by Gareth Morgan 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 […]
by Gareth Morgan 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 […]
by Gareth Morgan on January 11, 2019
My initial thoughts, on this decision, are that this is a very substantial threat to the entire Universal Credit system. If the decision stands, because the DWP don’t appeal, appeal and lose or accept the decision and don’t table amendments to reintroduce the current way of applying earnings, then the consequences are huge. Logically, it […]
by Gareth Morgan on January 11, 2019
While we don’t know what the government’s response will be, The High Court has dealt a major blow to the Universal Credit system today (11th January 2019) in a Judicial Review case brought by CPAG. They’ve decided UC is wrong in taking all pay received in an assessment period into account as income for that […]
by Gareth Morgan on November 18, 2018
What have Debt Counsellors, Building Societies, Landlords and Energy Suppliers got in common with Payday Lenders and Catalogue Shopping? Answer? They’re all keen on regular payments by their clients and customers and that, in turn, means that they like people who budget. They’re also all likely to suffer because of a Universal Credit design decision. […]
by Gareth Morgan on October 12, 2018
Universal Credit is a simpler benefit than the complicated six benefits that it replaces; says the government. It is understood more easily because it matches the way in which most people in work get paid – monthly. Of course not everyone who is actually in work does get paid monthly, so those people who are […]
by Gareth Morgan on October 20, 2015
Tax credits are very much in the news at the moment, not least because of the powerful appearance on BBC Question Time of Michelle Dorrell with her concern about the personal impact of these cuts. I have recently completed a big exercise, using our Future Benefits Model, looking at the effect of all the announced […]