Proposed changes to Universal Credit and PIP for under-25s in the UK, Digi Mart USA News (United Kingdom): Young people under 25 could receive fewer Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) benefits if the government carries out new proposals, according to the Manchester Evening News.
The reported move could bar young people from claiming both of the two most widely received benefits in the UK. According to The Times, adults under 25 would be banned from claiming Universal Credit and PIP under the plan, and would instead receive a new youth allowance paid at the standard rate of Universal Credit.
A review on young people and work, being prepared by former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn, is due to be published in a few weeks. The review was initially commissioned by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and focuses on youth unemployment.
Mr Milburn is expected to make recommendations to the government in it.
Planning to set out his “big rewriting of the welfare system” next week, Mr Milburn warned that changes to the treatment of young people Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEETs) will not be “pain-free”. He said: “I’m not saying that any of this will be easy or that it will be pain-free because it won’t.
You know, candidly, it could mean that some people will get less financial support at the beginning of their benefit claim than under the current system.”
Mr Milburn also said employment support is set to receive more funding. He added: “The menu of opportunities has got to increase.
They’ll have a personal adviser, they’ll be coached all the way through. The adviser will stick with them until they have found a job or an apprenticeship or college place.”
The report notes that the government of Andy Burnham is ramping up efforts to bring major welfare reforms in 2027. The Manchester Evening News has invited readers to share their views in a poll.
