Every council in Scotland would have to offer parents a free reusable nappy scheme under plans being tabled by a Labour MSP.
25.04.2024 - 16:03 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) came under fire this morning (April 25), when a former government adviser went on BBC Breakfast to criticise the way the benefits body treats vulnerable people.
Former dementia adviser Johnny Timpson OBE said he resigned from his position yesterday, while citing the case of a 92-year-old dementia sufferer hounded, who he said had been asked to pay back £7,000 in benefits.
Speaking to the BBC, he said: "We need to up our scrutiny of the DWP to make sure that they are acting better on behalf of taxpayers."
READ MORE: Martin Lewis has seven tips for 365,000 workers who are being 'short-changed'
The DWP chases thousands of people for benefits that they overpaid each year, but there has been a rise in older and more vulnerable people being chased for eye-watering sums of up to £20,000. This is because many of those with caring responsibilities, who give up a large part of their week to look after someone else for free, are mistakenly falling foul of the Carer's Allowance threshold.
To claim the Carer's Allowance, you must be earning less than £151 per week, but many people who might earn irregular income or simply forget about the threshold, have found themselves the target of a DWP investigation. This is because, for every week that a carer earns over £151, they are meant to repay their allowance in full. It is up to the claimant to manage their payments, despite the DWP having systems to detect overpayments.
If the Carer's Allowance claimant does not spot the overpayment, they can rack up thousands in debt without realising it. Then they receive demands for payment through the door.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Timpson said: “It’s time for the DWP to review its vulnerable
Every council in Scotland would have to offer parents a free reusable nappy scheme under plans being tabled by a Labour MSP.
Jar Jar Binks. Invoke the name to any hardcore Star Wars fan and then step back to see the explosion. No one is neutral.
Teeth whitening at home has become increasingly popular in recent years as shoppers are now able to get their hands on a wide range of high street products that give them that same confidence boost as the dentist but without the same price tag attached. And if your go-to product is about to run out, you're looking to try something new or perhaps you're just on the hunt for something small enough to take on holiday this summer- you're going to want to hear about this.
Why ruin a good thing? That was the question facing Hugh Jackman when asked to be a part of the third Deadpool movie after achieving a satisfying farewell in 2017’s Logan.
John Patton Ford‘s feature debut “Emily The Criminal” won over critics in 2022 thanks to a riveting lead performance by Aubrey Plaza. But Deadline reports that Plaza won’t star in Ford’s upcoming series adaptation of the film, although she’ll still be involved as an executive producer. READ MORE: Margaret Qualley, Glen Powell & Ed Harris Join A24’s ‘Huntington’ From Director John Patton Ford Legendary Television will develop the series with Ford directing its entirety.
Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway admitted it was time for her to "shut up" when the show was interrupted by a piece of breaking news this morning. She and co-presenter Richard Madeley returned to screen this morning with another round-up of news events.
ITV's Good Morning Britain has sparked intrigue after 'snubbing' Ben Shephard in a social media post marking the show's 10th anniversary, following his departure from GMB.
Hold up! Did Tom Sandoval just take some accountability for his actions for once?
It was a milestone moment for Good Morning Britain this week as the ITV show marked ten years on screen, commemorating the moment with a post to the show's official Instagram.The post looked through the show's presenters over the years, but appeared to snub Ben Shephard, who was a regular on GMB since it's 2014 launch, before taking to This Morning earlier this year.The account wrote: "10 years have flown by! Let's look back at some of our presenters through the years.” A carousel of pictures then showed presenters such as Susanna Reid, Kate Garraway, Charlotte Hawkins, Richard Madeley and Ranvir Singh, money expert Martin Lewis, weather forecaster Laura Tobin, Richard Arnold and Adil Ray. Many spotted that Ben was missing from the post, along with Piers Morgan.
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Francis Ford Coppola revealed in a preview of “Megalopolis” in Vanity Fair that he rewrote the script around 300 times before self-financing the passion project for $120 million by selling part of his winery estate in Northern California. The epic is set to world premiere in competition at the Cannes FIlm Festival in May. A first look photo from “Megalopolis” has debuted featuring Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel in their leading roles.
People living with disability and long-term sickness could lose out on more than £5,600 per year of government financial assistance, under proposals laid out following a fortnight of attacks on Personal Independence Payments (PIP). Disability rights advocates have criticised the plan, calling the government "obsessed with austerity, sanctions and conditionality".
Disability rights advocates and welfare campaigners have reacted with horror to "divisive" government plans that could see Personal Independence Payments (PIP) stopped for more than three million people who need extra help in their day-to-day lives.
EXCLUSIVE: Dreamscape Productions’ creature feature comedy Round the Decay has finalized its cast – with The NeverEnding Story actress Melody Kay returning to film and Breaking Bad actor Phil Duran tapped for a key role.
Martin Lewis has issued a stark warning about a "dangerous" bank change that could see customers paying significantly more.
Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has issued a warning for those considering subbing out their traditional ovens for air fryers, especially after the nation's frenzy over the kitchen gadgets that have taken over households in recent years. Seen as a potential cheaper alternative to regular ovens, there has even been talk of some people planning to cook full roasts in in these chic compact cookers.
Kelly Osbourne is addressing all of the rumors about her weight loss.
Homeland star David Harewood has said he is worried about the creep of identity politics in acting and argued that white performers should be able to “black up.”
EXCLUSIVE: Conrad Ricamora, the actor, singer and writer known for turns in Searchlight/Hulu’s Fire Island and ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder, has signed with Paradigm for representation.
Paying off the mortgage is the goal of every homeowner and after the past few years of interest rate hell, that goal has started to seem more and more distant for many. But there is one "rule of thumb" popularised by finance guru Martin Lewis that has led to some knocking thousands of pounds off their mortgage.
2023 historical drama “Napoleon.”“It’s terrible,” the “Succession” star, 77, said at London’s HistFest earlier this week. “A truly terrible performance by Joaquin Phoenix.” The English actor continued: “It really is appalling. I don’t know what he was thinking.