Employment white paper, Pension Credit take up, London Revenue Group, MALG and more

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1. Our thoughts on the Get Britain Working white paper

Ahead of its release we published a blog outlining the policy shifts we think will slow the rise in the number of people off work due to ill health. It was great to see a lot of our asks listed in the paper. Deven spoke to Sky News, LBC and The Times about why so many working age people are ill and how punitive sanctions only drive people further away from work.

2. Policy in Practice speaks to London Revenues Group about maximising resident's income while supporting council revenue collections

A key focus of the LRG discussion was how software platforms connect bridge data driven income maximisation with effective debt management. We explored the cost of living pressures faced by Londoners and their councils, unclaimed support that could boost people’s incomes and benefit take up campaigns running in the capital.

3. Building financial resilience: Policy in Practice at MALG conference

We were delighted to host a panel discussion at the MALG annual conference in Leeds about closing the inequality gap and how to help people improve their financial resilience. Together with Ren Yi Hooi, Lightning Reach, and Audrey Laing, Moneymatters, we explored how data can close benefit gaps, increase take up of support and effectively address vulnerability.

4. We reached over 17,000 pension aged households ahead of Winter Fuel Payment changes

In our ongoing campaign with the GLA and Age UK London, funded by the Mayor of London, we have now contacted over 17,000 older people across 26 London boroughs, to let them know they are eligible for and not claiming Pension Credit. With Winter Fuel Payment eligibility criteria changing, this vital campaign has secured £17 million in unclaimed support so far.

5. Our 12 Days of Christmas campaign kicks off on Monday 2 December

Our annual 12 days of Christmas campaign 2024 starts on Monday 2 and runs to Tuesday 17 December. The campaign features 12 days of good news stories that showcase the impact our clients have made throughout the year. Now in its fifth year, the popular campaign allows us to share wonderful stories about how our clients have improved the lives of our residents using the Better Off platform.

Driving forward the data sharing agenda

In our latest UC data roundtable, attended by over 30 local authorities, we discussed the impact of the Autumn Statement. We explored our input to the new Data (Use and Access) Bill and English Devolution Bill. We also encouraged more attendees to join DWP's iLOV data sharing working group looking at potential strategic solutions for datasharing with local authorities.

We were pleased to see Paul Selby’s letter to local authorities announcing that Housing Benefit data could be used for benefit take up purposes. This is very helpful for our Pension Credit and other benefit take up campaigns, and is something we've been quoting for some time.

This month, as we continue to actively engage with central government to advance the data sharing agenda for local authorities, we also published a blog highlighting the experiences of two local authorities recently audited on their use and management of DWP data as part of the MOU compliance audits. Read the blog to hear about their experiences, challenges and reflections from their audits.

We support November's awareness weeks with our work

This month we took part in Money and Pensions Service Talk Money week. This year's campaign encouraged everyone to open up about their finances and Do One Thing to improve their financial resilience. We reminded people to complete a free benefits check for themselves or someone they know to encourage more take up of Pension Credit.

November also saw National Care Leaver's Week which we celebrated by writing about the financial support that care leavers can claim and how using data proactively could be the key to delivering support care leavers deserve.

We reflect on achievements from the last quarter and look forward to the next

Every three months the entire Policy in Practice team comes together to review the impact we've made over the past quarter and to look at our goals for the next. It's an opportunity to reflect on our achievements, learn from our experiences and align our efforts for the months ahead.

As we grow these times to connect as a team are as important as ever, plus we always have a lot of fun. Watch the video below that highlights some of our work from August to October 2024.