Social Fund reform: debt, credit and low income households
This consultation sets out the package of reforms designed to create a scheme which:
- is active rather than passive
- makes it more straightforward for customers to get one-off or occasional financial support
- provides more support to frequent users of the Fund to help them tackle the underlying problems they face
- provides better value for money for the tax payer.
It aims to align the Social Fund with the Government agenda of financial inclusion and capability, to help support the most vulnerable towards greater financial independence.
This consultation seeks views from all who are interested. The consultation applies to England, Wales and Scotland.
Related documents
How to respond to this consultation
Start date: 15 March 2010
Closing date: 7 June 2010
Please ensure your response reaches us by that date.
We have listed the main questions we would like you to respond to at the end of the document. You are, however, free to respond to any part of the consultation document.
You can respond by post, email or online as follows.
Social Fund Reform Consultation Team
Department for Work and Pensions
Caxton House 1st Floor
Tothill Street
London
SW1H 9NA
Email social.fund@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
We will be trialling an online version of the consultation to make it easier for people to give us their views. This will be available shortly.
PDF version
The experiences of credit and debt for families on low incomes over a twelve month period.
Against the backdrop of the global 'credit crunch', with recession, increasing unemployment and rising household costs, this study focuses on types of debt, triggers for debt and how people coped, over a period from May 2008 to June 2009.
This study:
- addresses a lack of understanding of how people on low incomes manage credit and debt;
- provides new insights into how debt is defined and experienced over time by households on low incomes; and
- provides information for policy-makers, credit providers and advice services, to help them reduce the numbers of over-indebted people and to support those who experience financial crisis.
A freedom of information request was made to the DWP, and the DWP response entailed.
For ease, I have copied the link referred to here:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/local-authority-staff/social-fund-reform/localisation-data/index.shtml
| 2011/2012 | No of Applications | Total Exp | No of Awards | Award % | ||
| 1 | R L B Kingston upon Thames | 2,220 | 393,700 | 1,690 | 76.13% | |
| 2 | R L B Richmond | 1,960 | 384,900 | 1,480 | 75.51% | |
| 3 | L B Sutton | 3,590 | 673,400 | 2,680 | 74.65% | |
| 4 | L B Merton | 3,620 | 621,900 | 2,700 | 74.59% | |
| 5 | L B Havering | 5,710 | 1,072,200 | 4,240 | 74.26% | |
| 6 | L B Barnet | 7,140 | 1,332,400 | 5,300 | 74.23% | |
| 7 | L B Bromley | 6,660 | 1,281,400 | 4,900 | 73.57% | |
| 8 | L B Hillingdon | 6,740 | 1,140,800 | 4,950 | 73.44% | |
| 9 | L B Hounslow | 6,100 | 961,900 | 4,470 | 73.28% | |
| 10 | L B Camden | 5,980 | 1,180,900 | 4,370 | 73.08% | |
| 11 | L B Islington | 8,610 | 1,745,200 | 6,270 | 72.82% | |
| 12 | R L B Kensington & Chelsea | 3,200 | 593,900 | 2,320 | 72.50% | |
| 13 | L B Westminister | 5,600 | 1,078,700 | 4,060 | 72.50% | |
| 14 | L B Ealing | 7,800 | 1,393,400 | 5,640 | 72.31% | |
| 15 | L B Bexley | 5,580 | 934,400 | 4,030 | 72.22% | |
| 16 | L B Brent | 8,380 | 1,433,800 | 6,050 | 72.20% | |
| 17 | L B Enfield | 10,070 | 2,068,900 | 7,240 | 71.90% | |
| 18 | L B Wandsworth | 6,930 | 1,336,100 | 4,980 | 71.86% | |
| 19 | L B Hackney | 11,600 | 2,102,500 | 8,320 | 71.72% | |
| 20 | L B Hammersmith & Fulham | 5,680 | 928,200 | 4,060 | 71.48% | |
| 21 | L B Lambeth | 12,590 | 2,315,200 | 8,990 | 71.41% | |
| 22 | L B Croydon | 12,000 | 2,089,500 | 8,560 | 71.33% | |
| 23 | L B Harrow | 3,970 | 641,000 | 2,830 | 71.28% | |
| 24 | L B Barking & Dagenham | 9,920 | 1,796,600 | 7,070 | 71.27% | |
| 25 | L B Waltham Forest | 8,360 | 1,491,800 | 5,940 | 71.05% | |
| 26 | L B Haringey | 9,830 | 1,785,100 | 6,980 | 71.01% | |
| 27 | L B Tower Hamlets | 10,080 | 1,775,300 | 7,110 | 70.54% | |
| 28 | L B Southwark | 11,840 | 2,190,500 | 8,350 | 70.52% | |
| 29 | L B Lewisham | 13,160 | 2,260,500 | 9,280 | 70.52% | |
| 30 | L B Redbridge | 5,380 | 1,016,000 | 3,770 | 70.07% | |
| 31 | L B Greenwich | 10,590 | 1,857,700 | 7,370 | 69.59% | |
| 32 | L B Newham | 10,930 | 1,816,800 | 7,560 | 69.17% | |
| 33 | City of London | 60 | 17,500 | 40 | 66.67% | |
| 241,880 | 43,712,100 | 173,600 | 72.08% | (Average) | ||
| Inner London | 116,070 | 21,126,500 | 82,660 | 71.22% | ||
| Outer London | 125,740 | 22,585,500 | 90,900 | 72.29% | ||
| 241,810 | 43,712,000 | 173,560 | 71.78% | |||
| Error | -70 | -100 | -40 |
Social Fund Commissioner’s- Response to the Department for Work and Pensions’ Consultation Paper:
http://www.irs-review.org.uk/pdfdocs/GreenPaper2010i.pdf