A new campaign has kicked off with a letter to the UK's political party leaders urging them to reject misleading stereotypes of benefit claimants and instead focus on the needs of ordinary families on welfare.
Launched today by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), the 'People Like Us' campaign claims that the current debate about social security is failing ordinary families.
Dozy Michael Gove has been ridiculed for dropping a Bedroom Tax clanger today.
The Education Secretary said for children to flourish it is crucial they have their own room - but it is BANNED under his Government’s hated tax.
Housing charity Shelter Scotland has launched a campaign to get the UK government's controversial bedroom tax abolished.
The charity's 'Banish the Bedroom Tax Monster' campaign calls on Scotland’s politicians in Westminster, Holyrood and in local authorities to do more to support households affected by the under-occupancy policy.
Labour will pledge to find £50 million in Scotland’s budget in order to negate the impact of the so-called “bedroom tax” in Scotland, its finance spokesman has said.
Iain Gray, newly appointed in the post, used an interview with The Scotsman to call on the SNP government to find the cash, saying they could easily raise the money.
The Labour Party is set to lay into the government's expansive reforms of the benefits system later today.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne will claim that taxpayers are on course to lose £1.4 billion by 2015 as a result of the changes.
The vast majority of social housing tenants affected by the bedroom tax have no smaller properties available to them to downsize to.
Freedom of Information requests of local authorities by the Labour Party found that 96% of people hit by the government's controversial under-occupancy policy are effectively trapped in their current homes because of a countrywide lack of smaller accommodation.
Housing groups and charities have been left ‘deeply disappointed’ after the High Court dismissed a legal challenge to the government’s bedroom tax.
David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said the policy is unworkable, while Campbell Robb, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, said the ruling was ‘devastating news’.
Greater powers for local councils to crack down on bad landlords, a legal requirement to include landlords’ contact details in all tenancy agreements, faster evictions, and a cultural shift towards longer tenancies have been recommended in this morning’s major report into the private rented sector.
The Communities and Local Government select committee makes no fewer than 47 recommendations covering a wide range of issues from Houses in Multiple Occupation to selective licensing schemes.
The “national roll-out” of Universal Credit will now only see the new system running at a handful of JobCentres across the UK this year, ministers confirmed.
Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, insisted that Universal Credit remains on track and will fully operational by 2017. A more gradual timetable means the reform will be delivered “safely,” he said.
The majority of the British public believe the government should be tackling the root causes of the country’s high housing benefit bill.
A survey by the Fabian Society asked people if they agreed with the statement: "The size of the housing benefit bill has risen because there are more people claiming due to unemployment, low wages and rents rising quickly. Instead of planning further cuts, the government should be focusing on solving these underlying problems. The government should do this even if it took a long time and meant tax rises or spending cuts elsewhere."