Benefits news: page 15
- November 2022
Government support packages lift household incomes relative to no-support scenario
The Office for Budget Responsibility says government support announced since March 2022 lifts real household disposable income per person by 4½ per cent in 2022-23, softening the largest fall on record.
Scotland excluded from the scheme
A 2022 order inserted a fifth condition into the cold weather payment rules so that a claimant's home must be in England or Wales, taking Scotland out of the scheme.
Scotland to replace Cold Weather Payments with Low Income Winter Heating Assistance
Scotland is replacing the Cold Weather Payment from the winter of 2022 with a new Low Income Winter Heating Assistance, paying £50 to eligible households in February 2023.
Second UK Government Cost of Living Payment made
The second instalment of the 2022 Cost of Living Payment, worth £324, was paid in November 2022 to households on means-tested benefits, completing a £650 total for the year.
Warm Home Discount eligibility changes due to come into force
Changes to the Warm Home Discount due to take effect in November 2022 will remove entitlement from nearly 200,000 disabled people who receive disability benefits but not an income-replacement benefit.
- October 2022
Main £150 cost-of-living payment scheme closes
The Welsh Government's main cost-of-living support scheme closed on 30 October 2022 after paying £146.6m to 977,483 eligible households, according to a Welsh Government paper.
Warm Home Discount (Scotland) Regulations 2022 made, continuing the scheme in Scotland to 31 March 2026
The Warm Home Discount (Scotland) Regulations 2022 were made on 19 October 2022 and came into force the next day, continuing the scheme in Scotland until 31 March 2026.
JRF analysis shows constituencies affected by possible benefit uprating cut
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published constituency analysis showing which areas would be most affected if the Government does not uprate means tested benefits such as Universal Credit in line with inflation.
Scottish Child Payment to rise to £25 a week and extend to children aged 6 to 15
Scottish ministers have set out regulations to extend Scottish Child Payment to children aged 6 to 15 and raise it to £25 a week for all eligible children, with other changes to Best Start grants and foods.
Energy Bills Support Scheme to provide £200 off energy bills
Every domestic electricity customer in Great Britain will receive a £200 credit on their energy bill from October 2022 under the Energy Bills Support Scheme, with the money recovered through later bill instalments.
Government considering uprating some working-age benefits by earnings rather than inflation for April 2023
The Resolution Foundation reports the Government is considering raising some working-age benefits by average earnings of 5.5 per cent rather than September CPI inflation of around 10.1 per cent next April.
Government energy bills support scheme launched at the beginning of October 2022
The government energy bills support scheme began in October 2022, and StepChange recorded a 34% rise in visits to its page on government help with gas and electricity bills between September and October.
Warm Home Discount to rise to £150 in England and Wales
The Warm Home Discount will be worth £150 in England and Wales from October 2022, with a Scottish consultation proposing the same rate and 50,000 more eligible households.
- September 2022
BEIS announces £100 alternative fuels payment and EBSS extension
The UK government set out further detail on the Energy Price Guarantee on 21 September 2022, including a £100 payment for some off-gas-grid households and an extension of the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount.
PIP award extension period increased
From 6 September 2022, existing Personal Independence Payment awards waiting for review have their automatic extension period raised from three months to twelve months.
First tax credits Cost of Living instalment paid
The first instalment of the £650 Cost of Living Payment for households on Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit was paid in September 2022, with a second instalment due at the end of November.
Impossible choices briefing published
The Money Advice Trust has published a briefing calling on the Government and regulators to uprate benefits, support people in arrears and introduce a social tariff for energy.
Managed migration to Universal Credit begins without full trial
The Trades Union Congress says managed migration to Universal Credit has begun without a full trial or evaluation, in a report calling for the benefit to be replaced.
Scottish Government launches cost of living support website
The Scottish Government launched a dedicated website in September 2022 setting out help available to the public during the cost of living crisis, Consumer Scotland's energy affordability tracker reports.
Welsh Government Fuel Support Scheme 2022-23 launches with wider eligibility
The Welsh Government's Fuel Support Scheme opened on 26 September 2022 with wider eligibility, part of £1.6 billion of support, as its own paper set out fuel poverty and debt pressures in Wales.
- August 2022
Government announces Warm Home Discount eligibility changes removing disabled people
The government announced in August 2022 that disabled people claiming only disability benefits, without an income-replacement benefit, would lose Warm Home Discount eligibility from November 2022.
- July 2022
Adult Disability Payment extended to the whole of Scotland
Adult Disability Payment, Scotland's replacement for Personal Independence Payment, opened to new applicants across all of Scotland on 29 August 2022 after a phased rollout from March 2022.
Pilot expands to seven further council areas
Adult Disability Payment, Scotland's replacement for Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance for adults, expanded its pilot to seven further council areas on 25 July 2022.
Regulation 6A inserted restricting claims for housing benefit, income support or a tax credit
Regulations laid before Parliament in July 2022 inserted regulation 6A into the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2014, barring most new claims for housing benefit, income support and tax credits.
First £326 cost of living payments begin
The first £326 cost of living support payments were issued from 14 July 2022 to households receiving Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income-related ESA, income-based JSA and Income Support.
First cost of living payment instalment transferred from 14 July 2022
The first instalment of the £650 cost of living payment for low-income households began transferring on 14 July 2022, with a second payment due in the autumn.
NAO report confirms DWP machine learning trial for Universal Credit fraud detection
The National Audit Office report on the DWP's 2021-22 accounts confirms a machine learning trial to detect fraud in Universal Credit claims, with payments potentially stopped before they are made.
Warm Home Discount (England and Wales) Regulations 2022 come into force
The Warm Home Discount (England and Wales) Regulations 2022 came into force on 7 July 2022, continuing the fuel poverty rebate scheme in England and Wales and setting a £150 prescribed rebate.
Secretary of State confirms managed migration will resume without amendment to draft regulations
Therese Coffey has confirmed Universal Credit managed migration will resume without changes to draft regulations, with the move from legacy benefits to be completed by 2024.
First UK Government Cost of Living Payment made
The UK Government made the first Cost of Living Payment of £326 in July 2022 to people on means tested benefits owing to low income, with a second payment of £324 following in November 2022.