Emily Williams and Dee Lynch explore the duty on the DWP under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled claimants. Reasonable adjustments are not part of social security law and cannot be considered by benefit tribunals. CPAG does not give legal advice about disputes under the Equality Act – this article aims to provide information and practical tips in a benefit context, which may assist when advising disabled claimants.
Simon Osborne describes the arrangements for the making of additional payments to benefit and tax-credit claimants to help with steep rises in the cost of living.
This case concerned entitlement to widowed parent’s allowance (WPA) where the appellant and her partner had undergone a religious ceremony some years prior to his death and considered themselves to be, and held themselves out as being, legally married but were not in fact married under English law. The First-tier Tribunal found that the appellant had no entitlement to WPA as she did not meet the marriage requirement, and permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal was refused, first by the FtT and then, on renewal, by the UT itself. Following a successful Cart style judicial review of the decision not to allow permission to appeal, the case was remitted to the UT for a decision on the WPA entitlement. The case was heard in the UT before a three judge panel on 13/02/20 and, on 26/05/20, the UT dismissed the appeal.
Fuel prices are rising steeply. Rules allowing deductions from benefit for fuel costs have now been amended, with the official intention of providing some protection for claimants, albeit only on a temporary basis. Simon Osborne looks at the change and what the rules allow.
