Recent News

Chancellor George Osborne and work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith have publicly agreed that £10bn of further savings on welfare can be made, after the pair co-authored a piece in the Daily Mail showing a united front on the issue.

The piece, penned for the opening day of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, reveal the pair are “united” in their determination to deliver Universal Credit, and that both are “satisfied” that £10bn of further welfare savings can be made. The detail of the cuts, which is set to lead to serious tensions in the Coalition, are set to be announced by Mr Osborne today. 

A North East lettings specialist is pressing the importance of new and ‘do it yourself’ landlords to follow the right procedures in order to avoid things turning sour.

Ajay Jagota, managing director of KIS Lettings, is sounding the warning after a series of instances of landlords being taken to court and penalised for not following the law. 

The timing of advice and support for benefit claimants assessed as needing a special budgeting bank account to handle monthly payments under Universal Credit is crucial, according to a financial expert.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) yesterday held a procurement day for national payment suppliers who have expressed interest in developing new budgeting accounts for vulnerable claimants, which would be offered when claimants sign on to Universal Credit. 

The majority of the public want benefit spend monitored, according to a poll, leading to fears the Government’s rhetoric around 'problem families' and 'scroungers' is shaking people’s faith in the welfare state.

Think-tank Demos polled 2,052 adults, which revealed that 59% of them believed the Government should control what people spend the new Universal Credit on.

A Sheffield landlord has been given nine months jail for throwing one of his tenants onto the street without his shoes.

Jay Allen of Padley Way, Sheffield Lane, forcibly evicted Chris Blades from his home on Handsworth Road. Mr Blades had ran up £900 in rent arrears. 

Letting agents and landlords with rental homes in the London borough of Newham have been sent notices that they must license all properties.

Mandatory blanket licensing of all rental properties in the borough comes in on 1st January 2013. 

Welfare reform minister Lord Freud says Universal Credit claimants could keep fortnightly payments for up to two years with their cases reviewed periodically.

Delivering a speech at the Centre for Responsible Credit Annual Conference earlier this week the minister said the Government was still developing guidance on exceptions to monthly payments – following concerns claimants would struggle to move from fortnightly payments.