Latest newsletter from Contact a Family The day after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, delivered the budget, Contact a Family brings you the third in our series of What’s new benefits specials – keeping you up to date with the latest changes to benefits as the UK undergoes the biggest shake up of the welfare system in over 30 years. Most of the issues discussed apply across the UK but some of the changes are likely to be delayed in Northern Ireland. And remember, Contact a Family’s team of expert benefit advisers can offer detailed, one-to-one advice to families with disabled children via our freephone helpline 0808 808 3555. Call us to ensure your family is getting the benefits you are entitled to - more important than ever in the current economic climate. The budget 2014 • Contact a Family responds to the budget and urges MPs to vote against including disability benefits in welfare benefit spending cap. Read more in our article. Personal independence payment update • New benefit, personal independence payment (PIP) was extended to parts of Scotland in January. Find if you live in an area that this applies to by reading our article. • In February the government announced that personal independence payments would be extended to parts of the North of England for those turning 16 and certain other groups. Find out more by reading our article. • In March the National Audit Office reported on the early progress of personal independence payments (PIP), warning that the new benefit is plunging disabled people into ‘distress and financial difficulties’. Read what Contact a Family thinks about this and how we can help by reading our article. Bedroom tax news • Contact a Family was disappointed to learn that disabled tenants have lost their bedroom tax challenge at the court of appeal. Read our article to find out more. • The government has now closed a bedroom tax loophole for those who had been getting housing benefit continuously since 1996. Read more about this in our article. Although the law has now changed those affected may still be entitled to arrears for the period before the law changed. • Contact a Family calls on the PM to clear up ‘bedroom tax’ confusion in December. Find out why in our article. Universal credit timetable • The government has announced a new timetable for the introduction of universal credit which means that this new benefit wont now apply to families in most parts of the country until 2016. Find out more in our news item. Other benefits news • Benefit rates are increasing from April. Next month sees the annual uprating in benefit and tax credits rates. The new benefit rates are available from the Department for Work and Pensions website and the new tax credit and child benefit figures have also been published by HMRC. • In yesterday’s budget it was announced that the carers allowance earnings limit will be increased to £102 per week from May 2014. However Contact a Family is calling for the earnings limit to be increased further. Find out more in our article. The latest guides to benefits from Contact a Family • Benefits are changing • Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and other benefits at 16 ________________________________________
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 16:07:58 +0000