will disincentivise aspiration

There is a sound argument to try to support greater mobility in social housing – only five per cent of social tenants moved home over the past year compared to almost a quarter of tenants in the private sector, though it is unclear what an ‘optimal’ level would be. It is also important to emphasise that it is councils and housing associations that will decide the length of tenancies, so the key question is how they will use their new freedoms.

Fighting the cuts and working for women in the days ahead

The Women’s Income Network (WIN) is a network of charities, MPs and individuals who have come together in order to construct an informed and unified response to each and every cut which will disproportionately affect women in the coming months and years. From the Fawcett Society to The Child Poverty Action Group, each participating organisation is working independently to protect those who will be disadvantaged by the coalition’s cuts.

Look Left – Opposition grows to coalition’s unfair housing benefit cuts

Echoing his plea in yesterday’s Daily Mirror for conscionable Lib Dems to help Labour crush the worst cuts, Ed Miliband told the Scottish Labour conference: “A week from Tuesday we will force a vote in the House of Commons on housing benefit. Our appeal is to all MPs of conscience. Join us, vote against these unfair and unworkable changes and force the government to think again.”

Who will be affected by the housing benefit cuts?

Welfare systems need to address two different types of situation faced by working age households. They need to provide short-to-medium term support for living costs in response to labour market fluctuations and frictional unemployment; and longer term support for those who are without a market income for extended periods (in practice many households are located on a continuum between these two poles).