Policy makers must stop viewing pensioners as a single group and make better use of public services to overcome inequalities between older people, a leading lobby group has said.
Andrew Harrop, head...
By Tash Shifrin
Firms bidding for contracts under a £2bn welfare-to-work programme have warned that an incoming Conservative government must maintain ‘sufficient’ upfront payments in the deals.
The...
The National Audit Office has issued a health warning about the Department for Work and Pensions’ accounts, citing fraud and error that has cost the taxpayer an estimated £2.7bn.
Thousands of homes are likely to be pushed into fuel poverty by rising unemployment and energy prices, according to the government’s Fuel Poverty Advisory Group.
The rising price of fuel has increased the cost to councils of providing services by £239m over the past two years, according to the Local Government Association. Its study predicts that the cost of...
The architect of the welfare to work programme has said that the government’s Flexible New Deal needs some serious rethinking in the light of the recession.
People nearing the end of their life should be allotted a single health or social care professional to ensure they receive co-ordinated and appropriate care, MPs have said
Welfare -to-work experts, including the biggest potential private supplier of services, are concerned that some providers might underperform to the point where they need bailing out by government
The work and pensions select committee joined the chorus of concern about the government’s flagship Flexible New Deal programme as unemployment figures continue to grow
Third sector organisations planning to bid for public sector contracts have been warned to prepare to tighten their belts as the recession affects public spending.
Plans to announce the preferred bidders for the Flexible New Deal contracts have been put on hold while the government and potential contractors renegotiate terms, it has emerged
The government’s ambitious plans to help people with mental health problems find and keep jobs must be supported by a ‘skilled rehabilitation workforce’, experts have said
The government’s work-focused anti-poverty drive could be derailed by rising unemployment as the economy worsens, a group of social policy experts have warned
A drastic overhaul of the welfare state to increase the conditions attached to benefits and personalise services must avoid harsh sanctions and include safeguards for vulnerable people, experts and...