Download IslingtonLife - Autumn 2012 - Islington Council

Benefits advice
Your benefits are changing
The Government is introducing a number of
changes to welfare benefits - here are the
main ones that may affect you.
Council tax
benefit
The Government is abolishing council tax
benefit from April 2013 and replacing
it with a scheme called ‘council tax
support’.
The Government is also cutting the
amount of money it provides by at least
£2.9 million for the next financial year.
Islington Council is opposed to
these changes and is calling on the
Government to reverse them.
We want to know what you think of
the proposed new council tax support
scheme. Please make sure you have
your say. We are sending questionnaires
to all council tax benefit recipients or
you can go to www.islington.gov.uk/
ctconsultation
The consultation will run from
19 October to 30 November 2012.
Disability
living
allowance
The Government is abolishing
Disability Living Allowance
(DLA).
Claimants will have to
claim the new Personal
Independence Payment (PIP)
after a reassessment. The
Government’s intention is to
spend 20% less overall, but
with under 16s and over 65s
protected, this means a larger
cut for claimants of working
age.
The details for PIP are still
being finalised, but the savings
target announced by the
Government is £8.6 million.
Around 7,800 Islington
residents who claim DLA
and about 9,800 who
claim sickness benefits will
be affected by the Work
Capability Assessment and will
be required to go through the
re-assessment process before
they can claim the new PIP.
Universal Credit
This is a new scheme that aims to
replace a range of work benefits such as:
Working Tax Credit
Child Tax Credit
Housing Benefit
Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s
Allowance
Income-related Employment and
Support Allowance.
This is subject to change, but
current plans are to introduce this new
benefit for new out of work claimants
in October 2013. Existing benefit
claimants will be transferred between
2014-2017 with the aim that everyone
is transferred by the end of 2017.
The Government will pay Universal
Credit monthly in arrears so it matches
how most people are paid when in work.
The benefit will also be capped and
will be the same wherever you live so
people on benefits will find it much more
difficult to live in expensive areas of the
country like Islington.
If you are worried about any
of these changes it is important
that you act now.
For more information about
benefit reform go to
www.direct.gov.uk or www.islington.
gov.uk/benefitschanges
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