News Archives - Grampian Advice Forum

Carers Allowance overpayment reassessment exercise

The reassessment exercise covers cases from April 2015 to September 2025 in which earnings-related Carer’s Allowance overpayments arose due to guidance that did not accurately reflect the statutory position on averaging irregularly fluctuating earnings. The DWP will now review over 200,000 cases. Around 25,000 carers could see their debts reduced, cancelled entirely, or receive refunds […]

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NRNE Lived Experience Group

Local, News / Stuart Reid

I am reaching out to ask for your support in sharing and helping us recruit new members for the NRNE Lived Experience Group. This group is a key part of the NRNE Partnership and brings together people with lived experience of No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) to connect, share experiences, and help shape how

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Universal Credit: LCWRA Changes from April 2026

Guidance, News / Stuart Reid

From 6 April 2026, major changes apply to the Limited Capability for Work and Work‑Related Activity (LCWRA) element of Universal Credit, following the Universal Credit Act 2025 and the UC and ESA (Rates of Allowances) (Amendment) Regulations 2026. DWP guidance is set out in ADM Memo 04/26. Two LCWRA rates now apply LCWRA is no

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DWP Service Improvements: What Advisers Need to Know

News, Reports / Stuart Reid

✅ What advisers should know – claimant impact (DWP Follow‑up) Sixtieth Report of Session 2024-26 Response to Select Committee report on service performance Why this matters for claimants Bottom line:Improvements are promised, but advisers should expect continued variability in service quality and remain prepared to challenge decisions, escalate complaints, and support vulnerable clients assertively. Government

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State Pension age change

Guidance, News / Stuart Reid

State Pension age change: what advisers need to know (from April 2026) From 6 April 2026, the UK State Pension age (SPA) is rising from 66 to 67. This is a planned and legislated change, but it is now live and beginning to affect clients approaching retirement. What is changing? Who is affected? A client

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New rules to support people arriving in Scotland

News, Scottish Government / Stuart Reid

New help for people fleeing a crisis Social Security Scotland has introduced new, long-term rules to help people who come to Scotland because of a crisis in another country. These rules make it easier and quicker for people to get the support they need when they arrive. They replace the need for special emergency laws each

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DWP guidance on the removal of the two-child limit

Guidance, News / Stuart Reid

This ADM memo provides guidance on the Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Act 2026, which comes into force on 6 April 2026. It explains how the change affects entitlement to the Universal Credit child element (CE) and how decision makers should apply the new rules. Since 6 April 2017, Universal Credit has generally

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Pushed into the wrong job?

News, Reports / Stuart Reid

Assessing the link between conditionality and poor quality employment By Max Mosley, Tom Stephens 10 February 2026 Successive central governments have designed benefit programmes with high levels of conditionality. The programmes have required claimants to actively look for work, in order to keep accessing social security. While some level of conditionality is not unusual compared to other

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What’s Going On With DWP’s New Bank‑Account Check Powers?

News, Universal Credit / Stuart Reid

The UK Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has raised concerns about new powers the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) now has. These powers relate to checking people’s bank accounts to help tackle benefit fraud and errors. Here’s what clients need to know. 1. What Powers Does DWP Now Have? Since December, the DWP can:

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NRNE’s Multimedia Bulletin

Local, News / Stuart Reid

Building on our January 2026 bulletin, we are happy to share our latest multimedia bulletin. We encourage everyone to use this list as inspiration and work through a few of the pieces in the next few weeks. If you have any suggestions, need clarification, or are having trouble accessing any of the materials, please do not

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