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Morning Briefing: Universal Credit fraud victims will still be charged
Victims of a Universal Credit scam may still have to repay the money that fraudsters claimed on their behalf, the government has said.
In the news
The BBC continues its coverage of its investigation of Universal Credit fraud that found tens of millions of pounds are believed to have been stolen, reporting that the Department for Work and Pensions insists victims will have to repay some of the money that was stolen by criminals posing as them.
The Guardian says the department is also set to review the benefits system for terminally ill claimants, with work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd announcing a “fresh and honest evaluation”. The paper calls it “a challenge to the next prime minister to listen to demands for reform”.
Independent MPs Heidi Allen and Frank Field have added to those long-standing demands this morning with the results of their enquiry into the failure of the welfare state, The Guardian further reports.
Ms Allen and Mr Field have attacked Universal Credit, disability benefit assessments and cuts to local services, saying these have fuelled extreme poverty.
The consumer magazine Which? has continued its campaign against dangerous products, with the BBC reporting on its call to remove plastic-backed fridges and freezers from sale.
Standards for the testing of fridges have changed, meaning plastic-backed appliances are less likely to be manufactured. However, many of these products are still on sale.
The Guardian adds to this with a story on tumble dryers, with manufacturer Whirlpool issuing a UK recall of 800,000 units that could be faulty.
The company, which provided the fridge that likely started the Grenfell Tower fire, is concerned that machines without crucial modifications could catch fire.
In more fire safety news, concerns over high-pressure laminate cladding (HPL) are set to continue, as the BBC reports that Oxford City Council has decided to remove and replace HPL cladding on one of its tower blocks.
Results from the government’s large-scale test of HPL are long overdue and as Inside Housing reported last month, many social landlords are waiting for the results of this test before making any decisions about the material.
Meanwhile, Reuters has a story on the UK housing market, which is showing some signs of recovery, according to a survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
RICS’ house price measure – the difference between members reporting price rises and falls – was at –1, the strongest reading since last August.
But financial investor website Morningstar features a Press Association report on analysis by Oxford Economics that found that the UK is vulnerable to a global housing slump.
The analysis suggests the UK’s relatively high property valuations and strong recent housing investment make it one of the countries most vulnerable in that eventuality.
On social media
Mother and child living in slum housing, Britain in 1968 by Nick Hedges. He produced a thousand photos of poor housing conditions for Shelter between 1968 and 1971. It is an incredibly important body of work often ignored by the photographic establishment. pic.twitter.com/PfsnJUUUQi
— Davenant (@SirWilliamD)Mother and child living in slum housing, Britain in 1968 by Nick Hedges. He produced a thousand photos of poor housing conditions for Shelter between 1968 and 1971. It is an incredibly important body of work often ignored by the photographic establishment. pic.twitter.com/PfsnJUUUQi
— Davenant (@SirWilliamD) July 11, 2019
What’s on
The annual Tpas conference enters its second day today in Warwickshire, with speakers and workshops on tenant engagement.
