£67m of the £136m allocated to local welfare schemes across England remain unspent, despite a record number of families in need failing to receive help… According to an analysis by the Guardian, figures released under the Freedom of Information Act paint a bleak view of the scheme designed to assist poorer families struggling in England. […]

Independent research into the impact of the spare rooms’ subsidy has been ordered by the Government, Nick Clegg has announced. Mr Clegg said the study was needed to find out whether tenants could opt to take a smaller house or flat to avoid a deduction in their benefits. “I have seen lots of widely different […]

One in four children in residential care in England is in a children’s home rated “adequate” or “inadequate”, according to a BBC Panorama investigation. Its investigation asked all 134 councils with children’s services in England about standards in the homes in which they placed children. Of the 87 councils that responded, the programme established that […]