'Vast Social Cleansing' Pushes Tens of Thousands of Families Out of London

Tens of thousands of poor families have left inner London in the past five years, creating “social cleansing on a vast scale” and leaving large parts of the capital as the preserve of the rich, figures suggest. The extent of the problem is revealed in data that shows the number of children entitled to free school meals, a widely used indicator of deprivation, has dropped by almost a third in some London boroughs since 2010. The figures portray a mass shift of poorer families from inner London just when the government has introduced a raft of changes to the welfare system. Read more on the Guardian website.

Universal Credit Could Limit Benefit Access

Future access to an array of passported benefits, such as free school meals, legal aid and a range of health measures is under threat from the introduction of Universal Credit, Labour has claimed.  Passported benefits are benefits that people can claim once they are claiming benefits or tax credits including income support, employment support allowance or child tax credits. However, these benefits are being abolished and merged into all-encompassing Universal Credit system. Iain Duncan Smith has said: "It is up to the departments now to decide how they want to do this. It may also be an opportunity for them to do this in a different way. Some have decided they want to do it in a different way, and they will be making that clear."  Labour claimed there was still no clear government strategy about how entitlement to these benefits will be decided and paid in future once Universal Credit is introduced.  Read more on the Guardian website.

Universal Credit Could Exclude 120,000 Families from Free School Meals

The Children's Society has warned the Government that its plans for Universal Credit won't do anything to help the 700,000 families not entitled to free school meals and could see a further 120,000 extra families worse off.  Under Universal Credit the charity said ministers were considering limiting free school meals to households with earnings below a certain level, thought to be around £7,500 a year.  The society said that this could see 120,000 families - 350,000 school-aged children - excluded if they worked longer or earned more.  Instead, it wants the Government to give free school meals to all children in families in receipt of Universal Credit which it estimates would cost about £500 million per year.  Read more on The Children’s Society website.