Latest news with #DepartmentforWorkandPensions'
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Disabled woman took her own life after benefits wrongly stopped, coroner finds
A disabled mother took her own life after her benefits were incorrectly stopped, a coroner has concluded. Jodey Whiting, 42, left notes to her family members, saying she had no food, could not afford her bills, and that she had "had enough", an inquest heard. The mother-of-nine had a hospital stay in December 2016, after contracting pneumonia, that meant she missed a letter about her benefits, saying she needed to be medically assessed. In January 2017, Ms Whiting was told she had missed the medical assessment and she was therefore judged to be fit to work. As well as losing her Employment and Support Allowance, she would also lose housing and council tax benefits. An initial inquest into her death in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, in 2017 did not consider the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) role in ending her benefits. Ms Whiting's mother Joy Dove fought a long legal battle for a second inquest, going all the way to the Court of Appeal. Ms Dove said when she saw her daughter two days before her death in February 2017, she was "shaking and crying" and threatened to kill herself. She told the hearing at Teesside Magistrates' Court the loss of benefits contributed to her daughter's death. "I know my daughter and I know it was (that)," she said. "It was the fact she couldn't find a job, the worry of paying bills, and being pushed out after being so vulnerable all those years and years." Wrongly withdrawn benefits 'was trigger' Ms Dove told the inquest that her daughter - who had six grandchildren - had a brain cyst, chronic pains, a drug dependency, and poor mental health. She added that Ms Whiting became increasingly housebound in the last years of her life. Read more from Sky News: On Monday, coroner Clare Bailey concluded that Ms Whiting's death was suicide "in the context of a deteriorating mental state, precipitated by the withdrawal of state benefits". The coroner added: "Her actions were in the context of her benefits having been wrongly withdrawn by the DWP in circumstances where there had been five missed opportunities to avoid the significant errors. "This had the effect of negatively impacting upon her mental health, and was the trigger to her taking a fatal overdose," the coroner added. 'It should not have taken an eight-year fight' After the hearing, Ms Dove said she "always believed that Jodey took her life due to failings by the DWP" and the coroner had "confirmed that mistakes made by the DWP in the way they handled Jodey's case caused her death". "It should not have taken an eight-year fight for justice to get where we are today," she said. "It has been an uphill battle trying to get answers and accountability, but I would never give up. "I was determined to keep fighting for justice for Jodey." An Independent Case Examiner report into the judgment to remove Ms Whiting's benefits discovered several mistakes were made, that her payments should not have been cut, and recommended the government compensate her family with £10,000. Helga Swidenbank - a DWP director for disability services - said: "I was not in post at the time, but those who I have spoken to are deeply regretful and sorry about what happened. "There were a number of opportunities to have picked up concerns about Jodey, and we are very sorry about that." She added that the DWP has "more work to do" in regard to focusing more on people's vulnerabilities. Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Scam warning over Household Support Fund
This article is from Sally Ash, IW Against Scams Partnership, and relates scam warnings connected to the Household Support Fund: The recent extension of the Department for Work and Pensions' Household Support Fund will indeed bring much-needed relief to vulnerable island households, but it also comes with the risk of scammers exploiting the situation. It's crucial for residents to be vigilant and verify the authenticity of any communication they receive regarding support. The Isle of Wight Council has been actively administering genuine support schemes through this fund. In recent months, they have assisted over 1,100 pensioner households with £75 towards utility costs and provided £25 supermarket vouchers to 290 households in financial crisis. If you have applied for utility or food support through the Isle of Wight Council or a partner organisation, you will receive a pre-paid card or voucher via email from noreply@ If you do not redeem the support, a reminder will be sent from support@ Personal details will never be requested via text or email, and bank details are not required for genuine support. For any doubts about the legitimacy of a message, you can contact the Partnerships and Support Services team at 823644 or via hsf@ A list of partner organisations involved in the scheme can be found on the Isle of Wight Council's webpage, Food vouchers and housing, HSF. You can also call the council's main contact centre on 821000 and ask for the team, if you are unsure. Stay safe and ensure you verify any communication to protect yourself from potential scams. Reporting a scam • For advice on scams call - Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline: 0808 250 5050 • To report a scam call - Action Fraud: 0300 123 2040 For more information on scams visit
Glasgow Times
03-05-2025
- General
- Glasgow Times
£6 million paid to help Glasgow residents with heating bills
Social Security Scotland paid a total of £6,227,000 to more than 87,340 people across the city to help with their heating bills in 2024/2025. Winter Heating Payment is paid automatically to those who receive certain low-income benefits, including households with young children, disabled people, or older people. Read more: Glasgow charity helping pupils from different faiths work together The payment replaced the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) Cold Weather Payment in Scotland. Winter Heating Payment is a guaranteed payment that everyone who is eligible receives, regardless of the weather. For 2024/2025, a total of 81,655 Winter Heating Payments, worth £4,797,000, were made. As well as 5,685 Child Winter Heating Payments, worth £1,430,000. The figures, taken from statistics released on April 29, show that 95 per cent of Winter Heating Payments were made by last December and 93 per cent of Child Winter Heating Payments were made by last October. Read more: Plan to dispose of Glasgow City Council building sparks fear over 'loss' Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: "We have issued over 505,100 payments to families on low incomes, and those supporting children or young people with a disability, to help with the cost of heating their homes. "Many people are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and higher energy bills. "The importance of these payments was brought home to everyone this month with the Energy Price Cap rising by 6.4 per cent. "Ofgem estimates that this will add £9.25 a month to the typical household's energy bill. "This year we will also be providing extra support to pensioners. "While the DWP's Winter Fuel Payment will only be available to some pensioners, Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will provide money to every pensioner household in the country. "The Scottish Government will continue to protect pensioners and people on low incomes in Scotland."
