Consultation on Welfare Provision Closes 21st November [1]
Parts of the Department for Work and Pensions’ discretionary Social Fund, introduced in 1987, were abolished by the Welfare Reform Act 2012. This paved the way for the delivery of new local welfare provision by local authorities, replacing Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans. In Manchester this amounts to 2.7M per annum.
The DWP decided that this funding would cease from May 2014 however this decision was challenged in a judicial review (supported by CPAG) which resulted in a ruling that the DWP had to carry out a consultation process.