The COVID-19 pandemic is having an increasing impact on local authority benefit services as increasing numbers become unemployed or reduced hours for many of those remaining in work. Benefit services are therefore at the forefront of provision of support as the numbers of benefit claims increase and pressure builds on support services provided by local authorities.
Further measures have been announced by the government for the protection of income and the delivery and funding of income related benefits. These will have an impact on the numbers and assessment of benefits claims and the demand for advice and support to benefit claimants.
These CBRS benefits events were delivered in two separate half-day webinars during the first week in December, to provide details of the latest announcements, recommendations for additional changes and their impact on local authority benefit services.
The first webinar consisted of two sessions, providing the latest news on the responses to the pandemic and measures affecting jobs and universal credit introduced as a response to the increase in the prevalence of the coronavirus.
The second webinar provided an update on the impact to and response of local authority benefit services to the COVID-19 pandemic and provides an update on a range of issues relevant to the assessment of housing benefit claims and council tax support schemes.