• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

Flurry of worry over benefit changes

March 19, 2025
in Politics
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
0
Flurry of worry over benefit changes
6
SHARES
14
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Arguments about benefits always revolve around a single concept: fairness.

There are timeless questions – who is deserving and who is not?

It provokes sharp opinions and so is among the sharpest of domestic political decisions a government ever has to make.

There is a direct if not immediate consequence of a decision taken in Westminster on the money in the pockets of millions of people, including many who have little or – perhaps and – are attempting to deal with physical or mental health issues.

I’m told that in the last week or so the Department of Work and Pensions has been deluged with the worried – benefits recipients and their families concerned that they may be impacted, without yet knowing the specifics of what the government planned.

It poses a question for the government and journalists alike.

How responsible is it for titbits of ministers’ plans to dribble out over more than a week, without the full picture being clear, given the concentration of concern it was bound to provoke among those who feel reliant on the welfare they receive?

The government wants to set out its argument over several days and journalists want to find out what they are actually planning.

But the net consequence is a flurry of worry, some of it perhaps justified, some of it not.

Even now, after the announcement, the complexity of people’s lives confronts a complex benefits system, now changing again.

It could be some time before people know how they may be affected and even longer before they actually are.

Advocates of the government’s plans argue that it is entirely in keeping with Labour’s traditions.

They point back to the beginnings of the trades union movement and contributory benefits schemes, where people broadly got back what they paid in.

They argue that the creeping normalisation of worklessness for some, including for many they believe could work and would benefit from working, is what they are seeking to take on here.

They hope that by insisting they will protect those with the most severe health conditions, who are deemed never able to work, they can persuade more of the merits and practicalities of nudging others back to work.

It is an argument they know they need to make, because others in the Labour movement feel this is deeply antithetical to everything they stand for.

A few other things are worth pointing out.

One of the key reasons that there is still a lot we don’t know about the government’s plans is that the assessment of the impact hasn’t yet been published.

How many people are projected to receive fewer benefits? Who are they? Where are they? What are their circumstances?

Ministers insist they have to wait until the chancellor’s Spring Statement in a week’s time to address this because the independent Office for Budget Responsibility puts out its numbers then, and all of this is caught up in that.

But this adds to the sense of uncertainty.

What is becoming clear is hundreds of thousands of people will be affected by these changes, and the biggest component of changes for the taxpayer will come from changing the eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment.

And one other thing is worth a mention: none of this will actually cut the benefits bill – it will continue to rise, albeit not quite as quickly as it would otherwise have done.

Which poses yet another question: is the benefits system sustainable after these changes, or could this government or a future one conclude further cuts are necessary?



Source link

Previous Post

Malaysia’s plan to clamp down on buses, lorries using right lane on highways sees mixed reactions

Next Post

Man detained after reportedly biting and striking other passengers on flight bound for LAX

Related Posts

New audio reveals Biden memory lapses after attacking Hur report findings

New audio reveals Biden memory lapses after attacking Hur report findings

May 17, 2025
5

Trump sets up Monday call with Putin

May 17, 2025
11
Next Post
Man detained after reportedly biting and striking other passengers on flight bound for LAX

Man detained after reportedly biting and striking other passengers on flight bound for LAX

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
How a one-teen prom on Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula brought a community together

How a one-teen prom on Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula brought a community together

May 17, 2025
ADAFSA closes Zaiqa Grill N Restaurant in Abu Dhabi

ADAFSA closes Zaiqa Grill N Restaurant in Abu Dhabi

May 17, 2025
Databricks

Colton Herta on wreck at Indy 500 qualifiers: ‘Terrible day for this to happen’ | INDYCAR on FOX

May 17, 2025
General Motors' Hummer EV truck.

Great News for General Motors Investors todayheadline

May 17, 2025

Recent News

How a one-teen prom on Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula brought a community together

How a one-teen prom on Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula brought a community together

May 17, 2025
6
ADAFSA closes Zaiqa Grill N Restaurant in Abu Dhabi

ADAFSA closes Zaiqa Grill N Restaurant in Abu Dhabi

May 17, 2025
5
Databricks

Colton Herta on wreck at Indy 500 qualifiers: ‘Terrible day for this to happen’ | INDYCAR on FOX

May 17, 2025
4
General Motors' Hummer EV truck.

Great News for General Motors Investors todayheadline

May 17, 2025
4

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

How a one-teen prom on Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula brought a community together

How a one-teen prom on Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula brought a community together

May 17, 2025
ADAFSA closes Zaiqa Grill N Restaurant in Abu Dhabi

ADAFSA closes Zaiqa Grill N Restaurant in Abu Dhabi

May 17, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co