Proposed benefit rule labelled ‘worse than poor law'
- 10 Oct
The Chartered Institute of Housing has said the government's plans to make people wait seven days before they're entitled to benefits is "worse than the poor law".
The Social Security Advisory Committee is currently cons ulting on the proposals which George Osborne first announced in June 2013, reports Inside Housing.
The seven day wait would occur on top of the month and seven days is the current wait for universal credit claimants who make a claim before receiving benefits.
Sam Lister, policy and practice officer at the CIH, said the institute has ‘serious concerns' about the proposal. He said: "The vast majority of people who will be claiming universal credit have [...] nothing to fall back on. Even under the old poor law, which the welfare state superseded and dates back to 1590, refusing support to someone who was destitute was unlawful."
A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions said: "Benefits are not intended to provide financial support for very brief breaks in employment."
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