£1500 lump sum for those on legacy benefits being decided by the House of Lords

The Social Security (Up-rating of Benefits) Bill completes passage through the House of Lords:

https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2021/october-2021/lords-debates-social-security-uprating-of-benefits-bill/

If passed in the House of Lords, this means that those on legacy benefits (JSA etc) will get a £1500 lumpsum backpay for them not getting the £80 a month those on UC got during the pandemic.

I'm on JSA, but won't benefit from this as I will soon be stopping claiming JSA for a few months, as I have been on it just over 24 months and could at any time be put on the Work and Health Programme. And even £1500 is not inducement enough for me to live under that constant threat.

It might be an idea to keep your claim going for a while longer and then stop only if you get referred to the W&H programme.

Has anyone mentioned whether all legacy claimants will get the payback (if it passes) regardless of whether they continue to claim or have stopped (for whatever reason)? That needs clarity.

It would be unfair if those who stopped claiming, now missed out on what they should have had just because they stopped claiming. I would say that looks like a perverse incentive.

I was tempted to hang on a bit longer as you suggest but my roach is terrible and is always trying to pressure me into non-WHP activities. Like taking part in online courses that teach you interview technique for jobs such as at Tesco. I manage to avoid going on these, but it is a hassle to always have to think of escape plans.

If I did hang on and only left if I was referred to the WHP, would that mean that if I stopped claiming benefits for a few months and went back on them, would I still have to continue the WHP referral process? Or would that only be the case if I signed something?

As far as I can tell, the £1500 is only for those currently on legacy benefits and those who were on them during the pandemic.

I can’t really answer the question about whether the WHP would continue if you went back after a few months. Perhaps someone else has information about linking rules.

I remember something like this was covered on another forum Caker and think there was a way of leaving the WP, and a cut off date was set so the whole process began again. I think dwp etc got wise to the loophole.

Whether what mention is still the case not sure.

'' WP is designed to help you if you’ve been out of work and claiming unemployment benefits.''

Of course it is so, buy more lotto tickets and your bound to win the lotto:evil: .


The Programme will help you improve your employment outcomes by enabling you to develop the skills you need to get into work.



In red, to deliver upon that little dream they'd need thousands of roaches all with specific skills all qualified within many sectors of the economy, like, actually worked within them sectors of which my experience has been none had not.

Its political idealism dressed up as help imho .

Jobberpw wrote:The Programme will help you improve your employment outcomes by enabling you to develop the skills you need to get into work.

They make it sound like the equivalent of enrolling claimants at a university / college / other vocational training provider.

I think we have gone off topic and strayed into a different (but equally interesting) topic.