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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 5h

@the-independent.com covered this story yesterday bsky.app/profile/crai...

Very curious to see DWP say 'advances are not loans'. The advance payments people access to cover the 5 week wait absolutely are loans, with repayments causing significant and unnecessary hardship

Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 1d

UK poverty crisis as 500,000 children in homes trapped in benefit debt cycle - @julia-rt.bsky.social's research on Universal Credit deductions covered in the Independent

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

UK poverty crisis as 500,000 children in homes trapped in benefit debt cycle

Exclusive: Tens of thousands of families are forced to take out loans to cover the five-week wait until their first Universal Credit payment – but many struggle to pay it back

www.independent.co.uk

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 5h

📢No more waiting on the 5 week wait, says my @citizensadvice.bsky.social colleague @julia-rt.bsky.social

The 5 week wait for a first UC payment means families end up in debt to DWP -leading to deductions from future payments that cause real hardship

This needs to change medium.com/citizens-adv...

No more waiting on the 5 week wait

This autumn, the government has the chance to take action on one of Universal Credit’s longest-standing problems: “the 5 week wait”.

medium.com

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 5h

⚠️ Mandatory reconsideration needs reconsidering ⚠️

Waiting times for benefits appeals have increased significantly - the system isn't fit for purpose

Excellent analysis by my @citizensadvice.bsky.social colleague Buki Akinosho wearecitizensadvice.org.uk/reconsiderin...

Reconsidering Mandatory Reconsideration: Is the system fit for purpose?

Mandatory reconsideration (MR) is a process that allows benefit claimants to request a review of a decision about their benefits claim. MR…

wearecitizensadvice.org.uk

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 1d

UK poverty crisis as 500,000 children in homes trapped in benefit debt cycle - @julia-rt.bsky.social's research on Universal Credit deductions covered in the Independent

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

UK poverty crisis as 500,000 children in homes trapped in benefit debt cycle

Exclusive: Tens of thousands of families are forced to take out loans to cover the five-week wait until their first Universal Credit payment – but many struggle to pay it back

www.independent.co.uk

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Reposted by Craig Berry

Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 8d

ICYMI - the public don't support cutting Universal Credit or freezing Local Housing Allowance 🧵

Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

📢 Benefit cuts don’t have widespread support

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Reposted by Craig Berry

Becca Stacey @beccastacey.bsky.social · 14d

The govt wants to get more disabled people into work, but isn't making full use of the tools at its disposal

In my new report for @citizensadvice.bsky.social I've looked at how our social security system could do more to make sure that when disabled people want to work, work really does pay /1

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 8d

ICYMI - the public don't support cutting Universal Credit or freezing Local Housing Allowance 🧵

Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

📢 Benefit cuts don’t have widespread support

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 9d

Plus it doesn't ask about English ethnicity, does it? I thought there was now a write in option for people who say they are white, and English was a popular answer

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Reposted by Craig Berry

Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 14d

Some fantastic insights and policy ideas in @beccastacey.bsky.social's new report. We can't simply will more disabled people into work, there needs to be greater support - and the benefits system might be going in the wrong direction 👇

Becca Stacey @beccastacey.bsky.social · 14d

The govt wants to get more disabled people into work, but isn't making full use of the tools at its disposal

In my new report for @citizensadvice.bsky.social I've looked at how our social security system could do more to make sure that when disabled people want to work, work really does pay /1

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Reposted by Craig Berry

Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

📢 Benefit cuts don’t have widespread support

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

You can access the full briefing here: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publi...

Benefit cuts don’t have widespread support

Summary of survey results on knowledge of and attitudes to benefit rates by Craig Berry

www.citizensadvice.org.uk

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

In general, we found knowledge of benefit rates surprisingly high among working-age cohorts

But the main exception is PIP. eg Only 20% of people are aware that the highest rate of the PIP daily living component is less than £500 per month

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

Our research also asked about knowledge of benefit rates, as well as attitudes to cuts. And this is part of the explanation for the views of young people: they are more likely to over-estimate benefit rates, but also more likely to be confident in their answers

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

...20% of men support the freeze, and an additional 9% want the government to go further. The respective results for women are 16% and 5%. And women are far more likely than men to answer ‘I do not support this proposal’: 46% compared to 36%

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

Women and working class people are less likely to support benefit cuts. Especially the case for women and the expected freeze to housing cost support...

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

There is an interesting story in the full briefing about young people being more supportive of cuts than other working-age cohorts. But even young people still tend to oppose rather than support the proposals included in our survey

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

There is slightly more support (35%) for raising the eligibility age for UC health from 18 to 22, but almost the same proportion (33%) oppose this cut too

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

The UC health cut has been approved by parliament. But the the government still has the opportunity to decide against cutting support for housing costs at the Autumn Budget - and therefore align itself with public opinion

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

Only 26% of people support freezing or cutting further the maximum amount of UC housing element available for private renters. ⚠️41% oppose this cut ⚠️

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

Only 26% of people support the enormous cut to the UC health element being introduced in April 2026. ⚠️38% oppose this cut ⚠️

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

This 👆 is from our new survey research, testing knowledge of benefit rates, and attitudes to planned and expected cuts. Full results and research details at www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publi...

Benefit cuts don’t have widespread support

Summary of survey results on knowledge of and attitudes to benefit rates by Craig Berry

www.citizensadvice.org.uk

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 11d

📢 Benefit cuts don’t have widespread support

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Reposted by Craig Berry

Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 14d

Great to see @beccastacey.bsky.social's research covered here by @cjayanetti.bsky.social in the @bigissue.com

www.bigissue.com/news/employm...

DWP plans will see more than 50,000 disabled people lose job support

DWP plans mean large numbers of disabled people will no longer qualify for a work allowance to support people looking for employment.

www.bigissue.com

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Reposted by Craig Berry

Chaminda Jayanetti @cjayanetti.bsky.social · 14d

At least 50,000 disabled people could lose access to financial employment support if the government goes ahead with plans to scrap the WCA benefit assessment, according to a new report from Citizens Advice

The true figure is likely to be higher

By me, for Big Issue www.bigissue.com/news/employm...

DWP plans will see more than 50,000 disabled people lose job support

DWP plans mean large numbers of disabled people will no longer qualify for a work allowance to support people looking for employment.

www.bigissue.com

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Craig Berry @craigpberry.bsky.social · 14d

Some fantastic insights and policy ideas in @beccastacey.bsky.social's new report. We can't simply will more disabled people into work, there needs to be greater support - and the benefits system might be going in the wrong direction 👇

Becca Stacey @beccastacey.bsky.social · 14d

The govt wants to get more disabled people into work, but isn't making full use of the tools at its disposal

In my new report for @citizensadvice.bsky.social I've looked at how our social security system could do more to make sure that when disabled people want to work, work really does pay /1

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