New 🔦SPOTLIGHT 🔦Report by @citizensadvice.bsky.social finds UC can create barriers to victim-survivors of domestic abuse to financial independence and freedom. Based on frontline insights, the report highlights 6 common challenges faced by claimants. www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publi...

Frozen housing costs support is putting unsustainable pressure on renters' budgets: 48% of private renters getting UC across the UK have cut back on essentials in the last 6 months The no. of private renters we helped w/ housing benefit, who were also referred to foodbanks is up 79% since 21/22

Less than 2% of rents affordable for benefit claimants, report warns

People are being forced into a ‘cycle of debt, poverty and homelessness’, a charity chief said

independent.co.uk

We help hundreds of thousands of people every year with housing costs issues. In this great blog, @julia-rt.bsky.social and @drsarahhadfield.bsky.social set out how Universal Credit housing support hasn't kept up with rising rents. The result: significant hardship & debt.

@julia-rt.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Housing costs support is one of the most common issues we help low-income households with at @citizensadvice.bsky.social A big reason: private renters' UC housing support is frozen at rent levels from 2.5+yrs ago. And rents are up 16% since then. New blog from me + @drsarahhadfield.bsky.social 🧵

Housing costs support is one of the most common issues we help low-income households with at @citizensadvice.bsky.social A big reason: private renters' UC housing support is frozen at rent levels from 2.5+yrs ago. And rents are up 16% since then. New blog from me + @drsarahhadfield.bsky.social 🧵

Feeling the freeze

How a failure to uprate housing support is causing hardship for low-income renters

wearecitizensadvice.org.uk

Some people who have migrated from legacy benefits like ESA to UC are finding less money in their pockets. Under transitional protection, they were told they would not be worse off, but a technicality in who manages Council Tax Support means that many are. wearecitizensadvice.org.uk/why-some-esa...

Why some ESA claimants are worse off after moving to Universal Credit

Since its introduction in 2013, Universal Credit (UC) has gradually replaced legacy benefits, including Employment and Support Allowance…

wearecitizensadvice.org.uk

I might need to donate a second time!

Craig Berry@craigpberry.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Thanks to everyone who has donated to my fundraiser for @mssocietyuk.bsky.social so far On track to humiliate myself as a stand up comic in the near future! If I reach £600 milestone this week, I'm going to upload some cringe video content to whet the appetite www.justgiving.com/page/not-bei...

Access to Work isn’t meeting its BIG potential! 🧵 New report out now: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publi...

The government wants to enhance contributory unemployment benefits - we’re good with that Contribution-based benefits can help the legitimacy of the welfare state. There is a catch though… www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publi...

Some amazing work and research by my colleagues. Please read and share! Really pleased to see this published!

Becca Stacey@beccastacey.bsky.social · 7mo ago

The Equality Act should protect disabled people at work But @citizensadvice.bsky.social supported 5,393 people with health-related job discrimination in 2025 - roughly one every 1.5 hours Mine and @victoria-anns.bsky.social's new report digs into the barriers our disabled clients face at work /1

There is 'an unequal health impact of the current system of housing cost support that fails to cover people's rent'. People should have a safe and secure home that is not bad for their health. #LHA #LocalHousingAllowance

📢Young disabled people could face benefit cuts of more than £420 a month if government plans go ahead. Young people deserve real support - not cuts that could push them into poverty. New blog from me & @victoria-anns.bsky.social: medium.com/p/62015a6f0b12

The government must cancel plans to cut disability benefits for young people

This blog has been co-written by Maddy Rose, Senior Policy Researcher, and Victoria Anns, Policy Researcher.

medium.com

📰New @citizensadvice.bsky.social briefing ahead of the #Autumnbudget: The Government if failing private renters by freezing #LocalHousingAllowance #LHA.

As the #AutumnBudget approaches, we're calling on the Chancellor to unfreeze Local Housing Allowance (LHA) to support people on low incomes as private rents continue to soar. Read more in our blog ⤵️ https://t.co/xTGMQRoFsk https://t.co/ijj5LHQyVC

Another fantastic piece of research and report by Dr Kate Harrison building on her work on supporting disabled people into work - she outlines practical solutions raised in the Pathways to Work Green paper.

Kate Harrison@kslharrison.bsky.social · 11mo ago

DWP plans to introduce a ‘support conversation’ for disabled claimants who don’t currently meet a work coach. My new paper explores how this conversation can be done effectively and avoid causing harm 🧵 www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publi...

The govt wants to get more disabled people into work, but isn't making full use of the tools at its disposal In my new report for @citizensadvice.bsky.social I've looked at how our social security system could do more to make sure that when disabled people want to work, work really does pay /1

Is follow friday still a thing? Any OGs out there who remember #followfriday! Shoutout to @hthrt28.bsky.social for all things Employment Law/Future of Work and AI/Flexible working.

We must ask ourselves how this changes the social contract been us and the state and what this says about us as a society: are we no longer prepared to support or help those with severe, life long conditions or ill health? #welfarereform #universalcreditbill #socialpolicy

Sarah Hadfield@drsarahhadfield.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Govs claim that Universal Credit Bill will incentivise people to work is ‘wishful thinking’ - @victoria-anns.bsky.social outlines how the bill will create a two-tiered system of support. It won’t help disabled people into work/ people with severe, life-long conditions may miss out on protections.

Govs claim that Universal Credit Bill will incentivise people to work is ‘wishful thinking’ - @victoria-anns.bsky.social outlines how the bill will create a two-tiered system of support. It won’t help disabled people into work/ people with severe, life-long conditions may miss out on protections.

Victoria Lee (née Anns)@victoria-j-lee.bsky.social · last yr.

Cuts to disability benefits weren’t totally averted! 🚨New report out today explaining why the Universal Credit Bill will harm disabled people and exploring who will be impacted by the cuts. www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publi...

New @citizensadvice.bsky.social briefing published with @julia-rt.bsky.social‬ on how Universal Credit can adapt to promote income stability for working households. We set out policy options for the UC review to consider to reflect the reality of low paid employment.

The narrative around Universal Credit has long centred around work incentives. This new briefing examines how effective UC is at encouraging employment – and how that focus may have overshadowed the deeper complexities of getting into work. 🧵 🔗 www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publi...

Essential therefore to recognise that the #employmentrightsbill will impact on workers differently. We must ask who is the #employmentrightsbill is for...how will it really impact on those who are in employment with low employment rights.

Work Foundation@workfoundation.bsky.social · last yr.

Previous Work Foundation research looked at the experiences of disabled people at work and found that they are 1.5 times more likely to be in severely insecure work relative to non-disabled people. (5/5) t.co/6ZFUaqsUZg

📣New blog: 'Will “banning” zero-hours contracts impact on those who are in them?' By Dr Sarah Hadfield (@drsarahhadfield.bsky.social), it draws on research of childfree young women’s experiences of employment insecurity and financial autonomy. social-policy.org.uk/news/blog-wi...

Blog: Will “banning” zero-hours contracts impact on those who are in them? - Social Policy Association

Dr Sarah Hadfield, Visting Fellow at The School of Social Policy and Criminology, The Open University. — Labour has consistently claimed that it is banning [...]

social-policy.org.uk

Blog: Will “banning” zero-hours contracts impact on those who are in them? social-policy.org.uk/news/blog-wi... #employmentrightsbill @socialpolicyuk.bsky.social @openuniversity.bsky.social