Daily Record
02-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Over 32,000 South Lanarkshire kids and families get slice of £2.4m for heating bills
Social Security Scotland helped them to enjoy warmer homes. Last winter over 32,140 children and families across South Lanarkshire enjoyed warmer homes after receiving a total of £2,445,500 towards their heating bills from Social Security Scotland. Winter Heating Payment is paid automatically to people who get certain low-income benefits, including households with young children, disabled people or older people. It has replaced the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) Cold Weather Payment in Scotland. It is a guaranteed payment that everyone who is eligible receives, no matter what the weather. Cold Weather Payment is only paid if the average temperature falls or is forecast to fall - to freezing or below for a full week. Child Winter Heating Payment was introduced by the Scottish Government in November 2020 and is only available in Scotland. It is paid once a year to children and young people if they are under 19 years old and get certain benefits. A total of 29,250 Winter Heating Payments, worth £1,718,500 were made for 2024/2025, along with 2890 Child Winter Heating Payments, worth £727,000. The figures, taken from statistics released on April 29, also show that 95 per cent of Winter Heating Payments were made by December 2024 and 93 per cent of Child Winter Heating Payments were made by October 2024. Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: 'We have issued over 505,100 payments to families on low incomes, and those supporting children or young people with a disability, to help with the cost of heating their homes. 'Many people are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and higher energy bills. The importance of these payments was brought home to everyone this month with the Energy Price Cap rising by 6.4 per cent. Ofgem estimates that this will add £9.25 a month to the typical household's energy bill. 'This year we will also be providing extra support to pensioners. While the DWP's Winter Fuel Payment will only be available to some pensioners, Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will provide money to every pensioner household in the country. The Scottish Government will continue to protect pensioners and people on low incomes in Scotland.' Winter Heating Payment is paid automatically to people who were getting any of these benefits during the qualifying week: Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance and Support for Mortgage Interest. Some restrictions apply for some of these benefits. For example, for those qualifying through Income Support may also have to have a child under five, a disability premium or a pensioner premium. Children and young people in Scotland can get Child Winter Heating Payment if they are under 19 years old and get one of the following qualifying benefits: Highest rate of the care component of Child Disability Payment, highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance for children, enhanced rate of the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment and enhanced rate of the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment. They must be getting this on at least one day in the week starting with the third Monday of September (called the 'qualifying week'). In 2024, this was Monday to Sunday, September 16 to 22. The qualifying week for Winter Heating Payment was Monday to Sunday, November 4 to 10. A universal Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will be introduced in winter 2025/2026 for all pensioner households in Scotland. This universal payment will provide much-needed support not available anywhere else in the UK and will support older people across Scotland. From winter 2025/26, pensioners in Scotland in receipt of a relevant qualifying benefit, such as Pension Credit, and who will receive payments of £200 or £300 this winter, depending on their age, will continue to receive those payments automatically.
Daily Record
01-05-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Nearly 40,000 North Lanarkshire children and families received £2.8m towards heating bills last winter
Social Security Scotland's Winter Heating Payment is paid automatically to people who get certain low-income benefits, including households with young children, disabled people or older people. Last winter more than 38,975 children and families across North Lanarkshire enjoyed warmer homes after receiving a total of £2,899,000 towards their heating bills from Social Security Scotland. Winter Heating Payment is paid automatically to people who get certain low-income benefits, including households with young children, disabled people or older people. It has replaced the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) Cold Weather Payment in Scotland. It is a guaranteed payment that everyone who is eligible receives, no matter what the weather. Cold Weather Payment is only paid if the average temperature falls - or is forecast to fall - to freezing or below for a full week. Child Winter Heating Payment was introduced by the Scottish Government in November 2020 and is only available in Scotland. It is paid once a year to children and young people if they are under 19 years old and get certain benefits. A total of 35,815 Winter Heating Payments, worth £2,104,000, were made for 2024/2025, along with 3160 Child Winter Heating Payments, worth £795,000. The figures also show that 95 per cent of Winter Heating Payments were made by December 2024 and 93 per cent of Child Winter Heating Payments were made by October last year. Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: 'We have issued over 505,100 payments to families on low incomes, and those supporting children or young people with a disability, to help with the cost of heating their homes. 'Many people are struggling with the cost of living crisis and higher energy bills. "The importance of these payments was brought home to everyone this month with the Energy Price Cap rising by 6.4 per cent. "Ofgem estimates that this will add £9.25 a month to the typical household's energy bill. 'This year we will also be providing extra support to pensioners. "While the DWP's Winter Fuel Payment will only be available to some pensioners, Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will provide money to every pensioner household in the country. "The Scottish Government will continue to protect pensioners and people on low incomes in Scotland.' *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
