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NAWRA conference in Edinburgh on 13 September 2019

We are pleased to return to the City Chambers in Edinburgh on 13 September 2019.

Our guest speaker will be Shirley-Anne Somerville, Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People. We will also hear from Edinburgh Poverty Commission, Poverty Alliance and the Carnegie UK Trust. There will be participatory workshops on investment in welfare rights, Scottish government social security powers, basic income and the commission on social security led by experts by experience.

Read the agenda.

NAWRA conferences are open to members only.  Find out more about joining.

 

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Disabled people moving on to UC losing out

NAWRA has written to Neil Couling, Director General of UC, to express concern about his assertion that the SDP payments made under the Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019 ensure that claimants do not see a cash loss – NAWRA does not believe this is correct.

NAWRA calls on the government to ensure that claimants who migrated to universal credit prior to 16 January 2019 receive the same level of protection as those who will be managed migrated.

Read the letter and the reply from Neil Couling.

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Keep the faith

Our national Chair, Alan Markey, has recently had an article published in ‘Adviser’ magazine. In the article Alan offers his take on how the social security landscape has changed, on increasing conditionality and a hostile environment for claimants, and highlights the increasing importance of advisers in the fight against poverty.

If you don’t have a copy of the magazine, you can read his article on the Medium website.

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NAWRA’s letter to the Scottish government

NAWRA has co-signed a letter urging the Scottish Government to bring forward the introduction of the income supplement for low income families.

NAWRA’s representative for Scotland, Craig Samuel, said:

“To date Scottish Government have achieved so much with Social Security however if we do not use the powers and mandates, we fought so long for, then it will be a sad indictment on us as a people. If we don’t do more to reduce child poverty, reduce adverse childhood experiences then ultimately we shall be limiting the dreams and ambitions of families and children living in poverty in Scotland so I on behalf of NAWRA advocate bringing forward the Income Supplement before 2022.”

Read the reply from Aileen Campbell MSP

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Fraudulent universal credit claims being made to obtain advance payments

NAWRA members have reported via the rightsnet discussion forum that clients have been
contacted by a loan company offering a ‘government grant’.

The loan company then takes information sufficient to verify ID and submit a universal credit claim without the client’s knowledge, arranges an advance and then keeps a substantial amount of it for themselves. The first the client knows is their legacy benefits have stopped, and they find they are now a universal credit claimant with a large advance to repay that they did not receive.

NAWRA has written to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Amber Rudd with our recommendations to prevent this fraudulent activity.

Read our letter and the reply.

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