Several changes to the Welfare and Benefits support schemes will come into effect this week, as from Thursday 5 April 2017 – these will have significant impact on some groups supported by Fife Centre for Equalities.
Each day this week and the next we will be monitoring and sharing current news and articles relating to those changes and the areas of work likely to be affected.
For information, the full timetable of planned Benefit changes for 2017 has been detailed by the third sector organisation Turn2Us on the webpage below:
For information on Managing Your Benefits and/or Living On A Budget in in Fife, please use as a first point of contect the Fife Council webpage below:
For updates on how Scottish Government’s Scottish Welfare Fund allocation (i.e. the Community Care Grants and Crisis Grants funds) has changed, see the guidance documentation below:
IN THE NEWS:
Social security changes – April 2017
Link: http://cpag.org.uk/content/social-security-changes-april-2017
Source: CPAG
Equality Topic/Group affected: Poverty, Children, Young People
Benefit changes ‘could push 200,000 children into poverty’
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-39455078
Source: BBC News
Equality Topic/Group affected: Poverty, Children, Young People
New welfare reforms put extra pressure on single parents to enter paid work
Link: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/welfare-reforms-put-extra-pressure-094649776.html
Source: The Conversation
Equality Issue/Group affected: Single parents
The Two-Child Limit Ignores Need And Drives Up Poverty
Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/lizzie-flew/two-child-limit-poverty_b_15776332.html?1491217353
Source: Huffington Post UK
Equality Issue/Group affected: Family size, Poverty
Benefit cuts to hit housing association tenants in Scotland
Source: Poverty and Social Exclusion
Equality Issue/Group affected: Poverty, Housing
Cancer patient’s family stands to lose £50k under benefit cuts
Source: Guardian
Equality Issue/Group affected: Widowed Parent’s Allowance, Health and Social Care
Advice: How does Welfare Reform impact on me and my family?
Source: Banbridge Leader
Equality Issue/Group affected: Welfare changes, Family
“For the UK Government, some children appear to matter more than others”— Commissioner blogs on new benefit cuts
Source: Children and Young People’s Commissioner
Equality Issue/Group affected: Young People, Children
“Philip Hammond urged to pause cut in benefits for widowed parents”
Source: Guardian
Equality Issue/Group affected: Family, Bereavement
“UK welfare reform has been a ‘car crash’, say those on the front line”
Link: https://www.holyrood.com/articles/inside-politics/uk-welfare-reform-has-been-car-crash-say-those-front-line
Source: Holyrood
Equality Issue/Group affected: Homelessness
“Scottish housing figures call for welfare reform re-think post election”
Link: http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/scottish-housing-figures-call-for-welfare-reform-re-think-post-election/7020403.article
Source: Inside Housing
Equality Issue/Group affected: Housing
“Austerity renders the lives of disabled people invisible, unliveable, and invalid”
Link: https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/sophia-benedict/austerity-renders-lives-of-disabled-people-invisible-unliveable-and-invalid
Source: Open Democracy
Equality Issue/Group affected: Disability, Austerity
“Social Security (Scotland) Bill”
Link: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/Bills/105267.aspx
Source: Scottish Government
Equality Issue/Group affected: Disability, Austerity
FCE will update this post throughout the weeks as further information and analysis of the benefits change come to light up following the result of the General Election 2017 as this will have a a strong influence on the direction of welfare rights in Scotland and across the UK.
If you have any concerns about any of the issues raised, do not hesitate to contact us.
