New legislation has been enacted to resolve the irrationality identified by the Court of Appeal in Secretary of State for Work And Pensions v Johnson & Ors [2020] EWCA Civ 778. The plaintiffs in this case were penalised because they received two payments of wages in one Universal Credit (UC) assessment period.
The Cliff Edge Coalition welcomed the Minister for Communities commitment earlier this month to introduce new legislation to provide for an extension of the welfare mitigation payments. The Coalition also welcomed the Minister’s recognition that new regulations should include additional mitigations for families affected by the benefit cap and two child rule.
Our adviser Amy was able to help a client who was homeless and using his Personal Independence Payment to pay for an emergency stay in a bed & breakfast, as he was not entitled to help with housing from the Housing Executive.
Housing benefit regulations allow for ongoing payment of benefit while the claimant is absent from home in certain circumstances. The length of time during which benefit can be paid depends on the reasons for the claimant’s absence. A prisoner’s entitlement to continue to receive Housing Benefit while in custody depends on whether the person is on remand or sentenced.
The Centre for Policy Studies, a centre-right thinktank, has recommended changes to Support for Mortgage Interest to ensure that homeowners don't face repossession as a result of job losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
