The Welfare Reform and Work Bill will have its second reading this evening. One of the major components of the bill is a provision to lower the benefit cap.
The benefit cap restricts the amount of benefits that families who aren’t working can claim. Currently, a family not eligible for Working Tax Credits can claim a maximum of £26,000 a year in benefits. The bill will slash this total to just £20,000 for families outside of London and to £23,000 … Read more
With all of the massive changes to welfare and benefits in the emergency budget, the changes to Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) were largely lost amongst other louder headlines. But despite going relatively overlooked, the Council of Mortgage Lenders described them as the most significant changes for mortgages in the budget. And they will mark a significant shift in the way the benefit is provided, which may have wider ramifications.
The changes set to hit SMI are twofold:
It’s… Read moreThis afternoon, MPs will be debating the Welfare Reform & Work Bill in the House of Commons. Despite this being “2nd Reading”, it is the first official opportunity for politicians to welcome the bits they like and raise concerns about the ones they don’t.
Meanwhile, ministers will be present in the Commons to listen to all of the concerns raised – from their own MPs, the Opposition and the smaller parties. And, crucially, having listened closely to the debate, the … Read more