As part of his mini-budget on Friday, Kwasi Kwarteng will say claimants working up to 15 hours a week on the National Living Wage will have to take “active steps” to increase their earnings or face a reduction to their Universal Credit payments. This would include regularly meeting with a work coach, applying for jobs, attending interviews or increasing their hours.
The move will affect around 120,000 claimants and is described as a “gradual expansion” from the current 12-hour threshold to bring more people into the “Intensive Work Search Regime”.
UC claimants aged over 50 will also get targeted sessions from work coaches to help with the “rising economic inactivity” in the age group, which the Treasury said was “driving up inflation and limiting growth”.
What … The “over 50’s” are being blamed for “driving up inflation and limiting growth” …
Mr Kwarteng described his plan, due to come into force in January 2023, as a “win-win”, saying: “It boosts incomes for families and helps businesses get the domestic workers they need, all while supporting economic growth.”
Really …
The government also believes it will help fill the 1.2 million vacancies across the UK and claim the extra support for the over-50s could boost GDP by up to one percentage point.
“the over-50s could boost GDP” - so we are good for something …
Certain groups will also remain exempt from the sanctions, including people who are unable to work due to long-term sickness or a disability.
I’m surprised that KK is letting them off scot-free …
Shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth attacked the plan, tweeting: "So Tory ministers think the reason we have over a million vacancies is because the low paid aren’t working hard enough and need to be threatened with sanctions, but bankers needs bumper bonuses?
Well l am 87yrs old, l don’t get any 'benefits ’ whatever,(unless OAP is
classed as a benefit!)?
I would like to become an investment banker ?
Will Liz Trusts scheme to get oldies back into work help me ??
I am desperate for work !!
There’s a woman across the road who works two jobs, looks after her kids, looks after her mum who lives in town…where is she supposed to find the time to actually squeeze in another few hours work in order to avoid sanctions? Its disgusting to have some fat cat swanning around making inane remarks, of which he actually has no knowledge. Ar$£!
@realspeed , That is true , but apparently the cost of benefit fraud is
far outweighed by the money lost by tax dodging !!!
Nobody has answered my question yet!
How can l enrol for Lizzie’s scheme ??
I don’t really understand this, but I do know employers who complain because their workers won’t do more hours because it will effect their tax credits, so can only assume it’s to try and overcome this. Neither my son or daughter get child tax credits because they work over the hours. My daughter has to do extra hours to cover people when they are off sick, but the ones who claim child tax credit refuse to cover sickness.
Well it would help if employers didn’t offer reduced hours in the first place, to get round whatever loophole they feel is necessary. Why take on people for 9 hours shifts, or 14 hours shifts? Why not just offer a proper post, with decent hours and a decent wage.
I think it was when Labour brought the tax credits in. They could pay lower wages and the tax payers would bump up their wages. But that has been on the decline since the Tories have been upping the minimum wage.
And I agree with what the Tories are now doing, allowing companies to pay less tax so they can raise the wages of their workers, and that means that the workers are paying more tax.
The only loopholes I would know about it to avoid holiday payments, sickness payments, etc. if you don’t work enough hours to qualify, then the employers don’t have to cough up. But if you work more hours then it comes under T&C.
The “over 50’s” are being blamed for “driving up inflation and limiting growth” … 
