Really striking, and not nearly discussed enough - how much core non-disability spending on working-age benefits has shrunk over past 10-15 years.

Eduin Latimer@eduinlatimer.bsky.social · 2w ago

This is the most important chart for understanding how working-age benefit spending has changed over last two decades. In overall levels spending as % of GDP is lower now that it was in 2012, but the composition of that spending is very different.

Really not good enough. Govt reluctant to unfreeze LHA because of concerns it inflates rents - but then refusing to take sensible steps on the costs side to mitigate those risks. This is not what tackling homelessness looks like...

Richard Vaughan@richardvaughan.bsky.social · 2w ago

Rayner confirms my story from earlier in the week. Rent controls ditched.

Excellent summary of why freezing LHA yet again would be indefensible. At @z2ktrust.bsky.social, the reality for our clients is that the private rented sector is simply out of reach. Councils are spending nearly £3bn a year on temporary accommodation. We can't keep doing this.

@julia-rt.bsky.social · 4w ago

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

Somewhat ambiguous comment here. Is there more we can do to support people into work? Yes – but spending on benefits and employment support can’t be an either/or. Try looking for a job without enough money to live on. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Labour must stop just writing a cheque for benefit claimants, says McFadden

Exclusive: Work and pensions secretary signals possible reform to welfare as ministers await key reviews

theguardian.com

I've written a blog on the Timms Review's interim report and what it tells us about the future of PIP reform. While public debate often focuses on costs, rising caseload and ‘sickfluencers’, the Review starts with a more fundamental question: is PIP achieving its purpose? 🧵

An underappreciated consequence of Mahmood's immigration agenda is the way it cuts across the government's wider employment goals. As with the proposed 'earned settlement' model, which risks deterring engagement with Jobcentre support, this plan is likely to create further disincentives to work.

Adam Bienkov@adambienkov.bsky.social · last mo.

Taxing vulnerable people for the crime of fleeing from war, torture and persecution. A new low from Shabana Mahmood

Some good news today on welfare reform Auto-recording health & disability benefit assessments is an important move towards increasing accountability and trust Hopefully just a first step in overhauling the broken assessment system www.gov.uk/government/n...

Health assessments to be recorded as standard in major transparency drive

All face-to-face and telephone health assessments for disability and sickness benefits will be audio recorded as standard from today to improve transparency in the benefit system.

gov.uk

Really interesting new report from the OBR that suggests future forecast welfare spending could be lower than anticipated Finds previous OBR forecasts likely overestimated expected losses due to fraud & error - will be corrected in future forecasts obr.uk/wtr/welfare-...

New benefit cap stats out today We don't talk enough about the benefit cap as a cost of renting issue Households are most likely to be capped in London & South East England - where rents are highest 1 in 5 capped households are single people - pushed over the cap purely by rent

Very dodgy behaviour - and another sign of the limits of the Act on constraining rent increases - but worth emphasising (as the article points out) that you can still challenge a rent increase in this situation

James Riding@jamesriding.bsky.social · 2mo ago

New: A build-to-rent landlord has used a loophole in the new Renters’ Rights Act to demand a 10% rent hike Get Living is using the legislation to treat a flatmate leaving as a new tenancy – allowing it to request a rent increase living.insidehousing.co.uk/news/reveale...

So many people replying to today’s story with experiences like this. Benefit reassessments are a dark cloud hanging over someone’s head, many who - by definition of needing disability benefits - will already be struggling with anxiety, pain or fatigue before piles of admin and invasive interview.

James@thasceles.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I'm autistic and suffer with severe depression and anxiety. I sent in the paperwork for my PIP reassessment in June last year. I've not slept properly for a year because of worrying whether my PIP going to be stopped whenever they get round to considering it.

Today @z2ktrust.bsky.social has published new research on PIP reassessments, covered by @francesryan.bsky.social in @theguardian.com, which sets out out why the system is failing disabled people and the public purse. 🧵

Frances Ryan@francesryan.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Hundreds of thousands of disabled people with lifelong conditions are being put through “pointless” benefit reassessments, contrary to official guidance. My exclusive in today’s paper: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Looking forward to speaking about @z2ktrust.bsky.social research on challenging unfair rent increases at this next month!

Legal Action Group@legalactiongroup.bsky.social · 2mo ago

🌇1 MONTH UNTIL... LAG's #HousingLaw Conference🌇 8 July | 9:30am - 6pm | BPP London The #RentersRightsAct is in force, now it’s about making it #WorkForTenants. Join us to develop ways of working that strengthen #AccessToJustice. 🎟️Book here➡️ hi.switchy.io/HousingLawCo...

📢 Webinar: The Cost of Unnecessary PIP Reassessments Join us as we launch new Z2K research that reveals the scale and costs of unnecessary PIP reassessments, and sets out a plan for change. 🗓️ 16 June, 11am 🎤 With campaigner Roxie + Q&A 👉 Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Prove It Again: The Cost of Unnecessary PIP Reassessments. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

As speculation mounts about disability benefits system reform, what would a better approach to personal independence payment (PIP) reassessments looks like? Z2K’s latest research makes a clear, eviden...

us02web.zoom.us

The wide-ranging focus of the Milburn Review’s interim report, with its focus on jobs, education and health and the upstream causes of youth inactivity, is welcome. But its analysis of social security is less convincing. (1/8) 🧵

Great to write for Red Brick on renters’ rights and the changing landscape for challenging unfair rent increases. The Renters’ Rights Act brings important new tools, but it’s not enough to fix the PRS affordability crisis. redbrickblog.co.uk/2026/05/rent...

