Snow Leopard
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
UK Labour is no longer a centre-left party that considers peoples needs over the wealthy. It's a deep shame they passed this.
They are being referred to as "Blue Labour". Very little difference between the two main parties.UK Labour is no longer a centre-left party that considers peoples needs over the wealthy. It's a deep shame they passed this.
Whilst the rent allowance does cover the cost of social housing depending on your property size, the bedroom tax was brought in 2013, which means you may have to pay either 14% or 25% of your basic UC allowance towards your rent. That puts many long term sick and disabled claimants at risk of homelessness. II was in that position when they first brought this in, until I was awarded my PIP. In my area there isn't even any one bedroom social housing properties available, they never built them. So all the old people/disabled bungalows are 2 bedroom properties, now given to young families.
Ah, yes. I underestimated the amount that has to be paid. It's 14% (I bedroom underoccupancy) or 25% (2 bedroom underoccupancy) of the total social rent, not the basic UC allowance. Social rent has increased a lot since the bedroom tax was brought in. Many 2 bed social housing in my area is still around £500-600 per month,. which means tenants could be paying £150 a month or more out of their basic UC amount. Obviously this is much more in the London area (although there are likely to be more one bed flats available there).Yep, I had to pay that for six years.
I was offered a one-bedroom bungalow first, but I have two big powered wheelchairs and there was nowhere to put them, so I had to go for a two-bedroom property on the same development. I paid £90 a month in rent for a room barely bigger than a double bed, which had to come out of my PIP daily living payment.
£90 a month for a new bungalow doesn't sound much when people are paying £1500+ to rent freezing, mould-ridden flats in London, but it's a big chunk of your income when you're on means tested benefits.
Thankfully it ends at state pension age. Not having to find that money every month has made a lot of difference.
Yes, PIP hasn't increased in line with the national minimum wage or National Insurance increases, or the cost of fuel and transport., just the RRP based on the month of September each year. This means the amount of hours of care a claimant can pay for from it has reduced every year. I think the enhanced rate of care would pay for a maximum of 4 hours of agency care where I live, probably less as I think they charge more for rural locations. No one will provide private care on a self-employed basis here as it's too rural, the nearest bus stop is a few miles away.The thing that has driven me mad with almost all the coverage including by government ministers is they keep talking about PIP as if it were income to live on for people not working, with part of the solution to get more people off it and into work.
That is wrong. It's an allowance to help cover the extra costs of daily living for people who need help to do ordinary activities and includes people who need things that cost money in order to be able to work. It used to be called Disability Living Allowance, which I think was clearer.
It's only the daily living component they are talking about cutting and making much harder to get. Yet even at maximum rate it only covers the cost of a few half hour carer visits a week.
Also, with UC you have to be in receipt of PIP to get the allowance for an additional bedroom for an overnight carer, whereas with ESA you could provide other evidence (such as a GP note or a social care plan) that you required this help.
Universal credit
New universal credit (UC) health element claimants from April 2026 will still see their UC health element almost halved and frozen.
Existing claimants were already protected in the bill from the cut to the UC health element and in a further concession they are to be protected from the freeze.
Red Tories round these partsThey are being referred to as "Blue Labour". Very little difference between the two main parties.
yes as I said a while ago, and they keep saying it.The thing that has driven me mad with almost all the coverage including by government ministers is they keep talking about PIP as if it were income to live on for people not working, with part of the solution to get more people off it and into work.
That is wrong. It's an allowance to help cover the extra costs of daily living for people who need help to do ordinary activities and includes people who need things that cost money in order to be able to work. It used to be called Disability Living Allowance, which I think was clearer.
It's only the daily living component they are talking about cutting and making much harder to get. Yet even at maximum rate it only covers the cost of a few half hour carer visits a week.
The bill only covers those three issues. Every other proposal, such as the abolition of the WCA, the proposal to amalgamate contributory ESA and JSA into a single time limited contributory benefit ... They will all require separate legislation of their own.
Yes. I think some people in this situation appealed the bedroom tax when it was first brought in, but I don't think they succeeded (they appealed on the basis that their 'spare room' had never been used as a bedroom, rather only for storage of disability equipment). Many people think council houses have large rooms, but only a very few do. In particular most of the bungalows are tiny. I've been keeping my eye out for a rural one for a possible mutual exchange, but none have been suitable. I'm better off staying in my 2 storey semi-detached which has a large flat garden and drive. Most of the bungalows also have steps up to the front door and/or the garden, so they were never really designed with disabled (or even old...) people in mind!It's iniquitous that no allowance was made for people who don't need overnight care but are completely dependent on large pieces of equipment.
Anyone watching me manoeuvring an outdoor powerchair inside a social housing-sized home would immediately see that not only is it a big item that takes up a lot of space, three or four times that amount of space has to be left clear before I can turn it and move it around. The idea I could keep it in the sitting room or my bedroom is ridiculous; I need furniture in those rooms. The only other space big enough and clear enough to store it is the wetroom, but it would mean I couldn't use it as a wetroom.
I hadnt heard of it. I've been on CB ESA since approx 2012 without any income related component. I hope they're not planning to scrap it/make it time limited.
Does anyone know where I can find out more about this bit?