Let’s take the same money off you – not once, not twice, but three times.

by on May 24, 2020

Even by Universal Credit (UC) standards that might seem a little bit excessive, but it appears to be happening. It’s also a real, and urgent, problem for a rapidly increasing number of people. Once again, it illustrates how the complexity of rules within Universal Credit seems to work against the stated aim of simple, understandable […]

Some random jottings on the current benefits situation – no. 1 The Benefit Cap.

by on April 21, 2020

I’m not going to write much about what benefit changes have taken place recently, and there are lots of them, but a little bit about how they might affect people. This is because I’ve just finished the first baseline run of Ferret’s Future Benefits Model for 2020 to 2024. This is our big five-year rolling […]

Irregular UC and regular pay – A solution that also ends the 5 week wait?

by on March 24, 2020

(I’m posting this in the hope that it will generate some interest. I’d be grateful for comments, whether pointing out flaws or errors, or suggestions.  Given the current situation, this could be implemented rapidly if workable.  By all means, point and laugh but, please, do think about what could be done)   I looked in […]

Universal Credit & Rent – Landlords, be cautious about being helpful

by on February 16, 2020

(Charts and tables amended 18/2/2020 to correct misalignment and 23/2/20 to simplify UC Calculation) The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee has launched an enquiry into the economics of Universal Credit. It’s calling for written contributions to be submitted by February 29th. Whatever your views on the House of Lords as a second chamber, its […]

2020, a good year for generous work incentives? – how the government is really doing

by on February 2, 2020

(With a lot of very, very boring but quite important numbers) This government loves sound bites and bullet points. They can look very impressive. UK minimum wage to rise by four times rate of inflation Employees over 25 will receive a 6.2% pay rise equating to £930 a year for full-time worker National Living Wage […]

Greggs £300 – Bonus or Booby Prize?

by on January 11, 2020

Greggs, the well-known bakers, have been in the news this week because they are giving their staff a bonus because of good financial results. It’s always good seeing employers rewarding staff, and Greggs already have a generous profit-sharing scheme. They’ve basically just handed £7m back to the govt. I have two questions about this. The […]

Identifying the needs shortfall for older people

by on May 13, 2019

This note was originally intended to be a consideration of the effects of the mixed-age couple rules which are to be introduced into the benefit system on May 15, 2019. During drafting, it became very clear that the same sort of considerations apply to many other situations, including those people with higher incomes, especially around […]

The Mixed-Age Pension Credit cut – What does it really mean?

by on January 15, 2019

Burying bad news has a long and dishonourable political history.  Choosing a day when the news is dominated by a major, and ideally tragic, story may take the focus of attention well away from other ‘difficult’ stories.  The government seem to have continued this tradition by releasing the news of a major blow to pensioner […]