Renters can fight back against unfair rent hikes – and win - Red Brick

It is becoming increasingly difficult for policymakers to ignore the affordability crisis in the private rented sector. In recent weeks, the media was awash with speculation that the Government was co...

redbrickblog.co.uk

Really useful intervention from @jrf-uk.bsky.social Also worth noting: cuts in one part of the system tend to surface elsewhere. Expect the UC-Health cut to put even more pressure on PIP

Katie Schmuecker @katieschmuecker.bsky.social · 2mo ago

📣 New from @jrf-uk.bsky.social Blunt cuts to social security don’t work- we need to tackle root causes of need. Hitting govt 80% employment target would reduce Universal Credit spend by £10bn Polling shows 59% public want causes to be tackled. Just 20% want restricted eligibility & 8% cut rates.

Can see the case for this, but it needs careful handling. Currently fit notes act as an initial gateway for ill and disabled people to unlock benefits support and get protection from sanctions. Reform must make this support easier to access, not harder. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Broken fit note system to be overhauled

Patients, employers and GPs are set to benefit from an overhaul of the broken fit note system following the launch of several pilots by the Government today to reform the system for workers who fall i...

gov.uk

🧵New blog: The case for adding a condition‑based route to PIP There are growing calls to restrict PIP eligibility based on condition, including a recent report from the Tony Blair Institute. These proposals are dangerous and unworkable. But they do touch on one key truth. (1/6) 👇

I'm doing a story on cuts to the Universal Credit disability payments - I'm looking to speak to anyone who started claiming means-tested disability benefit (LCWRA, either in ESA or Universal Credit) for the first time when they were in their 50s or 60s My DMs are open, grateful for any reposts

Good to see govt take on some @z2ktrust.bsky.social recommendations on the Code of Practice for new claimant bank data powers. Big concerns remain - close monitoring of impacts will be essential as this is rolled out - but encouraging that DWP has acted on feedback. www.gov.uk/government/c...

Government response to the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act DWP Codes of Practice consultation

gov.uk

While social security legislation was absent from the King’s Speech, the Conservatives’ ‘Alternative King’s Speech’ includes a ‘Welfare Reform Bill’. 🧵(1/5)

A really comprehensive and balanced analysis of the main critiques of rent control. For any rent policy intervention to work in practice, proactive enforcement is key given the limited uptake of the renter-led tribunal system (only c. 1,000 cases in two years).

Institute for Public Policy Research@ippr.org · 3mo ago

🏘️ | NEW REPORT: Millions are struggling with unaffordable private rents. Our new report calls for a “double lock” rent cap, limiting annual rent increases to whichever is lower: inflation or wage growth. Read here: www.ippr.org/articles/hou...

I took part in a couple of workshops for this research on poverty‑related data gaps. Glad to see thoughtful, practical recommendations published today - well worth a look.

Royal Statistical Society @royalstatsoc.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Since June 2025, we’ve worked with the Centre for Public Data to identify UK poverty data gaps. Today we publish 16 recommendations: reform access, fill key gaps, and improve user support. Shaped by 100 stakeholders. Read more: rss.org.uk/policy-campa...

Renters who challenge unfair rent increases are £1,140 a year better off on average. New research by @z2ktrust.bsky.social shows the tribunal system works but far too few people use it. With the Renters’ Rights Act now in force, this can change. Read the report 👇 z2k.org/rent-increas...

🧵New Z2K research out today: renters who challenge rent increases are over £1,000 a year better off on average. As the Renters' Rights Act gives renters more power to fight rent hikes, we analysed 746 tribunal decisions to see how the rent‑challenge system really works. 👇(1/9)

Looking forward to speaking at this today

Generation Rent@generationrent.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Join us this evening (6-7) to learn how the new Renters’ Rights Act will impact rent rises. Joining us are @z2ktrust.bsky.social and Safer Renting! JOIN HERE: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Re: suggestions that a rent freeze could lead to pre-emptive massive rent hikes - worth remembering that the Renters' Rights Act prohibits increases above market rates New Z2K research launching later this week will examine the Act's changes to rent regulation www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Rachel Reeves considering rent freeze to limit Iran war fallout

Exclusive: Sources say chancellor is examining exceptional measures to protect household budgets

theguardian.com

It's a bit of a myth that rents are constantly increasing faster than earnings or overall inflation - on average, they're not. So what *is* the problem of unaffordability in the private rented sector? And what does this mean for how we go about fixing it? Our take 🧵⬇️

Good to speak to @francesryan.bsky.social for this important piece on cuts to universal credit for disabled people coming into effect from April

Frances Ryan@francesryan.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Hundreds of thousands of disabled people will have their benefit almost halved if the government assesses their condition might one day improve. Charities warn the move could cause large-scale hardship, including “destitution.” My report in tomorrow’s Guardian: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...