Sarah Hadfield

An inadequate Local Housing Allowance is widening health inequalities A roof over your head is a fundamental building block of good health. But for anyone who relies on the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) to…

@epemberton.bsky.social piece on Medium as part of his work with The Health Foundation explores how inadquate Local Housing Allowance is widening health inequalites. wearecitizensadvice.org.uk/an-inadequat...

#autumnbudget #chancellor #localhousing #healthyhomes

lnkd.in/e4iAtacq

A lack of support for housing costs means that the people we support have no option but to stay in unsuitable housing that is bad for their health.

There is 'an unequal health impact of the current system of housing cost support that fails to cover people's rent'. People should have a safe and secure home that is not bad for their health. #LHA #LocalHousingAllowance

@victoria-anns.bsky.social

The government must cancel plans to cut disability benefits for young people This blog has been co-written by Maddy Rose, Senior Policy Researcher, and Victoria Anns, Policy Researcher.

📢Young disabled people could face benefit cuts of more than £420 a month if government plans go ahead.

Young people deserve real support - not cuts that could push them into poverty.

New blog from me & @victoria-anns.bsky.social: medium.com/p/62015a6f0b12

The Government must ensure those on the lowest incomes are not left behind. Let the Local Housing Allowance work as it was designed: uprate it to the cheapest 30% of private rents. Read the full brief here: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publi...

Housing support should not put people and their families at risk of homelessness or keep people homeless, it should not result in people going without food.

This isn’t just about numbers: our front line advisors help people like Darren, who shouldn’t be facing homelessness; or Hassan, who was going without food to meet spiraling rent costs, or Chris, who is kept homeless.

We are calling on the #Chancellor to end the freeze on LHA and re-link it to the lowest 30% of private rents. Right now, freezes to LHA causes the gap between housing support and soaring private rents to widen. This leads directly to shortfalls for low-income renters, resulting in hardship.

📰New @citizensadvice.bsky.social briefing ahead of the #Autumnbudget: The Government if failing private renters by freezing #LocalHousingAllowance #LHA.

Text reads, 'More than 10% of private renters are in a negative budget'.

As the #AutumnBudget approaches, we're calling on the Chancellor to unfreeze Local Housing Allowance (LHA) to support people on low incomes as private rents continue to soar.

Read more in our blog ⤵️
https://t.co/xTGMQRoFsk https://t.co/ijj5LHQyVC

happy birthday, I think we first met (you might not remember), when I was 25! I can't believe how long ago that was!

Another fantastic piece of research and report by Dr Kate Harrison building on her work on supporting disabled people into work - she outlines practical solutions raised in the Pathways to Work Green paper.

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

Is follow friday still a thing? Any OGs out there who remember #followfriday! Shoutout to @hthrt28.bsky.social for all things Employment Law/Future of Work and AI/Flexible working.

We must ask ourselves how this changes the social contract been us and the state and what this says about us as a society: are we no longer prepared to support or help those with severe, life long conditions or ill health? #welfarereform #universalcreditbill #socialpolicy

Govs claim that Universal Credit Bill will incentivise people to work is ‘wishful thinking’ - @victoria-anns.bsky.social outlines how the bill will create a two-tiered system of support. It won’t help disabled people into work/ people with severe, life-long conditions may miss out on protections.

Thanks Jagna :)

We set out policy options for the UC review to consider, so there can be a better fit between employment and UC: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publi...

The unintended consequences of UC’s monthly model is that it leaves our clients feeling confused and distressed, and causes income fluctuation rather than stability. UC doesn’t need to be this way.

As a result of the UC monthly assessment including an extra pay packet, claimants income looks higher, and they can become ineligible for other sources of financial assistance.

The monthly assessment model is at odds with how many people are paid, resulting in unnecessary and sometimes extreme UC income variations:

As it currently stands UC’s design creates ongoing challenges for working households whose wages don’t follow stable and/or monthly patterns creating unnecessary UC income fluctuations.

New @citizensadvice.bsky.social briefing published with @julia-rt.bsky.social‬ on how Universal Credit can adapt to promote income stability for working households. We set out policy options for the UC review to consider to reflect the reality of low paid employment.

On my list!

The narrative around Universal Credit has long centred around work incentives.

This new briefing examines how effective UC is at encouraging employment – and how that focus may have overshadowed the deeper complexities of getting into work. 🧵

🔗 www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publi...

Essential therefore to recognise that the #employmentrightsbill will impact on workers differently. We must ask who is the #employmentrightsbill is for...how will it really impact on those who are in employment with low employment rights.

Congrats! REALLY well deserved! 👏

@oucsgd.bsky.social

Blog: Will “banning” zero-hours contracts impact on those who are in them? - Social Policy Association Dr Sarah Hadfield, Visting Fellow at The School of Social Policy and Criminology, The Open University. — Labour has consistently claimed that it is banning [...]

📣New blog: 'Will “banning” zero-hours contracts impact on those who are in them?'

By Dr Sarah Hadfield (@drsarahhadfield.bsky.social), it draws on research of childfree young women’s experiences of employment insecurity and financial autonomy.

social-policy.org.uk/news/blog-wi...